I lost count of the editorials, articles, and columns in Maine’s daily newspaper about Paul LePage during 2010-18. It was too much work and too boring. But I read enough to estimate that there were no fewer than 1,248.

Leaving out the supportive letters to the editor and columns by token Republicans, all of these were negative, none positive. Casual readers unaware of the cozy relationships between most of Maine’s journalists and the Democratic Party might conclude that Paul LePage ran for office simply in order to gain control of a “bully pulpit” from which to abuse and bully blameless citizens.

Less casual readers must be a little surprised to read reports that Governor (Janet) Mills has no plans to reverse her predecessor’s achievements wholesale. On Nov. 11, 2018, Scott Thistle reported that Mills “has no intention of undoing LePage’s tax cuts.” More, she said she was open to broadening the sales tax in order to further reduce Maine’s income tax. “I don’t have a specific plan to change tax policy right now,” she announced. “I’m not interested in increasing taxes.”

Scott Thistle’s Maine Sunday Telegram article, “What Maine’s New Government Will Mean to You,” went on the report the new governor’s plans to reverse some of the former governor’s policies. That doesn’t change the implication that Maine’s tireless LePage haters may have overlooked some positive achievements.

Thistle’s May 5 article on the front page of the Maine Sunday Telegram, MAY 5: “Undoing LePage,” confirms that “many of his (LePage’s) achievements remain in place, including cuts to the state income tax, state pension reforms that reduced unfunded liability to future retirees and education reforms that introduced charter schools to the Maine landscape.” His welfare reforms remain largely still in place and she too declines to support background checks for all gun sales.

There’s no argument that the Mills administration will be a continuation of all that came before. Its central theme and thrust will be an expansion of the government sector and diminished freedom of the private sector.

Gov. Mills is a liberal Democrat. Liberal Democrats have few plans for improving government, many plans for expanding government, no plans for diminishing government. Moderate Republicans aren’t dogmatic about limiting government. They are willing to skip along behind its growth so long as the pace isn’t too brisk. Conservatives are philosophically committed to limited government. Career politicians, who claim to be conservative, or would be conservative if they think they could get away with it, understand that political success comes from spending. They see no political advantage from restricting the distribution of government goodies. For them tax cuts are not really about freedom. They are just another way to hand around the goodies.

And that brings us to Paul LePage. The longest conversation he and I ever had was when we drove from Waterville to Bangor and back. He talked mostly about methods for achieving efficiency in both the private and public sector operations. His remarks developed from a vast wealth of experience as a business turn-around consultant and as general manager of Marden’s. Our present governor has had nothing comparable.

In addition to his desire to improve government efficiency, Paul’s ambition was to limit its control over its citizens. He hoped to achieve this objective by 1) reducing the tax burden; 2) rationalizing and reducing the regulatory burden on private business and personal life; 3) disciplining the public education monopoly by exposing it to competition from charter schools, home-schooling, private academies, religious schools; 4) reducing welfare dependency by reforms and restrictions; 5) reducing the budget burdens by paying off the state’s debt to the hospitals; 6) reducing debt owed to the state’s pension fund; 7) improving Maine’s credit rating.

Governor Mills does not seem committed to any of these except number one.

John Frary of Farmington is a former candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, a retired history professor, an emeritus board member of Maine Taxpayers United, a Maine Citizen’s Coalition Board member and publisher of FraryHomeCompanion.com. He can be reached at jfrary8070
 

 

Copy the Story Link