Maine’s senior senator
can make a difference in Washington, D.C.
By Hayes Gahagan
On the day that Standard & Poor’s put a “negative” outlook on the U.S. AAA credit rating, citing excessive debt and deep budget deficits, it was timely and appropriate that U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe would be meeting with a group of Aroostook County legislators, community and business leaders, and political activists.
While we don’t agree with Sen. Snowe on some issues, there’s no question she has a depth of knowledge and understanding of the political process in Washington that can serve the people of Maine, known for a great diversity of both liberal and conservative points of view. On financial matters, her advocacy for small business and regulatory reform is commendable.
We were in agreement that at this time of rising budget deficits and debt, we must focus on our national economy and national defense. While most Americans see the lunacy of the funding of Planned Parenthood and National Public Radio over funding for the Military, as the parent of a Marine officer, I was pleased to hear that Sen. Snowe agrees that funding of our Military payroll should have been ‘without question’.
She also seemed to understand how ridiculous it is for the U.S. Government to provide up to $10 billion in loans to Brazil to finance their development of oil reserves off Brazil’s coast, while opposing the development of domestic oil resources, where we have more oil than all the other proven reserves on earth. This includes one of the largest untapped oil reserves in the world, 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky Mountains, which when combined with ANWR and other domestic oil resources, could fully fuel the American economy for centuries, with initial estimates at less than $50 per barrel. By developing these resources, along with natural gas and other forms of energy, America has the ability to achieve energy independence from an increasingly hostile international community.
With her years of experience and standing within the Republican Party and with the current Administration, I believe Sen. Snowe could be in a position to break through partisan differences and provide the kind of bipartisan leadership that will be required to unleash our domestic energy resources to fuel an economic recovery that can also solve our budget and debt crisis. Her persistent and creative solutions to the regulatory stranglehold on business can help to ignite a revival of private sector job creation, and economic growth for America.
From my individual perspective, this is her top priority as my U.S. Senator.
Hayes Gahagan of Presque Isle is chairman of the Aroostook County Republican Committee.
