Democrats Sucker Punch Maine Citizens....Again!

Late Tuesday night, with no public input, democratic lawmakers passed and the governor signed a tax increase on Beer, Wine and Soda to fund the failing Dirigo Health Program. It's funny, but not unexpected, how quickly the governor and legislature did a 180 on their commitment to no new taxes we heard so much about during the budget debate. It's really our own fault for electing them. Full Story

Democrats Removing all Accountability on Their Spending

In the middle of the night (when they thought nobody would notice) the democrats in Augusta slipped a provision into their budget proposal to effectively eliminate the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability. Full Story

Democrats reject reducing state employee benefits

According to the Portland Press Hearld, "Democrats rejected Republican suggestions that state legislators and their staffs pick up 10 percent of the cost of their health insurance, which the state now funds fully." I can only dream of a day where I only have to pay 10% of the cost of my health insurance!

The Democratic plan would also eliminate the Legislature's watchdog agency and transfer its duties to the Legislature's fiscal office, a proposal opposed by Republicans on the Appropriations Committee.

Full Story

I honestly don't know how these lawmakers can get away with raping the Maine tax payer like this.

Here's a few thoughts:


1. TABOR 2
2. Vote Republican
3. Sign this petition against raising our taxes and in favor of spending cuts:

Maine welfare cuts protested.

On Wednesday, thousands of taxpayer dollars were spent to transport protesters to Augusta to make the case for increasing our taxes. The silent majority of over-taxed and struggling Mainers were unable to attended because they had to work.

Perhaps the most worthwhile testimony of the day came from Tarren Bragdon of the Maine Heritage Policy Center who said significant money could be saved by "reducing MaineCare eligibility, cutting faculty and staff within the University of Maine System and tightening up spending by members of the Legislature". I totally agree with cutting Mainecare. I strongly urge anyone in this state who is paying for their own medical care (insurance, etc) to compare their list of benefits to those that people on Mainecare get. It'll make you sick. Full Story

Augusta Liberals Squeal at Budget Cuts

I've been watching with fascination the budget debates in Augusta over the last few weeks. The Gov seems to be remaining firm on his stance of no new taxes. Good for him! However, I do sometimes wonder if this isn't a "Good Cop/Bad Cop" act. As the Augusta Liberals salivate over huge new tax increases, the idea may be that we'll be so scared of them we'll eventually allow the Gov to slip in a few small ones. I'm not saying this is what's going on, but it's something we should all be on guard for.

Now, many welfare-supporting liberals are squealing as the budget Ax bears down on them and their programs. To them, these proposed budget cuts are making the unthinkable a possibility. Some of these unpleasant realities include the idea that people may have to earn a living. They may have to pay for their own health care. Scary thoughts.

Augusta Democrats Warming Up to Tax Increases

As if we didn't all see this coming. Faced with a $225 million budget shortfall from all the years of lavish spending, Jeremy Fischer, D-Presque Isle (head of the Appropriations Committee) said lawmakers should consider tax increases if cutting the budget becomes too onerous.

Augusta democrats absolutely hate to cut spending and they're trying to warm us up gradually to the idea of new taxes. Can the Republicans stop them? We'll see. Full Story

Viewer Letters

Here are some letters from our viewers. My apologies for not posting these sooner. The common theme seems to be more DHHS abuse and stupidity...


From Jeff:

To Whom It May Concern:

On June 2nd 2007, I purchased a small, used motorcycle. At that time I was a resident of the state of New Hampshire and had been living there for 25 years. In mid-June, I moved to the mid-coast of Maine. I did not register the motorcycle in New Hampshire as I knew I would be moving in two weeks. What rational person would register a vehicle in a state for a year, knowing they were leaving in two weeks?

The motorcycle came to Maine in the back of my pickup truck. When I went to the BMV to register the motorcycle I was told I owed the state of Maine $125 in sales tax. "That's insane", I told the clerk. I bought this vehicle as a New Hampshire resident, from a New Hampshire resident, in North Conway, New Hampshire. I owed no sales tax to Maine for a transaction that took place in New Hampshire between two New Hampshire residents. I showed the clerk the HUD-1 statement documenting the date I bought my home in Maine and the title for the motorcycle showing the sale 2 weeks prior. She was not impressed. I was told because I had never registered the motorcycle for use on public roads, I would have to pay Maine sales tax. That's outrageous. They had me. Either pay the sales tax, or I could not register the motorcycle for use in Maine.

