The Book Augusta Doesn't Want You to Read

I highly recommend every Maine Citizen download and read the the 2007 Maine Piglet Book Published by the Maine Heritage Policy Center and Citizens Against Government Waste. The book is a startling looking at government waste in Maine. Leading the pack, as usual, is the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Probably the most unaccountable and arrogant agency in state government, we have DHHS to thank for blowing $56 million in taxpayer dollars on a medicaid billing system. DHHS failed to do its homework before hiring a contractor to build this system and throwing a lot of (our) money at them. Had they done a little due-diligence they would have discovered this contractor had no experience in building such a system. If this doesn't get your blood boiling check out the section on State Employee Compensation. In most organizations some heads would be rolling if $56 million was squandered. But not at DHHS! Here you'll learn that the top 12 DHHS employees are each making over $143,000/year in salary! More than the Governor! These figures are from 2005 so maybe they've come down some, but I doubt it.

Trimming the Budget is Difficult

The Bangor Daily News is reporting that a plan to cut $5.4 million in after-class activities has died. We will all agree the our children's education is important. But when it comes to cutting spending, that's the problem; everything is important in some way or other to someone. Whenever something is put on the chopping block there will be someone unhappy about it. They complain and the cuts get rejected. Our legislature needs to look beyond the squeaky wheels and take action that will benefit Maine as a whole. In this particular case, I see no reason parents can't play a more active role in educating their children outside the classroom instead of relying on the Maine Taxpayer.

After the cuts were proposed as part of Gov. John Baldacci's biennial budget plan for 2007-09, some Bangor-area school leaders and others balked at the idea. Full Story

The Maine Legislature Thinks We're Stupid!

Once again the Maine State Government is trying to raise our taxes AND make us feel good about it. A new proposal which does nothing to cut taxes and spending (the real problem) is being pitched as real tax reform.

The Taxation Committee sent a controversial tax realignment proposal to the full legislature for debate next week on a 11-2 ought-to-pass vote. The bill is being touted as real tax reform, saving Mainers millions in taxes. That couldn't be further from the truth. Full Story

Maine DHHS Steals Child Support Payments

The Child Support Enforcement arm of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is by far one of the best examples of how Maine Government has failed. Ever wonder where all those child support payments they collect are going?

DHHS Worker Accused Of Stealing Child Support Payments:
ROCKLAND (NEWS CENTER) -- A state worker in the Department of Health and Human services has been charged with stealing child support money. Full Story

Maine Loses Distinction as State with Highest Tax Burden...

Yes, Vermont now holds the infamous distinction as the state with the highest tax burden. But I'm sure our state leaders are hard at work trying to regain this title:

Maine is annually one of the highest-taxed states and is no stranger to complaining about it. A recent article in the Portland Press Herald continued the belly-aching...full story

Maine Government Pay Outstrips Private Sector

In Maine, government employees receive substantially more compensation than private-sector workers, according to a new study published by The Maine Heritage Policy Center....Full Story

Introduction

Maine is a great state full of many wonderful people and places. But it is also a state that is dogged by a bloated and ineffectual government, a government that is dragging down the people it governs. I've set up this site to share some of my observations about what is wrong with our state government.