Imagine that. Rep. Terry Hayes comes up with a reasonable idea to save the state a million dollars (“LD 1878; An Act to Generate Savings by Changing Public Notice Requirements”) and a Sun Journal editorial comes out against it (“Alternative to publishing notices lacks security”). It wasn’t mentioned in the editorial that the five dailies in Maine stand to lose that money. Do the papers need a million-dollar subsidy?
That is the typical spending problem in Augusta. A million here for this important thing, a million there for that important thing, and before you know it, we’re spending lots and lots of money.
I’m sure the newspapers will have their lobbyists out in force to defeat the bill. How many taxpayers will be there?
There are benefits if this bill passes. If the savings are passed on as tax cuts, it would amount to less than a dollar back per person. Probably not enough to motivate anyone to drive to Augusta. A dollar isn’t much, is it?
But I support Rep. Hayes’ bill on this principle: If every legislator in Augusta found a way to save us all a dollar each, it might start to make a difference.
So I encourage thoughtful reductions in the size of government (and the size of my tax bill) by supporting efforts like this one. I support a yes vote on LD 1878.
Michael Newsom, South Paris
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