AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage has signed into law a state budget rewrite that makes up for an $80 million shortfall largely through cuts in social services.
The governor signed the bill early Wednesday, hours after the House and Senate gave their final approval to the bill.
Republicans favored passage of the budget, which they said makes structural changes in Department of Health and Human Services programs.
House Speaker Robert Nutting says the budget represents an enormous step toward the goal of getting Maine’s fiscal house in order. The Oakland Republican says it will still protect the state’s safety net for those who truly need it.
Democrats say the budget will harm seniors and working families by eliminating home visitation services, early childhood education, MaineCare for 19- and 20-year-olds and seniors’ drugs.
eliminating home visitation services, early childhood education, MaineCare for 19- and 20-year-olds and seniors’ drugs.
Let ’em die!! we cant afford to keep them alive!
I usually ignore ignorant posts as yours and don’t bother to flag them but instead let them stand on their own to display the author’s lack of decorum and in this case humanity, but not for your uncalled for display of ignorance, I flagged your post.
Actually, I think his comment was meant as sarcasm, mocking the heartlessness of LePage’s budget.
At least, I hope so. If not, it’s unbelievably repulsive.
Thanks, at least someone understands.
Think of all the people who really need help that are being hurt by this budget!
Looks like many elderly people will soon not be able to afford their medications. Gov LePage said he would take care of them. He signed the bill and and basically told them to take care.
Hmmmm……mentioning Gov. LePage and House Speaker Robert Nutting together in one place……anyone else see the connection?
It’s a sad state of affairs when we cut the elderly off from their much needed medications. The rich get richer and the elderly are some of the ones that are going to pay the price.
It’s a good start. You can’t keep spending more than you take in forever, robbing Peter to pay Paul. The folks crying foul over service cuts sure weren’t crying foul over increases in taxes, licenses, and so on year after year to fund these ever expanding programs. Even with those tax and fee increases the growth rate for many DHHS programs was/is unsustainable. Taxes and fees go up, someone gets hurt. Programs get cut, someone gets hurt. The trouble is that up until now the hurt has only been flowing in one direction.
These Republicans/Tea Party folks sure showed us how THEY make the tough decisions. Attack every person they can find that looks weak enough not to fight back. The day of reckoning for them all will be November 6th. Everyone who’s been stomped on by this budget and everyone who believes it’s our duty to provide assistance to the weakest among us (Those being crushed the most in this budget) will be voting a straight Democratic ticket, probably for another 30 years. Too bad really, there were some good thoughts from this crowd, but as usual they over reached by a mile to the point of coming off looking just plain selfish, thoughtless, and mean. I can’t have anyone representing me that represents themselves as such.
Too bad you only have one vote. BTW, where would you have made cuts to balance the budget? Theren aren’t any “entitlements” for the working people that pay all the bills, so not there. I know, RAISE TAXES!
How do you cut your own deficits (If you actually know what it’s like to have any) in your home? Stop wasting money (Save it) and earn more of it. In a nutshell, the GOP/Tea Party solution (Which I must assume you support) is to cut the most helpless citzens and give tax breaks to those who don’t need them. That’s just plain crazy, or if you prefer ungodly. I surely don’t run my house that way and certainly don’t want my government to act selfishly or stupidly either. I hope you make good use of the “few bucks” they’re going to put in your pocket.
Not cut them and then claim a shortfall. There’s a difference.
Nutting got his fiscal house in order by stealing from us. How do you people stand his nerve?
Its too bad to cut the dhhs services for the seniors and people that need them when our gov.keeps all the deadwood around that does nothing and gets paid to do nothing in his own words.We probably could have found more cuts by eliminating the ones that get paid for doing nothing,cutting out some of the perks for lawmakers and not giving tax breaks to the ones that do not need them but who am i to disagree with the all knowing lawmakers in augusta.maybe in november the people can make some changes.We surely need them.