Issues & Solutions
Taxes and State Spending
In Augusta, there seems to be a belief that it is the function of government to provide for every need of the people. We are providing free food, free healthcare, rental assistance, free legal assistance, free job assistance and now they are talking about providing a minimum income to all. The ability to pay for these “free” services doesn’t appear to enter into the equation in Augusta today.
A wise man once said, “We don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem.” I tend to agree with that assessment. It seems that the current administration is determined to reverse the cost-saving measures instituted by the previous administration. Rather than spending on roads and bridges, they seem to prefer to fund social programs that have limited long-term efficacy but huge constituencies. Every program of State and local governance should be reviewed on a regular basis to determine its impact on the population and its true cost to the taxpayer. Businesses regularly review their operations to determine what works and makes money and what doesn’t. Government should do the same and prioritize spending to that which government SHOULD do!
Education
Every administration, for as long as I can remember, has promised to allocate more money to “education” and yet it continues to be a problem. I think that we have some very good educators in every school district in Maine. One of the problems that I see in education is the interference of the State in the actual education of the students. They have many unfunded educational mandates that local districts are saddled with that often don’t allow them to do other meaningful things that would be better for the students’ educational experience. State should set a broad standard of achievement and leave the rest to the professionals in the local community. Treat teachers like professionals by allowing them to do their job rather than dictating every step of the process.
Roads and Transportation
The State is the one entity that has the most ability to impact our infrastructure, namely our roads. It seems that Augusta has forgotten that it is the responsibility of the State of Maine to maintain roads that can be safely traveled on, bridges that are safe, highways that can transport goods and services in and out of the State of Maine. Spending on highways doesn’t seem to satisfy a voting constituency for many…they take those roads for granted, until they completely fall apart. We need to invest in our roads and bridges to help our economy grow and to help Mainers effectively travel to their jobs, transport goods and services, and for basic living needs.
Freedom
We have freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States and by the Constitution of Maine. We need to be ever vigilant that lawmakers in Augusta don’t write laws that encroach on or inhibit those freedoms in any way. Some might argue that small “tweaks” to the practice of our freedoms might be ok in order to maintain order and discipline in our society. Legislators must resist those “little” encroachments to our freedoms under the guise of civil order and safety.
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
—Benjamin Franklin
Raising Aspirations of our Youth
One of the greatest issues that I see in our area is the level of aspirations in our youth. I’ve done a great deal of work with Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG) over the last few years and have seen how that program helps raise the aspirations of our young people. We need to do more. We need to provide young people with the role models and mentors to help them believe that they can do more than they think with their lives. There are too many regulations preventing young people from being involved in too many industries. Those restrictions must be examined to see how they are impacting the aspirations of our youth.
