Olympia Snowe has been in Congress since 1979. After 33 years as a career Washington politician, Snowe should know better than to assail one party for the current “dysfunction.” While I agree with Snowe’s dismay of the Senate’s failure to enact a budget since 2009, I disagree with her partisan tactics to “pass the buck.” All 100 Senators are responsible for this failure of leadership. If I am given the privilege to represent Maine in the United States Senate, I will not only be calling on Republicans and Democrats alike to compromise, but will work tirelessly to bridge the partisan gap to reach an intelligent and balanced consensus.

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January 21st marks the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission. This decision gives corporations, associations, and labor unions the same free speech right as individual citizens. And consequently, grants corporations carte blanche spending on political campaigns. The consequences of the Citizens United ruling has been profoundly negative on elections across our country. Essentially, the voice of the people has been drowned out by the voice of multi-billion dollar corporations.

And, Mainers know what this means. It means that these corporate sponsors who fund high priced political campaigns buy a seat at the table and call the shots once their candidate is in office.

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A protester of Occupy Wall Street. The movement is similar to the Bonus Army protests.

WordPress has reported to me a response to one of my earlier blogs, which was about the Bonus Army of 1932, a forerunner of the current Occupy Wall Street movement, and how on this occasion several thousand World War I veterans were dispersed from their tent city in Washington D.C. by orders to the U.S. Army from President Herbert Hoover.

The person who commented, citing this blog, was an Angelita Fisher and she appears to be connected with an Internet operation called INTEL HUB, which is heavy on support for Congressman Ron Paul and dedicated to opposing “globalism,” whatever that means.

The first part of her response, which is actually unconnected to my blog, seemed somewhat mystifying, asking me to “Examine U.S. military policy during the Cold War from 1946-1989” discussing “policy development, military strategy, nuclear weapons and targeting” and a host of other such esoteric subjects. Her final words, though, still unconnected, were more concrete and within my capability to respond. Ms. Fisher stated: “Despite fighting the Korean War to stalemate and suffering defeat in Vietnam, the U.S. emerged victorious in its four decade long conflict with the Soviet Union. Why?”

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Well, I’m back from the State House, having delivered our petition directly into the hands of Representative Patrick Flood, the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, a Republican, and by all accounts a decent man. (In fact, last year the National Association of Social Workers awarded him Representative of the Year for his even-handed approach to the 2011 budget crisis.) Representative Flood and I sat down together for a few minutes before yesterday’s meeting of the Committee, and he asked me to tell him about my concerns and listened carefully to what I had to say.

I need to tell you something: I started this petition because I knew how devastating Governor LePage’s proposed cuts would be for Mainers all across the state, and I felt powerless. Now, two and a half weeks and 8732+ signatures later, I feel my hope restored.

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The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment released the 2012–2017 Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment Action Plan in Saint John, New Brunswick.

The plan presents the goals, outcomes and activities that the council will pursue in its continuing efforts to maintain and enhance environmental quality in the Gulf of Maine and its watersheds to allow for sustainable resource use. 

New Brunswick Environment Minister, and 2011-12 Chair of the Gulf of Maine Council, Margaret-Ann Blaney, unveiled the plan at the New Brunswick Museum, along with Dr. Don Hudson, council member and president emeritus of Chewonki Foundation in Maine.

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Earlier this week, lawmakers returned to the State House to reconvene for the second session of the 125th Legislature. In the six months since we’ve adjourned, lawmakers have spent time talking to people and businesses in our districts. The message we heard was clear: Mainers are tired of political distractions and want to get Maine back on track. Democrats remain committed to focusing on what matters most to Maine people: real solutions that get Maine people and our economy working again.

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I am sure you have been hearing this story a lot but only today as I called in to refill my seizure control medicine prescription and a refill on my 11 year old’s allergy medicine which helps control her asthma did I find out that my family no longer has MaineCare.

My pharmacists said she has had to tell at least 20 different people today that they too didn’t have coverage anymore. She added, “good luck getting through to them, I heard they had over 300 calls yesterday.”

Without giving notice – beside political posturing did LePage give us fair notice? He just set tens of thousands of Maine residents adrift without a life vest, not a oar or even pointing which direct to go for survival.

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December 2010: “We’re certainly looking at LURC very, very hard. I would like to see LURC go to the counties, under the counties.”
Source

January 2011: “I will never challenge an environmental law based in science. I believe in good strong environmental law.”
Source

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Next week, state lawmakers will return to work in the Legislature. Democrats will continue to push the Governor and Republican leadership to focus on real solutions that put Maine people back to work and get our economy going again.

Democrats will work for solutions for job creation in Maine, like investing in economic development, lowering energy costs, improving our roads and bridges, and linking business and education to prepare our workforce for the jobs of the future.

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This week Maine Governor Paul LePage addressed a crowd at a town hall-style meeting about the state’s poor showing in Forbes annual look at the Best States for Business. We ranked Maine ranked No. 50 for the second straight year last month. LePage talked about a conversation I had last week with his senior economic adviser, John Butera, about why Maine fared poorly in the look at each state’s business climate. Below is what LePage told the crowd I said to Butera.

“They said, ‘You made some efforts and you’ve done some good things in some areas, but you absolutely ignored the structural problems.’ Which are our welfare and our energy. We did nothing,” LePage told the crowd. “And they said, ‘Unless you get your fiscal house in order, and you address energy, you address work force development, and you get yourself (so) that you spend within your means, you’re in the cellar.’ This mission here this year, you’re going to hear an awful lot of education, energy and the economy. Unfortunately, we’re starting out with welfare, because we’re going broke.”

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