This is a response to David Webster’s letter of March 10, which took issue with my letter of March 3. I indicated Republicans are better in managing state government.
The Constitution of Maine, Article IX, section 18-A, says that as of July 1, 1997, retirement funds must be funded annually on an actuarially sound basis.
Section 18-B says that in each fiscal year starting July 1, 1997, the Legislature shall appropriate funds that will retire in 31 years or less the unfunded liabilities of the Maine State Retirement System that are attributable to state employees and teachers.
In 2010, Republicans gained the majority after 30 years of Democratic control. Gov. Paul LePage and Treasurer Bruce Poliquin found a $6 billion debt in the retirement funds. It would not appear that the Democrats had paid attention and allocated the state revenues on other things. Is that good management?
The Republican administration also found a debt of $750 million owed to Maine’s hospitals. The Republicans paid that.
Now, the Legislature needs to start planning for payments on the several billion dollars of debt. The deadline is 2028. Therefore, it would seem particularly unaffordable to now expand Medicaid, which is already a huge financial burden.
Gov. LePage’s administration has inherited problems from the previous Democratic administration. He is solving those problems in a businesslike manner.
Thomas Shields, Auburn
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