AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine lawmakers were greeted with a boisterous protest Tuesday as they headed back to finish work on the state’s budget.
Dozens of people opposed to proposed cuts to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services lined the corridors to the Maine Senate and House of Representatives chanting,”Protect Maine families” and “Maine can do better” and “No more cuts.” The chanting could be heard as a muffled roar inside the Senate chamber when Senate President Kevin Raye, R-Perry, called the Senate to order.
On the agenda is a budget proposal that aims to solve a more than $80 million budget shortfall in the DHHS budget.
The proposal includes eligibility changes for MaineCare, a low-income senior citizen prescription drug program, the state’s share of funding for Head Start programs and other changes.
Maine Can Do Better, a statewide coalition of advocacy groups including Engage Maine, Maine Equal Justice Partners, the Maine Women’s Lobby, Maine Center for Economic Policy, Fund for a Healthy Maine, Planned Parenthood for Northern New England and the National Association of Social Workers Maine, organized the corridor rally Tuesday.
Ben Dudley, the executive director of Engage Maine, called the budget cuts “indefensible.”
“This is not the Maine we believe in,” Dudley said.
State Rep. Peggy Rotundo said the process Tuesday would involve the bill bouncing back and forth between the bodies starting with the Senate.
Rotundo, D-Lewiston, said she was heartened to see the large number of protesters.
“People are really starting to understand how irresponsible and dangerous this budget is,” Rotundo said.
As many as 10 amendments to the bill were expected to be voted on in the Senate. Rotundo didn’t anticipate the House would have its first debate on the measure until the afternoon.
The Senate promptly tabled the measure and was awaiting the printing and distribution of the proposed amendments as of 11:30 a.m.
To see more from the Sun Journal, visit sunjournal.com.
The usual gang of wagon riders…
BDN: thank you for reporting who organized the gathering.
In the meantime, the workers of Maine were at their respective jobs supporting the leaders and Governor in their efforts to reduce spending and the tax burden that we bear. Some of us truly understand how irresponsible and reprehensible it is to continue to spend, fund, and spend more in today’s economy without accountability. Thanks to those elect who are working to reduce my tax burden and are trying to provide the necessary assistance to those who truly need and deserve it. Time to stop writing “blank checks” without responsibility.
I have a good job and work hard all the time. I have this because I am educated. An education that began with Head Start in Maine. An education I could not have afforded on my own.
Really, your going to attribute your success to a Head Start program. Don’t sell yourself short. I’m sure you would have ended up where you are today with out a government run head start program
They could have gone to a parochial school and been abused by a friendly priest as our governor was.
Kneel Paulie, kneel boy and pray?
Look at the statistics comparing college graduation rates with access to (government funded) early childhood education. It matters, a lot.
I work and pay taxes and I want them spent on something. I am going to write and tell the legislature to spend the money on the items you have in mind. Do you think tax money goes into a big sponge and should not be spent at all.
Your last line speaks volumes about a mind-set of irresponsibility and represents exactly what many appear to think….Just because monies are collected by tax, fee, surcharge or however, the thought should not be “we have it let’s spend it”……if you enjoy spending your own money foolishly then go for it but when my money is involved I expect a degree of responsibility and accountability on behave of my elected officials…..the idea is not to collect more and spend it, it should be to fund needed programs effectively and efficiently and get rid of things that cannot be sustained and funded responsibility……in other words, reduce the tax burden on the wage earners and put more money into individual pockets and not the oversized bloodsucking sponge of the state…..
That isn’t what I said. there are no volumes. When my book comes out I’ll let you know. I have to mow the grass on the tennis court now.. You sharks in the Think TANK (think).can just talk among yourselves. I expect responsibility in spending it.
Yeah, in Maine and Washington as well.
Well stated, spot on……
In the meantime some elected undereducated tea party lovin idiots just took away your neighbors safety net.
I hope the lawmakers keep in mind the silent majority who had to work and could not be there.
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attack on the working poor?…so all 19 and 20 years olds work? As far as the children go…condoms are cheaper. If you cant afford to raise them, dont have them!!! Its not my job to provide for them. Its hard enough to raise the children I CHOSE to have. Id be there supporting the legislature if i wasnt busy working 2 jobs to stay afloat.
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What you fail to realize is these cuts will ensure(hopefully) that the necessary individuals can continue to receive needed services. Those who are using up valuable resources who dont need them are spoiling it for the rest. thats my opinion. As someone who works at a mainecare covered medical facility…abuse is rampant!!!!
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not all elderly, children, and disabled are being cut. its a percentage to guarantee coverage for the rest. Money doesnt grow on trees and we arent the feds, we just cant print more like they do. Sorry.
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Snapshot USA 2012: The ultra-rich have quadrupled their income over the last decade while everyone else sinks, many not even able to afford a doctor.
