2 sides of state issues -- DirigoHealth, taxes, economy
- Login to post comments
Party leaders explain positions as election season begins
AUGUSTA -- When they served together in the House, Pat Colwell was Speaker and Julie O'Brien served on the Appropriations Committee.
Of different parties and different minds, the two are cordial, but not friendly. It is, after all, an election year. And in their current jobs as the public faces of their respective parties, they espouse different ideas for the future of Maine.
When O'Brien was hired, one of the questions I asked on AMG was whether she could articulate the positions of the party and respond well to Colwell's claptrap.
While I'm sure the CMN article went through some creative editing, I'm impressed with her answers.
i wish she ahd said, how can we have $100 million in a savings account when we owe hospitals $300 million?
We also owe the Maine State Retirement System nearly 3 billion dollars. We owe nearly $500 million in bonds. We owe $300 million to the hospitals. Last year he and his party wanted to borrow $450 million to balance the budget. Now Baldacci wants to borrow another $25 million for maintaince on the roads. Is there any end to it all?
I wonder why Colwell didn't bring up the money donated to the RI democrats and the money the RI democrats donated to the Maine democrats. Suppose he would have if it had been republicans doing this?
The other day at a CMMC legislative breakfast;
When the issue came up, Senator Peggy Rountdo (D-Lewiston/Appropriations) stated "We just don't have the money."
Rep Joan Bryant-Deschaines came back with: "I thought we had a $130 million surplus"
The Ds left.
Great definition of a Democrat Surplus:
SAM ADAMS 2:
We also owe the Maine State Retirement System nearly 3 billion dollars. We owe nearly $500 million in bonds. We owe $300 million to the hospitals. Last year he and his party wanted to borrow $450 million to balance the budget. Now Baldacci wants to borrow another $25 million for maintaince on the roads. Is there any end to it all?
I wonder why Colwell didn't bring up the money donated to the RI democrats and the money the RI democrats donated to the Maine democrats. Suppose he would have if it had been republicans doing this?
"We are building on our success."
Napoleon, Nov. 29, 1812
"We are building on our successes."
Pat Colwell, March 12, 2006
"With successes like these, who needs disasters."
J.N. Frary, March 12, 2006
We also owe the Maine State Retirement System nearly 3 billion dollars. We owe nearly $500 million in bonds. We owe $300 million to the hospitals. Last year he and his party wanted to borrow $450 million to balance the budget. Now Baldacci wants to borrow another $25 million for maintaince on the roads. Is there any end to it all?
We need LTTEs that make this point.
Sentinal readers, take up your pens!
Colwell used (by my count) 5 Bush slams in putting forth the Democratic message. Now there's a party with some ideas.
Michael -
Scene: Emperor. Nude Butt.
LOL!!!
Naran,
This was just after I asked the open question; "So where's the bottleneck, why aren't the hospitals getting paid? Is it MaineCare, is it Appropriations?"
This meeting was in Lewiston, but only Senator Rotundo, Reps Craven and O'Brian were there from the L/A Democrat delegation...for a while.
Republicans included, Berube, Shields, Hamper, Bryant-Deschaines, Vaughan and Sen Snowe-Mello.
Should be Front Page News!!!
This will be fun, no need to look anythign up!
"Since the recession that George Bush presided over began, we have created 22,000 net jobs in this state."
And every economist the state employs or uses for projecting the figures is on record as saying that the recession didn't hit Maine nearly as hard as the rest of the country.
"Those are real jobs, they are real people and they are going to real work. Do we need to do more, yes, certainly."
Those are real jobs without benefits. If Pat and the Democrats want to claim that Dirigo is the reason for the 5% drop in the uninsured ( even thugh 6,500 uninsured didn't sign up for Dirigo ) than none of these 22,000 new jobs came with health insurance benefits and likely did not come with any benefits at all and likely are low paying can't support yourself on them type of jobs.
"Gov. Baldacci has laid out a vision for creating another 25,000 new jobs over the next four years."
Wait, the Governor has said repeatedly that it's 5 years, not 4. If it's over 5 years that would be a miserable economic performance, ranking 4th or 5th worst job creation rate since 1978. If it's over 4 years it only moves Maine job creation to average, middle of the pack. No matter how you slice that job number Pat, it is nothing at all to crow about.
"The average per capita wage in Maine has risen from 34th in the nation to 30th in the nation. That's real growth for the average Maine citizen. "
And the fastest growing segment of wages is what Pat? Transfer payments. SSI, Social Security, welfare.
"We've got to make those initiatives and those investments. That is the future. We're very proud of our K-12 system."
As a voter was telling me yesterday - you're proud of a system where kids are tinkling in the school yard?
"Colwell: I think so. The Maine Municipal Association study, it's not the entire state yet, but it shows 60 percent of the towns have seen property taxes stay the same or decrease."
We didn't ask for property taxes to stay the same, we asked for RELIEF.
- Login to post comments