The state of Maine has often be seen as a state of independent minded people who have been ahead of much of the rest of the nation in many ways.
The reputation of Maine is about to be damaged irrevocably by the insanity of Tea Party favorite and Governor Paul LePage!
He wants the state labor laws to be changed, after having removed labor murals from the state Labor Department building as objectionable!
Now he wants the state to change the child labor laws to allow 16 year old high school students to work 24 hours a week, rather than the present 20. What this means is that there will be a higher dropout rate as students will have no time to study and focus on school. He also wants high school students to be allowed to work to 11 pm, rather than the present 10 pm, on school nights, another horrible idea!
LePage also wants the state minimum wage law to be changed to allow workers under the age of 20 to be paid a minimum wage of $5.25 instead of the prevailing wage of $7.50!
This would be slave labor wages in the 21st century, as no one can even live on the minimum wage as it is, and it would be exploiting young people and making it harder for older people out of work to gain even a minimum wage job!
Paul LePage is another despicable governor who represents backwardness and craziness, much like Rick Scott of Florida, Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Rick Snyder of Michigan, John Kasich of Ohio, and Chris Christie of New Jersey!
If Maine had any sense, it should take action to remove this disgraceful excuse for a governor through recall or impeachment, as he will destroy the state with his loony, retrogressive agenda!
Good morning,
The state of Maine has been seen as a fairly independent state, but the majority of the voting block is and has been decidedly liberal.
Paul LePage is by far the best Governor I have seen in this state as long as I have lived here (over 25 years). He is exactly what the state needs to undo the damage of overspending and neglect the previous administrations are guilty of. Granted, he does have a way with words, but I find it refreshing to have a Governor that gets it out in the open and says it the way he sees it. You know where you stand with this guy and it’s about time.
The local news reported that the decision to remove the mural was made before he took office and under the Baldacci Administration. In any case I support his right to have it removed. The mural only portrayed one side of the equation and for some reason, the people who are throwing a fit about it don’t want to recognize that they have no jobs without businesses. There are two sides to make it work and one side was not represented. He called these people morons and that won’t win him many points. But if you were being honest, with basically the world falling apart though natural disasters, the monetary system in shambles, unemployment, illegal immigration, homelessness, bankruptcies, fuel prices and our government no longer representing it’s citizens, what would you call people who are picketing about a mural? This is what they are outraged about? Give me a freaking break.
The state of Maine as are many states in this country are in deep kimchee. We have spent it when we had it, spent it when we didn’t have it and Maine voters have never met a bond issue that they didn’t like. Meanwhile our roads and bridges are crumbling and our businesses (and jobs) are leaving in droves. These people are the same brain trust that had our hydroelectric dams (that had been churning out clean power for over 100 years) ripped out because it inconvenienced some fish.
Although I am not crazy about kids being allowed to work more hours during school, some of these kids are helping to support their families and this will become more prevalent. I am for a lower minimum wage for young people. It is not slave labor, it is a training wage. Why should they start out at the same minimum wage as an adult with life experience. If someone is working hard, there is no way they should be on minimum wage for long. And if they are, there is nothing lost in moving on and finding someone ethical to work for.
Hmm, funny how all the governors you mentioned as being despicable are all Republicans. All of the Democratic governors are doing a bang up job, right? All of the Democratically controlled states are in the black financially?
The bottom line is that life in our country is changing and we need to come to grips with it. We are going to need to be more self sufficient, frugal, creative and vote wisely. By voting wisely, I do not mean Democrat or Republican. I am talking about voting for people who will represent us as citizens whom they work for and not just consider us taxpayers. The lobbying system, control of government by special interest needs to change and gerrymandering needs to change as just a start.
In your blog, you never mention anything about how businesses are struggling. And even the companies who are making record profits, if you have a 401k, you are benefitting from their success.
The only thing I would change abut Governor LePage is that I know he has to make painful cuts. He needs to be very careful that everyone feels the necessary pain equally. I would like to see him address the tough issues such as reducing the number of representatives in the state and doing away with pensions and healthcare for life for representatives. They do not deserve special treatment or benefits that the private sector doesn’t get. You had better make sure that your house is clean before you come after grandma’s heating assistance.
Best regards