Start by increasing co-pays for MaineCare-covered services from $2 to $4. Stop travel reimbusements for MaineCare/Medicare medical visits.

Way to many State Workers in Augusta Anyways

Sorry about that>NOT<<

shouldn't have increased the budget $490m and you wouldn't have to make cuts. too big to begin with.

This will not cut the state workers. This will effect the home providers that are opening up their homes to take care of individuals who have Developmental Dissabilities. People get your heads out of your arses!!!

"States continue to struggle even as the national recession eases, he said."

The national recession eases? Dude's dreamin'...

Only 1000 state workers cut in 6 years? They aren't really trying.

I imagine I'm going to get slammed for saying this but I think a step in the right direction would be to overhall the welfare system and weed out the trash.

This tells you all that you need to know:

"............ giving Maine the first budget in three decades that was smaller than the previous one"

They had managed to grow the government 29 years in a row, and now that they actually have to cut it for the first time in 30 years they prioritize education and DHHS for the cuts?

Good thing we still have our methadone clinics, heven forbid we'd start there. Good thing thay didn't target the failed and expensive Dirigo program, heaven forbid we'd cut something loose and move on..........

I think that it is pathetic we see 38 million dollars in funding cuts for education yet only 11 million in cuts to human services. Wouldnt it stand to reason that our bloated welfare system falls under the category of human services? Lets cut 38 million from the welfare system or even more and increase the funding for education programs. Maybe if there was more educated people in our society there would be fewer on welfare? Cutting education funding is a step in the wrong direction for this state and our country.

That Turkey gets a little to chubby and sometimes you gotta cut off the fat. Gov. Baldacci does NOT like making these cuts and to think the decisions are easy for him is to be ignorant. These cuts could have come from much more painfull areas and I am sure they were chosen after careful delibirations. Dont hate the player.... Hate the game.

We spend massive amounts on education and for what? Where does the money go for this education? Those who wish to be educated and seek higher education will and do accomplish that goal. No amount of money thrown at an issue will make anyone want to learn and continue to learn. Unless parents are involved in their children's learning instead of buying them video games and not making them study, we are using money once again for the "children". Like help the poor. We been helping and feeding money to the "poor" for so long, there shouldn't be a poor person left because of the billions that have been spent on the "poor". Same with the "children". Where is all this money going or has gone? Sometimes I think this education stuff is a rip off anyway. Look at the money needed for a college degree and for what? Seems to me it was the educated people who got us into the mess this country is in today....so much for being educated.

sounds like mikey skipped out on earning a college degree. The money you spend on a college education will be returned to you ten fold if you chose to be a productive member of society

cut the gov sponsored drug program-methadone- then butcher welfare

Hey honored Reps. Good news. The $8,000,000 annual subsidies to the Maine martitime Academy is available. Agressive recruiting the majority of the student body from out-of-state who leave immediately after graduation is a major drain on the state economy. Selling the recently acquired $1,400,000 manision for the MMA president would be a plus for the budget and the taxpayers. Recinding the sham 12%, 14% and 17% raises to the entire MMA administration in 2008 would restore a sense of equalize compensation for the entire UMS system. A school the size of a junior high school doesn't need $1 million plus proposed alumni center. Send a team from the Maine Auditing Agency to the MMA and Voila.. instant available money for imperative state services.

The FEDS. will tell you how much you can cut DHHS an education before you lose fed. dollars.

Bring back the deer herd and saturate the salmon rivers with salmon. The state would sell thousands in licenses, and the result would benefit every town on a salmon river and businesses inland. Those in charge need to put their foot down and take back Maine. Instead we allow ourselves to be controlled by outside entities that make threats of lawsuits (Salmon listing and coyote snaring.) I'm starting to believe that fishing and hunting in this state will soon come to pass, after all, Maine nearly lost the right to hunt bear in 2004. Next it will be moose when the tick infestation all but wipes them out in the coming years. I wouldn't be surprised if the state government stocks wolves to help out with the tourism industry. Maine should have gone into the realestate business back in the 1970's and 80's when paper company land was affordable after it was cut off by the land owner who then sold it for less than $50.00 an acre. Maine has done nothing to save wintering areas for deer to help ensure a healthy population for the future. Land the state could have bought to provide sportsmen with a place to hunt forever, protected from private ownership and posting. I could prove in a court of law that this state government could not have done a better job at making it more difficult to correct the mistakes that have been made. If Maine was put in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there would be a shortage of sand.

