Gov. LePage’s proposed budget and regulatory reforms offer hope to overburdened Maine families.

Maine debt, regulatory and tax burdens remain high, weighing heavy on the people of Maine. Some groups want to increase those burdens.

Such talk borders on contempt for Maine’s unemployed, and families struggling with higher gas and food costs.

Gov.LePage’s proposed budget gives every Maine family a tax cut in the coming years.

The average family will to be able to afford another tank of gas, two more bags of groceries, or one night out together per month, or maybe a family weekend away enjoying Maine’s beautiful coast or mountains. Union spokespeople and Democrats say those things “just aren’t big enough to matter.”  How callous.

But, government union representatives, teachers, Democrats and the Natural Resources Council of Maine reject easing the heavy burden of taxes and regulation on the people. They want to dash those hopes for Maine people and families.

There are over 50,000 Maine families feeling the pain of unemployment. Over 250,000 people wondering when they will not have to use government programs to pay for food.

Fragile economic hopes are easily crushed by special interest groups more concerned with their own pay raises and pensions, for protecting regulatory fiefdoms and power, than they are concerned for private sector workers who are forced to pay for these perks.

The Natural Resources Council of Maine, with power and influence, lobbies heavily at the State House. It clamors to keep regulations they put in place. It organizes protests against sensible efforts to ease regulatory burdens, clotting the life-flow of ideas and keeping hard working Mainers from prospering.

Teachers and government sector employees in Maine earn on average 125 percent more than private sector workers. Private sector income has been flat-to- down over the last four years. Government employees enjoyed pay increases each year.

Active government teachers and workers are asked in Gov. LePage’s budget to add more to their pension savings. No pension will be reduced.

It is hard to understand why they object to increasing their savings. Many families do not have jobs, savings or pensions.

It was suggested recently at a teachers’ meeting that the sales tax be increased to pay pension costs. Applause rippled through the crowd. Teachers cheered the idea that people earning less than they do, should pay even more taxes.

Families struggling just to get to work, to hold onto their job, and to put food on the table, view increasing taxes and regulations shackles, not solutions.

Our biggest problem is escalating payments to the state pension system: These payments cost Maine taxpayers $450 million this fiscal year, growing to $850 million in 10 years to a projected 25 percent  of the general fund budget. The system has also gone cash-flow negative, meaning benefit payments exceed contributions.

The pension problem, despite claims by members of the Maine Teachers Association, and also Maine State Employees Association, did not begin with Gov.  McKernan. Gov. McKernan did not take money from the pension trust.

I have read every Maine State Retirement System annual report from 1986 to the present. McKernan did not take, or borrow, any money from the pension trust. Anyone who says so is wrong, and not telling the truth. This should be stopped immediately.

Gov. McKernan did more than any other governor to put the pension system on sound financial and professional footing. He was instrumental in investigating, reforming the system, and in passing the constitutional amendment securing the benefits for the teachers. He deserves praise, not slander.

Venting anger and frustration on the LePage Administration for this situation is misplaced and inappropriate. It does nothing to help solve anything. The current administration is just trying to deal with “sunny-day decisions”  decisions, which turned out to be horrible mistakes. That being said, they, and the employees, will both, reap the consequences.

The “give up” of the COLA by the Maine state worker’s union and other suggestions is a just down payment to preserve pensions and other vital programs such as education and healthcare. Besides which, the MSEA/SEIU bargained with administrations too sympathetic to their cause and profligate with our money, but that is not for me to decide or judge.

Easing concerns of families in difficulty, joining the unemployed in their struggle to find work—these, should be the focus of every legislator, every state employee, every teacher. Their salaries and pensions depend on it.

Tax cuts, fiscal prudence and regulatory reform add cash to every family budget,  signaling businesses in state, and away, that Maine is serious about its fiscal problems, and interested in growing. This will spark positive effects.

Perhaps the government of Maine can finally be a source of smiles instead of scowls. Well, at least we can hope so.