Politics & Other Mistakes: It’s money that matters

7 mins read
Al Diamon
Al Diamon

The average Maine voter, defined for purposes of this column as someone closely resembling me, has concluded that the current legislative session has been a disaster.

Mostly for Democrats.

There’s no question Republicans have had their share of screw-ups. For instance, Gov. Paul LePage’s frequent ridiculous comments. The GOP’s outdated stands on women’s issues. LePage, again. Also, a misguided effort to cut revenue sharing to cities and towns, thereby raising property taxes. Oh, and did I mention LePage?

Bad as all that’s been, it’s nothing compared to where Democrats have gone wrong.

It’s true the Dems have no buffoon-in-chief like LePage to focus negative attention. Their leaders – Senate President Justin Alfond, House Speaker Mark Eves, court jester Troy Jackson – may be inept, but they don’t have the governor’s talent for attracting the spotlight. As a result, the Democrats’ most serious failings have been, in keeping with their leftist leanings, communal efforts.

Let’s start with welfare. For months, the donkey party was opposed to any law limiting those on the dole to using public money for stuff like food and medicine. Such a restriction, said the Dems, would be an insult to the integrity of the poverty stricken. Then, after a massive public backlash, Democrats decided a little restricting might be manageable – so long as there were no serious penalties for violators.

Or maybe they’d just study the issue.

While the LePage administration has documented the use of Maine-issued Electronic Benefit Transfer cards in places like Orlando, Fla. and Las Vegas, Democratic legislators continue to claim that doesn’t prove abuse. Perhaps not, but in the real world, there are probably not more than a dozen people in the state who believe that. I’m planning to sell each of them a nice oceanfront plot in Lewiston.

For once, Mary Mayhew, LePage’s incompetent commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services, got it right when she told reporters, “Maine taxpayers are outraged with their hard-earned tax dollars being used this way – and they should be.”

If Mayhew – who’s seen enough outrage over DHHS’s squandered cash, shredding scandals and general mismanagement to recognize when voter contempt has reached dangerous levels – can grasp this concept, why can’t the Dems?

LePage’s proposal to prohibit welfare money from being used for alcohol, tobacco, bail, gambling and transactions involving meth resonates with the average person (me, for instance) in ways that the Democrats’ whining about not vilifying the noble poor doesn’t. Someone (probably a horrified campaign consultant) called this to the Dems’ attention, resulting in a sudden “compromise” that would make it look as if Democrats supported reform, without actually accomplishing anything.

Then there’s Medicaid expansion, which the Dems have made a do-or-die issue. Let’s set aside the question of whether extending health-care benefits to 60,000 or so semi-impoverished folks by using federal funding is good public policy. Let’s just look at whether the average schlub (hi, it’s me, again) cares one way or the other. My research indicates the aforementioned individual doesn’t really give a damn, because he or she (mostly he, in this case) has his or her own problems.

Calls for more Medicaid will not, as the Dems insist, rally voters to oust hardhearted members of the GOP.
In all likelihood, quite the opposite.

Finally, there’s state borrowing. The arguments for and against more debt can get complicated, but it boils down to this: Democrats want to spend a lot on bonds, while Republicans want to spend a little.

Those with Ds after their names will argue that investing $73 million in economic development (translation: free cash for companies) will create new jobs. They conveniently ignore reports that found no evidence that similar giveaways in the past have boosted employment.

The R-affiliated counter that the state should be cautious in taking on more debt, since interest on bonds already eats up a significant chunk of the budget. But even the GOP is willing to support some borrowing because a majority of voters (although, in this particular case, not me) have traditionally approved almost any silly bond issue (financing for meth labs, chartered trips to Disney World for welfare cheats) by significant margins. No reason to alienate those potential supporters over a mere matter of principle.

If the GOP goes into this campaign with a clear focus on fiscal issues (note to Republicans: abortion, gun control and your party’s antiquated views on homosexuality are not – repeat, not – fiscal issues), it stands an excellent chance of retaking control of the state Senate and closing the gap in the House. If it wanders off message (see “LePage, Paul”), it could just as easily lose ground in both chambers.