The real problem is the out right failure of the state government to get their heads out of the sand and see that there would be a shortfall in revenue. Did they think that with the national (and Maine) economy in the tank that the amount of revenue, i.e. tax dollars would still be the same.

if they cut education, it will just mean more teabaggers in a few years...

/obvious troll is obvious.

"States continue to struggle even as the national recession eases, he said."

One poster already commented on this but I have to ask what are the indications BDN is seeing that says the national recession is easing?

Is this just their inability to say anything that may look bad for Obama?

gixxerrider...I wish I could say you were correct. Although I don't have a college degree, I do have a little college, not much mind you and I think I can honestly say I have done quite well thank you. Actually I will even go out on a limb and say I have done much better than many who I know have college degrees. Now that is not to say I am against college degrees, I just believe that they are a rip-off and because people go in debt up to their ears, it doesn't guranteee you anything.There are numbers of folks who got their education and aren't even in the field they spent thousands on to learn about.I do not begrudge anyone their pursuit for higher learning and as I said, THOSE who want it, will get it one way or another. Not by hrowing money away for those who could care less or have no intent or inclination to pursue an education. I gues I must be an exception to the rule of being a prodcutive member of society without a college degree. Retired at an early age, 2 homes, one a lakefront, wonderful retirement income, no debt..all without a degree? All earned by plain old working! Damn...why didn't I want to be a billionaire? I coulda been a contender!

About 35% of education is special needs, thats a good investment.

julieh777 wrote: "Start by increasing co-pays for MaineCare-covered services from $2 to $4. Stop travel reimbusements for MaineCare/Medicare medical visits."; Better yet, get rid of MaineCare!

Shortfall?? you haven't seen anything yet. This state will be bankrupted very soon. No one is buying anything, jobs are being lost daily and Augusta expects revenue in this state. Who are they kidding!!

Let the cuts begin! If they need some ideas on where to start, they should read the 2009 Maine Piglet Book which has exposed more than $2,000,000,000 in wasteful state government spending --> http://www.mainepolicy.org/library/resources/203.pdf

If we don't stop the Far Left liberals soon, they will surely destroy our state.

LilMikey has got it right. We spend wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much on education & MOST of the kids leave the state anyways. If you choose to have kids, YOU should be spending more for their educations, not the state, & not me.

I'm a rather far "left liberal" (socially anyway) and even I have to agree with travel4fun...the amount that the state wastes is pretty staggering. Far too easy to get a free ride...

correction, quotes should be around "far left"...

All this advice from people who have problems tying their shoes. What's a person to do?

I think we get it make the ones who needed the most suffer. Very good thinking on there part next election watch the other side come in a land slide.

Then we can hold these guys accountable to where the real cuts need to happen... Like cutting there own. We don't need that many thieves in Augusta....

Sorry, you will not be allowed to cut education because of federal statutes. Look elsewhere, baldassy.

Those of you who are talking revenue-building are in the right direction. Why don't we start by selling all this illegal pot they harvested a few weeks back? We could turn Maine into a US version of Amsterdam. With medical pot, gambling, all we need to do is promote prostitution. Then we'll have the holy trinity of tourism! We'll all be RICH RICH RICH!!!!

Seriously, what does Maine have to offer which promotes industry - a handful of fishing/hunting licenses, some small-scale tourism (nothing like a Disney destination), blueberries, potatoes and lobster? Not much. We will need to embrace progress, or encourage the old-fashioned Mainers to hurry up and die so we can develop Maine by building infrastructure including highways and trains and subways and actual cities. We'll also need real industry - double or triple sustainable logging, paper industry and others as well as developing energy resources - especially natural gas.

You'll need a 50,000 seat arena in this brave new world, not 5,000. - and yes, you'll need a bigger jail and crime rates will go up, so be prepared.

I'll keep dreaming - until I move out of this pathetic state.

