In the wake of the recently passed budget, approved by the state Legislature, Gov. Paul LePage said the cuts were aimed at people who “take but never give.”
Among those “takers” are the elderly who “gave” all their working lives and are often not able to re-enter the workforce, early education programs (which are aimed at pre-schoolers who, fortunately, are legally barred from working), and hospitals who treat people with injuries and diseases but who have no insurances or other financial means of paying.
All the people in those groups are incapable of changing their situations at the time they need the services.
The latest budget cuts, combined with previous cuts made this year, bring the total to about $200 million, mostly from social services, schools and other public services.
All budget cuts lead to job losses. So much for a governor who stands for job creation and “cares deeply for the truly needy,” as he said at the recent Republican Convention in Augusta.
If money is the only issue, he shouldn’t be cutting revenues by cutting taxes on business interest and spending money on his own special interests, no matter how worthy.
Doris McNally, Leeds
Send questions/comments to the editors.