The average Maine voter is watching. And this time, I don’t mean just me.

Your average Maine responses can be emailed to me at aldiamon@herniahill.net.

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15 Comments

  1. IMO, the dems are going to get a sound thrashing at the polls this fall. Their constant, mantra’s of “The war on the poor” Is getting pretty tired. The workers of this state are finally starting to see through all the bs the left has been fogging the air with and will make their presence felt in a big way. If the repubs stand their ground on keeping the fed out of our face, fiscal sanity, eliminate fraud, and sound, thoughful bonding, they will win bigtime.

  2. Al sounds more and more like LePage every article… except he didn’t put his foot in his mouth. If I want to send a poor person to Vegas or Disney I will just drive down to Lewiston and hand someone my cash… I haven’t done it yet, but I will when I think it is a good use of my money…

  3. Al:

    Thanks to Reps Black, Harvell, and Gov. LePage your average shlub now ends up helping to foot the bill for the 60,000 poor uninsured by paying higher premiums and state taxes that bail out hospitals for charity care. You’d think your average shlub’s own problems would include saving his or her money as well as helping 60,000 people by accepting federal Medicaid funding. Expanded Medicaid is fiscally responsible and humane.

  4. When a hospital delivers charity care, it’s not free. It still has to pay salaries and benefits to the people who provide the care. The money for that has to come from somewhere. Before LePage, in the long dark years of Democrat domination, the promised state money was withheld for other purposes like, for example, cheap white laptops for school kids. Hospitals were forced to hike fees for non-charity cases to make up the difference.

    Now the state is trying to fulfill its obligations, past and present, instead of whelching. It does this by collecting money from all us shlubs. The alternative is for the Feds to collect more of our money so they can hand it back to us and tell us it’s free.

  5. Obsessing about a few welfare dollars possibly being spent unwisely is akin to stepping over a dollar to pick up a penny. Al missed the story this past week about the millions some doctors have raked in through Medicaid fraud.

    We live in a state where a goodly portion of our legislators and citizens are so preoccupied with being able to carry concealed firearms that they ignore the welfare and well being of the rest.

    Lance Harvell’s answer to those who are too poor to be sick is: don’t eat GMO foods, drink raw milk and be happy you can own a assault rifle.

  6. Frostproof:
    You’re correct in one respect. The money for hospital charity care does have to come from somewhere. Before Lepage, Harvell, and Black it was to come from federal funding with expanded Medicaid. Now it comes solely from Maine taxpayers. At least 60,000 poor people aren’t getting free preventative medical coverage that would be cheaper than current charity coverage. Because freedom?

  7. “Federal Medicaid Funding?” There IS no Federal money, there are taxpayer dollars and dollars that the Federal Gov’t. borrows from the Chinese and Saudi’s, that they spend on Medicaid, crony capitalism, partisan politics, etc.! It’s not free money, it’s money grabbed from taxpayers under threat of confiscation! It’s not a slush fund to buy Democrat votes! If you want more tax money to throw around, end prohibition on Marijuana, saving amazing amounts of money it costs us now, and raising tons of taxes which could be used for worthwhile programs (see: Colorado!). Another way of raising money would be eliminating duplication in gov’t., like 81 departments having authority over the same things! Yeah, some gov’t workers (Democrat voters) would have to be let go, but that’s a GOOD thing! Then let’s talk Medicaid!

  8. Sounds like Seamus thinks Federal tax dollars are (free) out-of-state money, which could be used to keep Maine residents from having to pay the costs for those 60,000 Medicaid folks. Isn’t there a good chance that some Maine people pay Federal taxes, i.e., it’s going to cost them money either way? Free preventative care would eliminate treatment, and be cheaper than current costs? Where’d you pull that “statistic” out of, Seamus? Finally, don’t be denigrating Freedom, Seamus, a lot of brave Americans suffered or died for it!

