SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Maine's Tea Party Governor: 'Slash Health and Human Services or I'll Close Schools'
Jan 20, 2012
Republican Governor of Maine and Tea Party favorite, Paul LePage, angered many residents of the northeast state Thursday when he said that if the legislature did not pass his proposed cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services' budget, he would order a statewide closure of public schools on May 1 of this year.
The Portland Press Herald reports:
The governor on Thursday held a town hall meeting in Lewiston after a day touring the region as part of his 12th Capitol for a Day event.
The Sun Journal reports that LePage, describing the DHHS budget gap as a "runaway train," told the audience that if the Legislature didn't ratify his proposed budget he would be forced to close the state's schools. It's unclear what authority he has to take such a measure.
Many of the questions posed by meeting participants had to do with LePage's proposed Medicaid cuts.
Lee Myles, CEO of St. Mary's Regional Medical Center, said the governor's proposed reductions in Medicaid were a "nuke approach" that would leave thousands of Mainers without health insurance. The Sun Journal reports that Myles said the resulting increased emergency room visits would have a $6 million impact on St. Mary's.
Here's video:
WGME-13 in Maine, added:
As with other town hall meetings a sizable group of those that call themselves Maine's Majority - the 61% of people who didn't vote for the Governor - showed up. While there were no disruptions during the meeting, only debates, some did walk out, frustrated with the Governor's answers.
Those critics, as the Sun Journal reported, were most concerned about his plans for Medicaid and what would happen "to those who would be left without health insurance."
LePage acknowledged that hospitals would see increased emergency room visits. However, he said he was working on a proposal that would require an individual to register with a primary care physician after his first emergency room visit. He added that changes in the state's insurance laws would make private insurance more affordable to some of those who would be left without health care if his budget passes.
The governor also defended the tax-cut package he signed into law last session. While critics said that the cuts benefit the wealthy, LePage stressed the package benefited all Mainers, including about 70,000 of the poorest residents in the state.
"I'm proud of (the tax cuts); I'm not ashamed of it," he said.
He added, "(The tax cuts) have nothing to do with the structural problems the state is facing now."
LePage acknowledged that the cuts would be painful. However, he rejected what he described as "emotional arguments about welfare," which he said, were "inappropriate."
After the meeting, some tried to question LePage's State Treasurer, Bruce Poloquin, about the constitutionality of the move:
###
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Republican Governor of Maine and Tea Party favorite, Paul LePage, angered many residents of the northeast state Thursday when he said that if the legislature did not pass his proposed cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services' budget, he would order a statewide closure of public schools on May 1 of this year.
The Portland Press Herald reports:
The governor on Thursday held a town hall meeting in Lewiston after a day touring the region as part of his 12th Capitol for a Day event.
The Sun Journal reports that LePage, describing the DHHS budget gap as a "runaway train," told the audience that if the Legislature didn't ratify his proposed budget he would be forced to close the state's schools. It's unclear what authority he has to take such a measure.
Many of the questions posed by meeting participants had to do with LePage's proposed Medicaid cuts.
Lee Myles, CEO of St. Mary's Regional Medical Center, said the governor's proposed reductions in Medicaid were a "nuke approach" that would leave thousands of Mainers without health insurance. The Sun Journal reports that Myles said the resulting increased emergency room visits would have a $6 million impact on St. Mary's.
Here's video:
WGME-13 in Maine, added:
As with other town hall meetings a sizable group of those that call themselves Maine's Majority - the 61% of people who didn't vote for the Governor - showed up. While there were no disruptions during the meeting, only debates, some did walk out, frustrated with the Governor's answers.
Those critics, as the Sun Journal reported, were most concerned about his plans for Medicaid and what would happen "to those who would be left without health insurance."
LePage acknowledged that hospitals would see increased emergency room visits. However, he said he was working on a proposal that would require an individual to register with a primary care physician after his first emergency room visit. He added that changes in the state's insurance laws would make private insurance more affordable to some of those who would be left without health care if his budget passes.
The governor also defended the tax-cut package he signed into law last session. While critics said that the cuts benefit the wealthy, LePage stressed the package benefited all Mainers, including about 70,000 of the poorest residents in the state.
"I'm proud of (the tax cuts); I'm not ashamed of it," he said.
He added, "(The tax cuts) have nothing to do with the structural problems the state is facing now."
LePage acknowledged that the cuts would be painful. However, he rejected what he described as "emotional arguments about welfare," which he said, were "inappropriate."
After the meeting, some tried to question LePage's State Treasurer, Bruce Poloquin, about the constitutionality of the move:
###
Republican Governor of Maine and Tea Party favorite, Paul LePage, angered many residents of the northeast state Thursday when he said that if the legislature did not pass his proposed cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services' budget, he would order a statewide closure of public schools on May 1 of this year.
The Portland Press Herald reports:
The governor on Thursday held a town hall meeting in Lewiston after a day touring the region as part of his 12th Capitol for a Day event.
The Sun Journal reports that LePage, describing the DHHS budget gap as a "runaway train," told the audience that if the Legislature didn't ratify his proposed budget he would be forced to close the state's schools. It's unclear what authority he has to take such a measure.
Many of the questions posed by meeting participants had to do with LePage's proposed Medicaid cuts.
Lee Myles, CEO of St. Mary's Regional Medical Center, said the governor's proposed reductions in Medicaid were a "nuke approach" that would leave thousands of Mainers without health insurance. The Sun Journal reports that Myles said the resulting increased emergency room visits would have a $6 million impact on St. Mary's.
Here's video:
WGME-13 in Maine, added:
As with other town hall meetings a sizable group of those that call themselves Maine's Majority - the 61% of people who didn't vote for the Governor - showed up. While there were no disruptions during the meeting, only debates, some did walk out, frustrated with the Governor's answers.
Those critics, as the Sun Journal reported, were most concerned about his plans for Medicaid and what would happen "to those who would be left without health insurance."
LePage acknowledged that hospitals would see increased emergency room visits. However, he said he was working on a proposal that would require an individual to register with a primary care physician after his first emergency room visit. He added that changes in the state's insurance laws would make private insurance more affordable to some of those who would be left without health care if his budget passes.
The governor also defended the tax-cut package he signed into law last session. While critics said that the cuts benefit the wealthy, LePage stressed the package benefited all Mainers, including about 70,000 of the poorest residents in the state.
"I'm proud of (the tax cuts); I'm not ashamed of it," he said.
He added, "(The tax cuts) have nothing to do with the structural problems the state is facing now."
LePage acknowledged that the cuts would be painful. However, he rejected what he described as "emotional arguments about welfare," which he said, were "inappropriate."
After the meeting, some tried to question LePage's State Treasurer, Bruce Poloquin, about the constitutionality of the move:
###
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.