I like Jeff McCabe. I voted for him.

His recent Maine Compass, however, disappointed me. Long on rhetoric and finger pointing, short on solutions, it was the kind of partisan posturing that hurts Maine.

While Maine’s GOP has not put its best foot forward, blaming Republicans for Maine’s backsliding economy is like blaming Barack Obama for the recession.

Maine’s economy is sliding because of negative momentum in place long before they took control. The policies of tax-and-spend Democrats over the last 30 years made Maine one of the poorest states in the union and one of the most expensive places to live or do business.

The GOP is not “attacking working people”; it is challenging people who refuse to work and expect others to foot the bill.

Teenagers do not belong on MaineCare. Term limits for entitlements are reasonable restrictions. Drug testing for eligibility is a common-sense check-and-balance. While terms like “hard work” and “determination” may make good sound bites, they ring hollow when our working forests, farms and tourism businesses are full of non-resident workers and healthy Maine residents sit at home.

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McCabe played the provincial card saying that local businesses are better for Maine than out-of-state corporations. Some of the best paying jobs in the state are provided by out-of-state companies, including resource extraction, manufacturing and high tech.

Meanwhile, many “farm and bait to plate” businesses employ migrants, pay poorly, provide limited if any benefits and are propped up by subsidies and protections.

McCabe ended by saying Maine “has seen two years of misguided policies.” This makes me wonder where he has been for the last 20 years. McCabe’s distorted view of how Maine got where it is and how best to get back on track scares me.

Bob Mallard

Skowhegan


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