Sen. Roger Katz, R-Augusta, and Rep. Patrick Flood, R-Winthrop, have a very big problem with Gov. Paul LePage: How do they distance themselves from an increasingly politically suicidal governor when they have supported by their votes his basic anti-labor and anti-state employee agenda over the past legislative session?

That cannot be easy when their districts include the largest number of state employees and retirees in Maine. One can certainly understand that a weekend’s reflection would be necessary to weigh the political courses of action.

Now we have a true masterpiece of political expediency and hypocrisy in a joint statement shedding crocodile tears about the nasty governor’s beating up yet again on state workers.

They count on the amnesia of their constituents concerning the votes they cast to enable the bullying: pension cost of living freezes that ignore retirement obligations, layoffs, wage freezes, suspension of longevity payments, flat funding of state employee health care, assaults on state employee union rights, on and on.

The worst thing is the lack of conviction and cynical arrogance that presumes that they can have it both ways: spout platitudes about hardworking state employees while hurting them where it counts, on the floor of the Legislature. Have they no shame?

Tim Bolton

Augusta

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