I applaud the decisions of Rep. Mike Beaulieu of Auburn and Sen. Garrett Mason of Lisbon for their principled votes against a Clean Elections Fund bill — which I prefer to call the Welfare for Politicians Expansion bill — before the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs.

Maine is currently struggling to pay the debts it has incurred through welfare programs for the genuinely needy. Meanwhile, the tax-and-spend politicians in Augusta are pushing for an expansion of Clean Elections that will cost Maine taxpayers $20 million in 2014.

Since the year 2000, the Maine Clean Elections Fund has cost Maine taxpayers more than $25.1 million. In the year 2010 alone, $6.3 million in taxpayer money was wasted on that program.

What was the purpose of these huge expenditures? To help the politicians pay for yard signs and TV commercials in their re-election campaigns.

LD 1309, An Act To Strengthen the Maine Clean Election Act, would triple the amount of taxpayer money that state politicians can spend on their campaigns. Candidates for governor would receive up to $3 million (instead of the current $1 million). Candidates for state Senate would receive up to $70,000 (instead of the current $25,000). Candidates for state representative would receive up to $17,500 (instead the current of $5,000).

This “Welfare for Politicians Expansion” program is fiscally irresponsible. Maine is struggling to pay the welfare bills of the genuinely needy. The state simply cannot afford to spend $20 million tax dollars on political yard signs.

Eric Brakey, New Gloucester