Budget cuts hurting Maine’s most vulnerable

I’m 92 years old and if my body were a car, this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model. I’ve got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job is getting a little dull. My headlights are out of focus and it’s especially hard to see things up close. My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and skid and bump into things even in the best of weather. It takes me hours to reach my maximum speed. The worst of it is most every time I sneeze, cough or sputter, either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires.

Even with the bad shape I am in, I still think I know a little about legislation and politics. Maine legislators, over a period of many years, because of partisanship in both parties rubber stamping budgets, have caused Maine to be the second-highest-taxed state in the nation.

The school consolidation bill that was attached to the governor’s budget last year threatened that if a school district didn’t join with another town or district some of their state money would be withdrawn. This was dishonestly put in the governor’s budget to make some of the legislators believe that if they did not vote for it they wouldn’t have a budget. This was nothing short of blackmailing the people they represent and more like what might happen under a dictatorship form of government.

Since the consolidation plan has been introduced, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent by the state and the school districts trying to straighten out the mess. Trying to force the entire state to fit into one pattern is like a 300-pound man trying to fit into his 120-pound wife’s clothes.

Aroostook County, with an area of 6,672 square miles and a population of 11 per square mile, cannot possibly consolidate their schools in the same way as York County, with an area of 991 square miles and a population of 188 per square mile. Anyone that thinks this is possible needs a reality check.

Two of Aroostook County’s small schools, Easton and Washburn, are listed in U.S News and World Report as two of the best schools in the nation. The governor and Legislature need to come up with a much better plan or leave Aroostook County alone.

The governor in his State of the State speech said that when he unveils the details of his revisions to the two-year budget he promised he would not pull the safety net out from under our most vulnerable citizens. Then he proceeded to cut the following: mental health counseling for abused children, assistance for victims of domestic violence, health care services to help frail elderly people keep living in their homes instead of an institution, substance abuse treatment, respite for foster parents caring for special-needs children, support for families affected by Alzheimer’s disease, and funding for the Special Olympics.

If these are not our most vulnerable citizens, I wish someone would explain to me who is. Reading down through this list it appears that in the long run these cuts will end up costing us millions of dollars more. I served on the Aroostook Area Agency on Aging for 20 years, seven years as president, and in my opinion these cuts will practically put them out of business.

The Democrats have always claimed the reputation of supporting services for the needy. Why the sudden change? Are the legislators just blindly following the governor? The governor feels he can do this because he does not have to worry about being re-elected. Those legislators who plan on running for re-election should think long and hard before they rubber-stamp everything the governor wants to do.

I believe it is way past the time that Maine legislators cut the cost of the annual sessions. I am sure that starting now, by the end of next year enough money could be saved to take care of a large part of the present overdraft without creating any hardship for anyone.

James McBreairty lives in Washburn.