Maine Can Do Better

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Lizzy Reinholt

TELEPHONE: 207.399.8569

EMAIL: lizzy@engagemaine.org

Coalition Calls for More Balanced Approach to State Budget

Hundreds Pack Maine State House Hall of Flags

AUGUSTA -- A crowd of more than 500 concerned Maine citizens from the Maine Can Do Better Coalition filled the State House Hall of Flags on Tuesday, January 12th, urging Maine leaders to take a more balanced approach to the state's fiscal crisis.

Engage Maine Executive Director, Benjamin Dudley, emceed the event that he says surpassed expectations.

"We expected attendance of 200 people at the most. The hallways were packed, elevators full, and the Hall of Flags was packed tight. We clearly tapped in to strong public sentiment that dismantling important public structures isn't in Maine's best interests. This is the same sentiment that led voters to reject TABOR in November."

The Coalition argues in favor of budget approaches different from the last 7 years of cuts. They propose instead that state leaders can arrive at more fiscally responsible solutions by objectively considering all options for addressing the challenges to Maine's economy: efficiencies in operations, strategic program cuts and revenue generation.

"I refuse to believe that our present condition condemns us to making immoral choice to offload our burdens onto future generations," said Associate Director of the Maine Council of Churches, Eric Smith, drawing on lessons learned by Dr. Martin Luther King. "Dr. King wrote that our social stability will require a revolution of values, a shift from a ‘thing' oriented society to a ‘person' oriented society. We face that choice today and in the coming days.

Dr. Lani Graham, speaking on behalf of the Maine Medical Association and Physicians for Social Responsibility, said that the states current budget proposal only shifts costs to more expensive outcomes, forcing all Maine families to foot the bill.

"I dread to think of what may happen should services be further curtailed. The fact is, when people don't get the care they need, they get sicker and require more expensive care in the long run. This puts more strain on the system and costs us all more money."

Speakers also pointed to Maine's 1991 budget crisis as a guide for how elected leaders should deal with Maine's current crisis.  State Senator Joseph Brannigan, who served as Chairman of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee at that time, spoke of his experience negotiating a bi-partisan budget solution with Republican Governor John McKernan. That budget leveraged cuts and temporary revenue increases to fill the budget gap, maintaining essential services at a time of great need and in ways that arguably bolstered later economic recovery.

Maine Center for Economic Policy Executive Director,  Christopher St. John, said that a similar approach is needed today, when he addressed the cheering crowd.

"Comparable shortfalls in the early 1990's under Governor John McKernan were successfully resolved through a combination of approaches that not only cut government spending but also increased revenues," stated St. John. " The economic literature today is clear: to address the current shortfall, the Legislature should also consider short-term, emergency revenue increases, which could sunset when Maine recovers."

Kennebec County Sheriff, Randy Liberty; Norman "Jolly" Jolicoeur and his guardian, Jennifer Kinnelly; John Batcheldoer, a  beneficiary of Homemaker services, and; Ginette Rivard, Vice President of the Maine State Employees Association also spoke at today's event. 

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