Prognosis: cruelty, corruption, greed, stupid wars
Symptom: GOP in Maine acting with wanton disregard for the fate of hard-working people who have fallen on hard times because we’re in a major depression.
This is Obamas new country of mediocracy.
so youre saying that for example senior citizens and children with disabilities should not receive much needed services and medical coverage????? Senior citizens more often than not would have NO money left over after paying for their prescriptions-leaving them NOTHING for money to pay for a roof over their head, heat, and food. I personally have a child with a severe disability…I am unable to work full time year round because of all of the glorious cuts that the state has made already that funded programs for my disabled child. My husband works full time. We leave meagerly, and we are having a tough time making ends meet, though we are trying. There are people that definitely need to come off this program, but its not fair that the rest of us be punished due to the states poor mismanagement of the program. They have managed to let this problem become so big that now the people who do need the program may lose it. SHAMEFULL. Short term, these cuts may save money, but long term they will cost the state a fortune. Senior citizens will be forced into nursing homes sooner, and children with disabilities who dont receive services to help make them independent in the future will cost the state a fortune later on because they would not have received the necessary support services to learn how to take care of themselves. All of the folks in the state government seem to lack common sense. Kick off the people who shouldnt be on this program and fix the states computer issue that caused some of this issue first, then decide if cuts should be made. These government people are putting the cart before the horse.
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Where’s Robin Hood when we need him?
he is Washington DC Acting as if he is the President
I already knew he wasn’t in Maine acting like a governor for all the people.
+1 to you sir
You must mean the Robin Hood wearing a tu tu with a rainbow halo version :-)
But, but, 3% will stop those Hinckley Yacht orders !! However did Reagan pull it off ? Oh, I know…no Grover Norquist.
I guess some of the questions are just where do we draw the line on who is and who isn’t qualified and what the limitations are to meet those qualifications. People can spout off all they want about who is being hurt and who is not but in the end some people just don’t deserve some of these benefits and they should not be receiving them. When I finished school i went to work and oh yes while i think of it had the draft staring me in the face also. So i get the impression by a lot of these comments that when you are done school you don’t have to go to work someone else will take care of you. You don’t have to go to war because someone else will go for you if you go to school someone will make it easier for you to get a loan and help to pay it back. Those of you that can’t afford insureance can stay on your parents till your 26. And finally you can have your pacifier until you die.
Well that is if your parent employers offer health insurance
Isn’t it just as irresponsible to spend money the state does not have? Take a look at California. Soon we will be bailing them out! It is time to live within our means, both as a government & individually.
Oh, and by the way, republicans only make up a little less than 30% of Maine voters… hardly a majority.
oh, and another thing….perhaps if the state didnt have 3 different branches of Mainecare asking me the same questions, filling out the same paperwork to prove my sons autism hasnt miraculously cured itself-three times a year…this could save them money….Mainceare needs to be re-organized….that will save tons of money.
I think the cuts are going to be beneficial to everyone in Maine. Maybe not the state workers whose jobs will be cut then again no job is stable these days. One concern I have is, once people are cut from welfare I bet we see a sharp rise in crime. It is not as if these people will find jobs. And before anyone jumps on me I am not suggesting the disabled grandmothers are going to rob the general store, I think helping elderly is fine. I am talking about the mean looking dirtbags I see walking around the cities. I can’t imagine they are just going to lay down? Stock up on ammo.
Well of course they’re not going to just go out and find a job, not being able to find a job is the situation that has put so many on these programs, and ending the programs isn’t going to make it any easier to find a job. I work full time, i haven’t had a raise in years i have 2 children, my pay check isn’t enough to pay my bills, buy food, put gas in the car to go back n forth to work, so I pay just enough to no have the lights turned off and i don’t have really any food in my house. My kids are fed, I’m not usually, without MaineCare my children wouldn’t have health insurance and when my children get cut from this program because of selfish over paid and underworked people who don’t know what it means to be hungry pass ingnorant budgets such as this, children of the state of maine are the ones who suffer. Sad but true.At least there is a federal waiver process that will have to be completed and most likely this will never actually be approved.
Get off the couch and support yourself. Why should the tax payers support you with the EBT CARDS. Do you think being on the welfare and getting maine care is a career?? What kind of retirement do you get out of this. Maine State Retirement System after 25 yrs of service on the state. Just wondering do you get 66 2/3 of your benefits. Plus 4% a year increase after the 25yrs. Not sure how it works.
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What do you consider disable? Someone thats been on the system for yrs. and thinks he or she is.
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These are the professional “consumers’ whose salaries are often partly paid for by these funds. Some of the CAPS that run Head Start have huge budgets–we’re talking 20-40 million yearly they should cut their administrative costs