LEWISTON — Republicans in Augusta and Washington came under equal criticism Friday from Mayor Larry Gilbert and a group from the Maine People’s Alliance.
The group held a news conference Friday morning in front of the B-Street Community Center to decry potential cuts to Medicaid and other programs for the poor and elderly.
“We want to encourage our senators to not approve any measure in Washington, D.C., that shifts the burden onto our state, where this burden will ultimately end up at the municipal level — as has been happening for years,” Gilbert said.
The conference was called by the Maine People’s Alliance in response to ongoing federal budget discussions and debate about raising the debt ceiling. They urged Maine Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and Democrat Rep. Mike Michaud to avoid cuts in Medicaid and Medicare.
Cuts like that only end up hurting municipalities like Lewiston that have to spend more to fix holes left by cuts at the federal and state level, Gilbert said.
“Cuts at the national level often mean that states have to pick up the bill, especially for programs for Medicaid where costs are shared,” Gilbert said.
Federal-level cuts like that would take away insurance for many, adding another burden to the economy.
“High unemployment, high gas prices, rising food costs and a weak housing market are already conspiring against us,” Gilbert said. “We don’t need to make matters worse by removing the safety net that protects millions from the disastrous costs of essential health benefits.”
Maine’s own politicians do similar things, he said. He also decried cuts in state revenue sharing to the local government.
“That’s millions of dollars, due to municipalities, that are simply taken away,” he said. “Governor (Paul) LePage’s budget already included several changes to the general assistance welfare program.”
Those changes shift the burden farther down, onto Maine’s cities and towns, Gilbert said.
“We are at the bottom, where it stops and where it matters most,” Gilbert said. “That’s where Gov. LePage was, the mayor of a municipality, and you think he would understand what’s going on.”
Instead of cuts, Gilbert and the Maine People’s Alliance called for corporate taxes and cuts to corporate subsidies.
“What we’ve seen in Washington is providing loopholes in taxes for corporations,” Gilbert said. “They either don’t pay taxes or they pay reduced taxes and there are such big loopholes, they could just drive a truck through them. Then there’s subsidies for oil companies. They report record profits every quarter and yet we give them subsidies. I think it’s time that the poor get subsidies.”
Gilbert has had a busy week. Wednesday, he led councilors on a tour of downtown housing and code enforcement issues. Thursday he spoke at a rally at City Hall to promote gay marriage and Friday at the People’s Alliance news conference.
But Gilbert said the number of public appearances is only because things are busy. Gilbert’s term as mayor ends in January, and Gilbert said he’s done with politics after that.
“The only thing I have on my schedule after that is a pretty heavy ‘honey-do list’ at home,” Gilbert said. “I’ve got closets to clean out, files to throw away. And, some traveling.”
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