What we need to bring industry is a better communications infrastructure and a delaware-like tax environment...

Buy all kids when they reach 5 a one-way bus ticket to Boys & Girls Town. They're just going to leave when they graduate H.S. any way, if they make it that far. Why waste the money to support an unnecessary school system?

"Of the cuts to DHHS, $6.8 million will have no impact on programs."

Ummmmm, then why are we spending it ????

What Maine need to do is first find out what will make people come to maine. As far as industry we are the fardest from were raw material that has to be ship to maine. Now would a casino draw people to maine if it was in the right place yes it would say the casino passes the gambling commistion would have the finenel say on gambling rules that are in place now. It will work but everyone has to work together to show that you want people to come to Maine.

I sure hope the Governor is going to be the first to take a cutback in his salary and any other spending he does.

Yup, merge everything together and the taxpayers will see relief, right Gov.................................

so.....how's how's that 'hope & change' working for for you now........

keep voting the same way and nothing will change........Maine

Mainecare is Medicare. It is a federal program. We can't fool with it. If people are eligible, they will receive medicare. Their right to this medical benefit is protected by the country, not the state.

The cuts in education will stop short of cutting into the matching funds from the feds. To cut deeper would raise what we owe, because the matching money would not be there.

To cut residential placement money for mentally-challenged folks, seems harsh, but the alternative would be brain-injured folks, people with significant mental illness, job coaches who help people with disabilities work to earn some money or many other valuable programs. Who has the answers?

To just yell about it doesn't help. Really spend some time thinking about what YOU could do to help.

Mainecare is not Medicare. Medicare is a federal program for retirees, I think under the age of 65. The State decides who is eligible for MaineCare services and generally those who are classified within poverty means and those individuals who are disabled. Unfortunately, our state is far too liberal with this service. Anyone can come from another state with a list of their meds and show up at an ED and bingo....eligible for MaineCare. I believe that there could be savings here by proving Maine citizenship for at least 2 years before becoming eligible.

sounds like there's plenty of teabaggers here already.

Yeah, Kerry, the governor should be the first to take a salary pay cut.

Fantastic, cut funding to elderly people and those with developmental disabilities. Cut people who can't go to Augusta and fight for their right to have adequate services. Way to go Baldacci....I can't wait until it is time to make a decent cut-back...losing you as governor.

Why don't they cut some of the dept. or even eliminate some of these dept that aren't friendly to the state and everyone knows what i mean.......

The state is still spending money like they don't have a shorfall. Look at the construction going on at the rest stop they eliminated just before entering Augusta going south bound.. Oh it's so we can collect more money in fine's from the truckers. Yet we have one north of Bangor that we don't use anymore. I guess will take away from the people and make them fell the pain where it count's but we won't touch any dept. that waste.

We had our chance and blew it. but we will vote again.

Hey deerhntr, If 35% of education is special needs, how much is spent on the gifted program?

Looks like Maine will have to adopt California's furlough Friday program for state employess.

Gov Baldy supposedly froze state hiring and expenses some time ago.

But last weekend the Bangor Daily News (Nov 14 -15) ran 2 state job want ads. Besides really nice salaries, one said that the state will contribute 24% more $ toward retirement, the other ad said similar but less extra $ for retirement.

To these figures add 15 sick days a year, 2 - 4 personal days, 100% employee paid-for health ins (and partial for family), 12 paid holidays, longevity pay, a further retirement plan option, a flex health option, tuition reimbursement (in fact you don't have to even leave the building at the State House to take classes).

Of course the state also offers a very lucrative retirement pension at age 60 or so, much better than 80% of state citizens have coming to them. (Most of us get by on Social Security and savings, no company retirement plan at all.). Kinda makes you wonder who works for whom, doesn't it?

How do these benefits match up to your non-government job?? (assuming you even have a job at this point).

Our state has lost 14,000 private industry jobs this decade, while we added over a thousand state employee. This does not compute to anything less than a disater in the making.

An inflexible, iron clad State hiring freeze should be announced immediately.

We need to stop the retirement contribution/plan (excepting those within 10 years of retirement) and put state employees on social security, like you and I are on. This will immediately save 12 to 19 % of employee's salaries.