This is nothing less than legitimized theft. If I took $125 from someone at gunpoint, I'd be in jail. I guess it's OK for Maine to take $125 from me, with no rational right to do so.

I have twice emailed the Secretary of State asking for an explanation, since that time. I have never received a reply. I know they received my email because I have never gotten a bounce notice and they've responded to a different email inquiry from me regarding a matter for which they did have an easy answer. I guess the Secretary of State only answers easy questions. That doesn't surprise me.

It's not bad enough the the State of Maine mismanages millions of taxpayer dollars, but it is brazen enough to take that which it has NO right to collect. I have only been in Maine 6 months. I am going back to New Hampshire. This and several other instances of sheer stupidity and arrogance by the state have been enough. A shame really as I am the kind of resident Maine needs. Fully-employed, responsible, accountable and civic-minded. I think they expect me to work hard so they can take my money and throw it away. I am too smart to tolerate that for very long.

Good luck to all of you who are left behind.

J. G. Adams, MSgt, USAF (ret.)


P.S. How about the 20 million dollars the state treasurer recently threw away based on advice from his golfing buddies? I would respectfully suggest he get every dime back or go to jail.
Either you are a steward of the public trust, or you're not.

From Anonymous:

I can not believe that any department can have so much power with
personnel that are so unqualified! My father has been hounded for five years
by DHHS of Lewiston. Let me tell you I thought he was exaggerating
until I became involved. He and my stepmother, both in their 70's, have
been married for 30 years when she had a stroke in 2000. He has been her
sole caregiver for many years. She is very limited in her speech, and
has been examined by DHHS Doctors who have declared her to have
dementia and unable to make decisions for herself. The department has tried
over the past 5 years to become, and if they are her guardians then they
could get her on Maine Care and become the beneficiaries. They have
tried on numerous occasions to get her to sign for divorce and give them
guardianship. They have removed her from the home on three occasions
and placed her in a nursing home. Twice thrown out of court and the third
time the judge in Oxford county said he had not been given any just
cause for removal. This last time the judge gave DHHS temporary
guardianship and they placed her in a nursinhome in Canton maine who dropped her
and broke her hip not once but twice!There is so much more to this
story than i can write here. Is there any advocates or someone there in
Maine I can contact? I need help I am living in Oklahoma and don't know
where to begin.

From Tom:

Hello, my name is tom and I am the grandfather of two infant children. My daughter has had two children with two different men. In 2005 she got pregnant, and the father was told VARIOUS times by telephone, AND by her visiting him at his parents house. He was VERY upset with her calling him, the father of the baby and told her MANY TIMES to NEVER contact him again for ANY reason. We complied, seeing that he had on many occasions demonstrated violent outbursts, including carrying a loaded gun into a sandwich shop, and chasing after my daughter and two of her friends with an AX ! MY self, and my fiancee have taken care of the first child for nearly 2 1/2 years when DHHS stepped into the picture, and took her out of the home due to my daughter being in a dangerous situation with the father of the second child. The first child has NEVER been away from us, she has gone through absolute HELL, at DHHS's expense, NOT TO MENTION the anxiety we've gone through, along with my declining health since they took her away from me. DHHS heard the story about how the second father knocked out my daughters front teeth with a padlock, that he hurrled at her face, they EVEN have it on record , YET, they made NO ATTEMPT to arrest him for the crime that he OPENLY has admitted to. NOW, the father of the first child has the first child even though he attacked my daughter, AND the father of the second child has his child even though he admitted to nearly killing my daughter. SO......DHHS has seen fit to give these children away to the fathers that have BOTH openly admitted to violently treating my daughter. Is Maine NOW opposite land???? it SURELY looks as though both these guys BOUGHT a decision........and of course because I didn't agree with the decisions DHHS made for my grandchildren, I got VERY upset as I felt as if my family was (AND IT WAS!), being torn apart. I guess I was just supposed to sit back, and watch my family abused by the ABUSIVE POWER of DHHS. Even as this state's budget is WAY out of wack DUE to DHHS, NOW the father's of the children.....(making a combined total of 30 dollars an hour get a COURT APPOINTED lawyer, BUT, DHHS has seen fit to CONTINUE the child protective case into the parental rights and responsibilty case. THIS STATE in ALL it's trouble has not ONLY represented LIARS, THUGS, BUT, has paid ALL their court expenses,..........INCREDIABLE !!!

I'd sure appreciate hearing from someone that is HUMAN instead of being treated like trash by a governmental department that operates in the OPPOSITE direction than the one that states on their website, "IN THE CHILDRENS BEST INTEREST"