Where are the leaders?

Here we go again: more cuts to the people of Maine. It’s always the ones who need it most — foster care and adoption services, higher education, public school aid and the new property tax relief programs. The budget also cuts dozens of positions in the state’s Medicaid programs and services to the blind and disabled children.
If there were real leaders in Augusta, they would lead by example. I didn’t see the governors’ salary and benefits cut, or the legislators’ pay and benefits decreased.
It’s easy to cut another’s pay and benefits, but not their own. If people saw that state officials’ pay was getting cut, it wouldn’t hurt as bad to have ours cut. But they’ll never cut theirs — they’re too important to do that.
If there are real leaders in Augusta, they should cut their pay first, then let it trickle down to those who cannot afford it.
Mark Kindlimann, Lisbon