Also immediately cut paid sick time back to national average of 5 days per year.

Most private firms grant 8 - 10 holidays a year, why should state employees have 2 to 4 additional?

Have employees start contributing at least 10% of the cost of their own health insurance.

Then start cutting total staff by attrition, no layoffs needed, this will drop staff by about 5% a year. We need to be sure that long term outside contractors do not replace the head counts, as happened in the past.

Kill the Governor's pet project known as DIRIGO Insurance, lower all benefit programs to the Federal minimums and by so doing cut back the number of entitlement recipients.

Stop Maine Care for all but the handicapped and federally-eligible children. We are now paying for healthy non-parent adults.

Freeze all but emergency capital projects. Let's take a time out on funding trails/walkways, railroads and 1 % For The Arts, for example.

KISS Keep it Simple and start getting the State of Maine doing that which is necessary, not that which would be "nice-to-have".

Hopefully we still have time to stabilize the state budget, but each day of delay makes the situation worse.

Our State Reps and Senators need to remember that they represent us, they should not be beholden to the hunreds of lobbyists in the State House every day.

Paragraph 5: States continue to struggle even as the national recession eases, he said.

Paragraph 7: “States are currently facing one of the worst, if not the worst, fiscal periods since the Great Depression,” says the report by the national budget officers.

Obviously the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. This is why our government is in dire straights!! Why does Baldacci think the national recession is easing? If we're cutting budgets, and folks are losing their jobs... it's NOT easing!!!

Irishproud 1:30 PM~ I'm not at all offended by your comment, but what would you have chosen to cut and why? I'd like to hear comments from posters on this issue. I think we have some fairly logical common folks who have some common sense ideas. Something that many in the hierarchy lack.

LilMikey 1:34 PM~ Granted, we do have our educated idiots... but truly, the education system is not able to do it's intended job. They have cut programs that are needed for those who are gifted and talented and those who are under achievers and these kids will not do well, when thrown into the general mix. The over achievers get bored, cause problems and drop out. The under achievers get bored, cause problems and drop out. If the over achievers don't get the proper direction at home and don't have any self-confidence, they will not necessarily do well in life and the same goes for the under achievers. Without good funding, it's a circus at best, however, with good funding everyone wins... especially the children.

Coolfustion 2:19 PM~ I wholeheartedly agree!!

Outdoorman 2:25 PM~ If Maine was put in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there would be a shortage of sand. Sad but true! I had to laugh at the comment though. lol

Proberts 2:29 PM~ Any fool should have seen that coming down the pike... but obviously they didn't plan for it.

LilMikey 2:47 PM~ You are one of the few who went above and beyond without having received a college education. Some go to college just to piss away their parents money and party hearty and then we have others who do very well in college, have a goal and actually obtain it. With that said, all children need to at least get their secondary education, we owe these kids at least that much!! As for kids going to college, let them pay their own way. I paid for my kids college books and they paid the rest... it worked out great! They didn't piss away any money.

Hampden1~ I agree, it's going to get MUCH worse than this.

We need to allow our economy to stabilize... no raises for anyone in government (especially those at the top).

Coastalresident 3:49 PM~ I tend to agree with you on most points. The fact remains, that every state in this great nation is suffering.... it's all due to greedy greedy people at the top of the chain.

iTHINKso2 4:23 PM~ "Of the cuts to DHHS, $6.8 million will have no impact on programs."

Ummmmm, then why are we spending it ???? Another senseless statement by ?Baldacci? I now question what that 6.8 million was being spent on in the first place, don't you?

Kerry1963 4:54 PM~ One can only hope he will curtail his spending and take a cut, without future reimbursement.

Meowbag 6:34PM~ Mainecare is not Medicare. Mainecare is for those who need help with medical payments according to low income guidelines and a few other factors. Medicare is for those who are disabled or 62 and above who are retired. If those on Medicare meet the income guidelines for Mainecare, they will receive Mainecare benefits as well as their Medicare benefits.

Cheeta 6:44 PM~ I agree with you... one should not be eligible for Mainecare so easily. We have too many out of staters who have moved here, and are sucking the life out of our Mainecare system and taxpayers. I would think that would be one of the first changes made in this state under the current circumstances.

