The Welfare Industrial Complex

As the budget drama battle unfolds under the state house dome, the gang of 75 has reappeared under the banner of  Maine Can Do Better!   You will recall that the gang of 75 made its debut during the Taxpayer Bill of Rights debate in 2006.  

Well, they are back and ready to raise your taxes, er…um…I mean encourage you to invest in the future and share resources.  This is from their website:

It's not just a dream; it can be a reality.  Maine people care about our neighbors and our communities.  Current state budget proposals would weaken the fabric of the community and harm many Maine people.

Maine Can Do Better! When we share resources and invest in community basics, like safety, health, housing, education, and natural resources, everyone wins.  Alternately, when community investment is put off or falls short, costs are shifted to more expensive and inefficient outcomes, like emergency room visits, nursing home care, shelters, food pantries, and even jail time.

Good Lord – George Orwell, must surely be smiling down on the State of Maine.

I have a question for the gang of 75 – why are you hiding behind meaningless weasel words that sound like they were poll tested on social workers in Cambridge?  This is Maine.  You got something to say—say it.  Here let me say it:

We want higher taxes to pay for programs that help vulnerable Maine folks. 

See, that’s not so bad, is it?

Next, you tell us how you want to pay for it.  Here---I’ll help:

We think a penny on the sales tax or an expansion of the sales tax is the best way to pay for it.

It is absolutely wrong to parade “victims” through the Appropriation’s Committee when everyone knows that the answer to the problem has nothing to do with any single program or service. 

Let’s just have a vote on the real question –

Do you want to raise taxes to continue paying for the level of services you are currently receiving in Maine?

Hmmmm…on second thought, you might want to think about using those weasel words when you ask that question – I think I know the answer to the question above.