Issues
economic growth | education | health
care | tax reform | environment | civil rights
Economic Growth
Perhaps the most pressing challenge facing the State
is how to ensure strong economic growth while confronting soaring
health care
costs, rising property taxes, and low college graduation rates.
Without a skilled work force, reasonable tax rates and affordable
health care, it will be difficult to encourage businesses to
relocate to Maine and to promote entrepreneurship. It is essential,
therefore,
that we tackle these issues in a thoughtful and bipartisan way.
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Education
In 2005, the Legislature implemented the essential programs
and services model of allocating state resources for K-12 education.
This model considers the cost to each community of providing
essential
resources to meet the needs of its students to ensure that
every child is given the opportunity to be successful. At the same
time, it respects Maine's long-cherished tradition of local control
over
education decisions. In addition, the Legislature increased
school
funding by $250 million. As a result, Gorham, Scarborough and
Westbrook all received significantly greater funding from the
state for its
schools.
Although Maine does a good job of educating students
from kindergarten through high school, we have one of the lowest
college graduation
rates in the country. In an economy that is increasingly service-based
and heavily reliant on advanced skills, this inhibits Maine's
ability to recruit employers. To remedy this problem, the
culture must change
so that every student is encouraged to obtain post-secondary
education. At the same time, we must ensure that there is
a strong community
college system to meet the diverse needs of our students and
that is accessible to all
Unfortunately, too many students
who are accepted at schools within the University of Maine system
(including USM) are unable
to attend
due to the high tuition rates. We should provide scholarships
and other forms of financial aid to bridge the gap between
an accepted student's ability to pay and the cost of attending.
This would
ensure
that students who work hard and are offered a place in the
University of Maine system are not denied a college education
based solely
upon an inability to pay.
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Health Care
One of the most pressing concerns facing workers and employers
alike is the ballooning costs of health insurance and prescription
drugs. More and more of a family's income is consumed by these
expenses, draining resources for other priorities like education,
retirement
savings, and home ownership. Similarly, too many employers
are forced to forego hiring additional workers because of high
health care
costs or to stop offering health insurance altogether.
The Dirigo
Health Plan signed into law by Governor Baldacci is an important
first step to providing access to affordable healthcare.
It will be important to build on this program to rein in health
care
costs by developing creative ideas and pursuing those with
the greatest promise of achieving universal access to health care.
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Tax Reform
Property taxes are rising rapidly in many communities in
Maine, burdening individuals and small businesses alike. Communities
are
faced with the wrenching choice between cutting education programs
or further raising taxes. As property taxes rise, more and
more families are forced to sell property that has been passed
down several generations. The Legislature made progress in 2005 by
enacting
legislation
that increased state funding for education, raised the Homestead
Exemption to $13,000, and expanded the Circuit Breaker Program
to provide up to $2,000 in property tax relief to individuals
with incomes below $75,000 and families with incomes below $100,000.
Although progress has been made, we must continue to explore
ways
to provide direct property tax relief to Maine families.
More
fundamentally, tax reform is needed to avoid billion dollar
budget deficits in the future. Maine's tax structure produces
revenue that rises and falls with the economic cycle, producing
enormous deficits
when we can least afford them. History has demonstrated that
saving money in rainy day funds is not an adequate mechanism
for smoothing
out the revenue stream. A better approach is to broaden the
tax base in a revenue neutral way. A smaller tax rate on more sources
would
yield a more consistent and predictable revenue stream.
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Environment
No economic development strategy can ignore the importance
of environmental protection. Indeed, to be successful in the
long run, we must remain
vigilant about protecting Maine's greatest natural resource:
the environment. Many of our industries are dependent upon clean
air, land and water, and the wide range of outdoor recreational activities
available in Maine, such as hiking, fishing, skiing, and hunting,
are an important part of our culture.
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Civil Rights
It is important that the civil rights of all Maine citizens
be protected. Individuals should be free from discrimination
on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, disability, national
origin,
ancestry, or sexual orientation. The Legislature’s recent
passage of a law banning discrimination in housing, employment,
education, credit and public accommodations on the basis
of sexual orientation reflects the deep commitment of Maine
people to protecting
the rights of all citizens.
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