Brooksguy 9:54 PM~ I agree with most all your suggestions... When are you running for governor? I'm voting for YOU!!

how many state workers does it take to fill in a pot hole? down this way about 10, one to dig the hole, and 9 to tell him how!!! add that up$$$$$

Stp the free housing, food stamps for un-wed mothers that will save 4 million a year

We need to make a lot of major changes in how the Baldacci Administration has been running this state, and state workers will need to take a hit. If you read the overly generous “ARTICLE 63. SICK LEAVE” (pages 57-59) of the state employee’s contract,

posted at http://www.mseaseiu.org/forms/admin07-09.pdf,

you’ll find one large example of fraud/abuse/waste at the taxpayers’ expense. The cozy Baldacci-SEIU relationship needs to be terminated now!

GREED, the state is rn by GREED. Maybe their all due for some dreams like on the movie "Chrismas Carol" to make them think about who exactly they are effecting. This state has no empathy and to be quite honest I am suprised and disappointed.

Fact Maine State Government is TOO BIG

Fact Make State Government LESS BIG

Fact Then We ALL Win<<

Cut State Jobs to the Bone and ALL Benefits Should be Rolled Way Way BACK<

When We Get Rid of That FAT

Maine has Always been Empathetic To All That Need IT the Most<<

Always has Always Will<<

FAT FAT FAT FAT FAT FAT FAT

We are ONE of the FATTEST States in the Country

The FAT always rises to the TOP<

We're finally starting to see the cost to Maine citizens of becoming a de facto state park. We've allowed most of our traditional economy to evaporate with little apparent effort, until recently, anyway, to try to work out accommodations. I think this is what people mean when they say "Maine has an unfriendly business environment". We cannot blame this all on NAFTA.

The $6.8 million will come fromcutting room and board rates for those with developmental disabilities, adult day services for the elderly, and a reduction in funding for homeless shelters, just not programs like TANF and ASPIRE.

For those of you who do not have children, elementary and high school education is important to the value of community. Without a GOOD, not merely mediocre, education, the next generation will need more in services. Without education, they won't find jobs, but they will still need to eat and have medical care. It has long been proven that a great school system will attract professionals, those who can afford to move to an area that will benefit their children. Then your next generation are from professional families, who understand the value of an education and work-ethic. Cuts here can only make things worse. Cuts to the high school in my area last year cost way more than the cash they saved. Some really good teachers were laid off, contributing to unemployment pay outs, and the loss of really good teachers is inestimable.

Our governor wants to make cuts to our children, the next generation of this state, to the elderly and disabled, and the homeless, all of the most vulnerable members of society. The cuts in these services provided by private contractors will result in loss of jobs and worse loss of services that many workers count on. This will just raise unemployment further and will increase the need for more nursing home beds to be paid for by. . . .MaineCare.

While I think a balanced budget is responsible, I think that we should spend in the areas of education and welfare programs that could turn recipients into valued workers. A lot of funded group homes find jobs for their residents who are capable of working. Cutting these services means these child like adults will be more family dependent, meaning one parent may not be able to work, or they will be homeless. What we really need to do is enlarge the job producing private sector with realistic funding, be able to keep our best teachers, so they do not leave Maine for better paying jobs or even just a job. If all those who can work leave the state, what does that leave behind?

We need to cut out waste without hurting the schools, and the most vulnerable members of our society. I know times are tough, I live on a fixed income disability that is half what I made in 2003. With rising prices everywhere around me, it is difficult to just get by on less than I made 5 years ago. But we DO need to spend to create jobs, that will increase demand for more products, that will in turn create more jobs and so on. Our leaders to need to find innovative businesses that could operate in this state creating jobs for our residents. Tax incentives is one way to do this. Less tax for those who operate in Maine, not more tax. We need more big business. We have the paper mills right here. Why not court large corporate printers with tax incentives. Make it attractive to do business here instead of overseas. I could think of a dozen other industries that would be well suited to Maine. Keep the industries we have and attract new businesses that are most compatible and offer more tax incentive to those new industries that can do the same. Make it grow.