Op-Ed
Republicans call for change at Tuesday's state election
By Don MacAulay
York Republican Committee
The issues in next week's election aren't as complicated as many of the candidates would like you to believe. The simple fact is that for the past 32 years Maine state government has been controlled by the Democrats, and as a result the economy of our state is in a mess.
Just take a look at the numbers: Maine is No.1 in the nation in state and local taxes; Maine ranks 44th in the nation in personal income growth; 48th in job growth; and 49th in small business friendliness. Nothing to be proud of. In 2005, only two states in our nation experienced economic decline and one was Louisiana, which had a pretty good reason after being ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. The other? You guessed it - the great state of Maine. Thanks to the mismanagement of the Baldacci administration and the entrenched tax-and-spend attitude that has permeated Augusta all these years, our young people are leaving the state in droves in order to make a better life for their families elsewhere. What a shame! There are fewer young people left in Maine. The latest U.S. Census shows the greatest decline in population in Maine is the 20- to 34-year-old category, which has seen a 22 percent decline since 1990.
Our seniors on fixed incomes are being forced from their homes, and families are finding it difficult to pay their mortgages because of skyrocketing property taxes. Right here in York, Ogunquit and Kittery, citizens are struggling because of our spiraling tax rate. Pretty discouraging when those who built these communities through hard work over the years are sent packing by our state and local governments. It doesn't have to be. While Maine wallows economically, other states are doing just fine, thank you. I imagine some of you took notice that in recent weeks the Dow Jones soared past the 12,000 mark and continues to climb. Democrats, of course, will tell you that only the rich benefit from the tax cuts that are the prime engine for the stock market's growth. I guess they don't count most of us who find our 401Ks and pension plans heavily invested in the market. But tax cuts are something foreign to Maine Democrats who prefer the high spending approach to solving our financial woes.
The good news is that this sad state of affairs can be rectified. The plight of Maine's economy has voters looking to Republicans and Republican principles for solutions. And locally we have solid Republican candidates who are ready to join their counterparts throughout the state in taking control of the Maine State Legislature. Currently, Republicans are just one seat away from a majority in the house and two seats away from the majority in the senate. And Chandler Woodcock has John Baldacci on the run in the race for the Blaine House. A good indication of how local candidates have performed in Augusta comes from the independent, non-partisan Maine Economic Research Institute that measures voting records from the perspective of creating a healthy economy, strong business and quality jobs in Maine. These MERI ratings show Senate District 1 candidate Ken Lemont of Kittery, a 35-year lobsterman and 12-year employee at the Kittery Shipyard, with a gold star rating of 84.5 percent during his years as a member of the house and senate, who is ready to regain the seat he held before taking a hiatus when York's Mary Andrews, who has endorsed him, held the seat. If you listened to his opponent's twisted rhetoric you might think House District 149 incumbent Brad Moulton, a lifelong Cape Neddick resident with a law practice in Ogunquit, was some kind of an ogre who favors bullying in our schools. She should check his gold star MERI rating of 91.5 percent on bills dealing with the economy, small business and jobs in Maine - things that really matter.
York has been well served in Augusta over the years in House District 150 by Republicans Dave Ott and Mary Andrews. That tradition should continue with the candidacy of Windol Weaver, a 26-year resident of York who has served faithfully on the York Budget Committee for the past 12 years, including three years as chairman and is endorsed by both Ott and Andrews. A 23-year U.S. Air Force pilot who flew 524 combat missions in Vietnam and later retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel, his priorities are reducing the tax burden, a smaller, more efficient state government and working to create new jobs. The solution here, "Leave it to Weaver!'' An exciting newcomer to politics is Jeff Furbish, a candidate for county commissioner. A resident of Eliot and small business owner in Kittery, the former York Rotary Club president says government is top-heavy, and its growth needs to be controlled. "Anything to save the taxpayer money - that's my goal,'' says Furbish.
Of course we can't talk about taxes without mentioning Question 1 on the ballot - the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR - which has drawn the wrath of those who feed at the public trough and can't stand the thought of ordinary citizens having control of their wallets in their own communities. A yes vote is needed here. Why do you think millions of dollars from outside the state have been pumped into trying to stop this question from passing? Because if average folk have a real say in how to spend their tax dollars, this could catch on and money-grubbing lobbying groups such as the Maine Municipal Association might lose their grip on town budgets. As Portland Press Herald columnist M.D. Harmon wrote recently, "The opposition to TABOR is supported by those with a stake in government spending. They may preach 'tax reform,' but wouldn't be caught dead talking about 'tax relief' - that is making lower taxes a higher priority than huge new spending programs. TABOR's opponents have had years to make Maine an average-taxed state with a good business climate. Seen any progress yet? Neither have I."
And neither have we, Mr. Harmon.