  9. Per Al, “Calls for more Medicaid will not, as the Dems insist, rally voters to oust hardhearted members of the GOP. In all likelihood, quite the opposite.”

    IMO, Al’s prediction is wrong. Have read that 60%+ of Maine voters are FOR expanded Medicaid.

  10. Arnold:

    Kudos to you for expounding on my reference to freedom as a nonsense argument against expanded Medicaid. In spite of the fear of Chinese and Saudis that informs the foundation of your economic understanding, there is little chance of any decrease in Maine taxpayer’s Federal taxes due to the Governor’s veto of Medicaid expansion. We can now look forward to Maine taxpayer’s state taxes and health insurance premiums to cover the eventual cost that hospitals incur by treating the abovementioned 60,000. That’s a Lose-Lose scenario for taxpayers, insurance premium payers, hospitals, and 60,000 uninsured. I believe your policy choice indicates that freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.

  11. .
    Welcome to Maine- Home of the non-profit Mafia

    As far as the shredding scandal- Does it compare to the DHHS Computer system crash of 2005?
    Millions upon millions that will never be recovered and hundreds of Baldacci’s Administration supporters and Medicaid system vendors who will never be held to account.

    Welfare and Medicaid dollars is the life blood of the Maine Democrat Party

    .

  12. “There is little chance of any decrease in Maine taxpayer’s Federal taxes due to the Governor’s veto of Medicaid expansion?” If Federal taxes were going to pay for it, that money has to come from somewhere, I presume some Maine taxpayers would have to pay a share of that. If you increase the number of people on Medicaid paid for by Federal taxes, that would increase the share paid by Maine taxpayers. That shouldn’t happen if taxes don’t go up to cover more people. At any rate, the Federal gov’t. is only going to pay for the expansion for the first THREE YEARS, then it’s ALL up to Maine taxpayers to cover the extra 60,000 people from THEN ON (until the Feds take over medical care entirely!) “We can now look forward to Maine taxpayer’s state taxes and health insurance premiums to cover the eventual cost that hospitals incur by treating the abovementioned 60,000.” Would State taxes pay State hospital and doctor’s bills for non-Medicaid patients if there’s no expansion? Don’t THINK so! Don’t kid yourselves, folks, the Democrats’ goal is simple, national health insurance for everybody, including the millions of amnestied illegal immigrants who are here now and the millions who will then COME in to GET that, all run by the Federal government and paid for by our Federal taxes. Expanding Medicaid is just another bite of that apple, and another bite out of your freedom. Think you’ll ever be able to overturn it if you don’t like it? Think again! One small step for healthcare, one giant LEAP for Socialism!

  13. Arnold:

    Living on an island is expensive.
    Maine federal taxpayers now chip in for Medicaid expansion in other states as well as the in-state charity costs of covering the abovementioned 60,000. That’s why there’s little chance of Maine federal taxes decreasing. The U.S. government would pay 90% of Medicaid expansion costs after three years, not 0%.

  14. A.P. : You say, “national health insurance for everybody” as if that would be a BAD thing.

    Is Medicare a bad thing? No, it’s a single-payer government program that provides for medical care through
    largely private providers.

    Illegal immigrants have NOT been allowed benefits under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) or Medicaid.

    The only aspect of “amnesty” applies to the “dreamers”, those who were under the age of 16 when they were brought into the country as children. There was a deadline that had to be met to qualify as a “dreamer” a while back. To qualify, the person had to be under the age of 35, a high school graduate, etc. , which required documentation. The only amnesty is that these “dreamers” got a 2-year stay on deportation, hoping that some form of immigration reform would allow them to remain here legally to pursue their education/life in the only country that they had come to know as “home”. These people “OUTED” themselves in the hope that their plight might recognized and resolved within the legal system.

    Your rants about loss of freedom, creeping Socialism and the supposed misdeeds of Democrats do little to foster a better understanding of what is really going on.

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