Winners, losers in the Governor’s agenda
From the Maine Senate
By Sen. Troy Jackson
I have said for a while now that Governor LePage’s policies pick winners and losers. Nowhere has that been truer than with his proposed two-year budget and the policies he laid out in his State of the State Address.
Let’s begin with the State of the State. While I was pleased that the governor adopted a less combative tone than he had on previous occasions with the Legislature, there were still many instances where his rhetoric did not match reality.
In one instance, he said that we need to put children first and help struggling families. I certainly agree, but his record has not reflected that priority. The governor’s current proposed budget guts necessary programs and shifts costs to working Mainers, which would not have been necessary if he had not pushed through tax cuts primarily helping the wealthy last year that were not paid for.
His proposed budget dumps more than $420 million dollars worth of problems on to our local towns and cities. For example, under this proposal, Caribou is estimated to lose approximately $2.5 million in revenue. He is forcing local selectboards and city councils across our state to do things like cut essential town services, police, education, fire and rescue, or raise property taxes—in some cases as much as 30 percent. Or, maybe, towns will have to do both.
And at a time when Maine’s economy is still sluggish, a time when more than 50,000 Mainers are still out of work, we have to question whether the governor’s choices will only further harm our local economy.
Also concerning is his proposal to eliminate the Homestead exemption and the Circuit Breaker Program for Mainers under 65 years old. These programs have provided tax relief to more than 200,000 Maine households. Everyone has to live somewhere, and many folks in Aroostook County stay in their home for upwards of 50 years. When the governor suggests that Mainers should take on an additional property tax burden and also take away responsible programs that help them, it makes me wonder if he understands the tremendous stress and pressure most people face when trying to pay their bills and stay in their homes.
We won’t solve our budget challenges by pitting towns and cities against one another and the state. We can do better.
To start, we can do our part to help working Mainers keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets. Those few extra dollars can be spent at local businesses in ways that jumpstart our economy and create more demand for our products. And the more money we put into the economy, the better revenues will be for our state. Truly this is an instance where a rising tide lifts all boats.
I am confident, however, that our Appropriations Committee can do the work necessary to craft an alternative that is much fairer. They have a difficult job ahead that will require leaders from both parties to work together. I will do my part to help them. But I encourage all of you to pay attention. The next few weeks and months are critical. There will be opportunities for you to weigh in and tell lawmakers in Augusta about your priorities.
In doing so, you will help us do our jobs better, and help us pass a budget that doesn’t pick winners or losers, but rather gives everyone a chance to succeed.
Sen. Troy Jackson (D-Allagash) serves as assistant majority leader and as chair of the Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee. He can be reached at either 398-4081 (home) or 436-0763 (cell), or via e-mail at SenTroy.Jackson@legislature.maine.gov.
