During a recent speech, Gov. Paul LePage accused the Legislature of having “no compassion” because of the tilt toward overriding the governor’s veto on the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid (MaineCare). I find it disturbing that providing health care to 70,000 Mainers is seen as compassionless. The care of our fellow Mainers, who are not able to care for themselves, is at the core of our strong sense of community that makes our state so great.

Even more disturbing is the governor’s belief that it is we, who already have access to health care, need to have the compassion from those who don’t. He is asking that those who don’t even have their basic human right of health care met to continue to forgo it because it may slightly inconvenience the health care “haves” by way of taxation.

How warped does the governor have to be to ask the poorest, most in need and powerless to continue to suffer so the wealthy can continue to be as comfortable as possible and call that compassion? Do we really want to be known as the state that helps people who already have the means to help themselves rather than helping those who do not? If this is his vision of how this state is to be run, he is risking more than Medicaid expansion; he is ensuring the loss of his job.

John Daniel MerrillAugusta