Republicans weren’t ‘missing in action’

Remember the line, “We are from the government and we are here to help you”? That was heard by the people of Maine in the form of the many promises made by the legislative leadership and Gov. John Baldacci. They were promised tax relief, economic development and much more. And the governor promised we could have it all without tax increases.

Now the legislative session, and a special session, have ended and we are left with empty promises, more regulation and a bigger than ever tax bill.

The Democrats have been working at a dizzying pace since passing yet another variation of a balanced budget. I am pleased to be able to claim some agreement with House Speaker John Richardson who said that “it was Democrats” who made the budget change.

Unfortunately, other agreements with their media blitz are hard to find. The governor said that Republicans “were kind of missing in action when the votes were counted” for what he called a “responsible proposal.” I am glad they have at least stopped claiming every move they make is historic. The truth is that the recently passed Democratic budget is neither historic nor responsible.

These people are spending so much time sending out news releases and op-ed pieces that they apparently don’t have time to pay attention to what has been happening.

It is disingenuous at best to claim some kind of credit for fixing a horrible budget by replacing it with one that is merely bad. I hope people will remember that it was the same governor and the same Democratic leadership who gave us the pathetic borrowing plan in the first place. They called it historic and responsible until the people of Maine showed their distaste for the whole silly plan.

It is simply amazing that they are crowing about cleaning up the budget mess without even admitting that they created it. Faced with an “historic” people’s veto, they stopped resisting and admitted that their own borrowing to pay the light bill was irresponsible. So they did what they do best and raised taxes.

The governor should not be misleading the people of Maine by saying that the Republicans were “missing in action.” He knows it is not true. The truth is that Republicans were in the middle of the action.

It was tempting to stay away from the discussion and to let the majority party face the mess they insisted on creating months earlier over Republican objections. But we were right there at the same table asking him and his party to let Maine people keep more of their own money.

We were right there until the very end offering suggestions and ideas for spending reductions. They know it is true because they voted down every budget amendment that we offered. Time after time, while telling the press we had no plan, they voted “no” on each cost-saving measure.

We then waited for them to use their majority status to give relief to taxpayers, to encourage economic development and to maintain vital services. When they failed, we gave them more alternatives. The Republicans were not missing, they were ignored.

The House speaker is right. It was Democrats who changed the budget. It is sad that even they cannot claim to have repaired it enough to make it affordable. It was also the Democrats who ended the session early to give the governor his budget on his timetable.

It was the Democrats who then convened a special session to take care of unfinished business. And it is Gov. Baldacci and the Democrats who want to ask the citizens of Maine to borrow more money through a huge bond package.

I once compared the governor’s budgeting to a rocking horse because it is all motion without any progress. The governor’s rocking horse is falling apart and his party is trying to fix it by applying another coat of paint. While they paint our taxes continue to increase.

Will Rogers was right: “Thank God we don’t get all the government we pay for.”

Sen. Paul Davis, of Sangerville, is the Republican leader of the Maine Senate.