It sure has been a busy week politically. A lot has been happening in Maine, other states and around the world. In Maine, our state workers rallied last Saturday and today at the state house. I attended Saturday’s rally to support our teachers, laborers, nurses, and all our other state workers. We had a great turnout of almost 500 supporters. Here is a video of Buffy Morrisette of Poland. She gave a passionate speech about her trip to Wisconsin with Rep. Diane Russell of Portland.

Buffy Morrisette.mp4

A recent quote from Rep. Seth Berry of Bowdoin and others: “Municipal officials are steamed over the Gov’s second round of proposed cuts to municipal revenue sharing.” “This budget rips the heart out of revenue sharing.” “It is nothing but a shift to the property taxpayer.” “People are going to have to leave their homes.” “We’ve heard only from the Governor’s finance commissioner in support. The rest of the afternoon has been outrage and opposition.”

The above quote explains what is happening on the state level. I hear that the hearings on state workers in the Appropriations Room at the state house are being blocked. People are not being allowed into the Approp’s Room without an id and only a limited amount can enter. Is this what the Republican’s and Gov. LePage call transparency? This angers me because our new Gov. campaigned on the fact that he would be the most transparent Gov. in our history. He, the Republican’s, and the Maine Heritage Policy Center are proving just the opposite. It is truly disappointing. How are you feeling? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

There are several interesting articles below. One of them is out just yesterday. Did you know that Maine has “confidential” employees? These are the highly paid state workers and policy makers. With the pension changes being proposed, Mainer’s will contribute over $3 million to the pensions of these confidential workers all while middle class state workers are being asked to pay almost 10% towards their pensions. This is an outrage and it just goes to show that our new Gov. and the Republican’s running our state are not looking out for the people, especially the middle class.

Take a look at this article on Tarren Bragdon written by Bill Nemitz of the Portland Press Herald.

You will notice that I have an article on bills below. This is a must read as it concerns our local Reps and legislation that they have in. If you read anything below, please read this.

Bills, Bills and More Bills!

Dale Crafts - District 104 (Lisbon)

Crafts has a bill directly affecting Greene residents. It is an act to ban the use of personal watercraft on Allen Pond in Greene. If you enjoy the use of your pond, get on the phone or e-mail Mr. Crafts. Better yet, why not write a letter to the editor to the Sun Journal? (See the link below.)

Snowe-Mello - Senate District 15 (Auburn, Poland, Durham, New Gloucester)

Snow-Mello has submitted a bill that would create a five-year statute of limitations on the state’s enforcement efforts against polluters. The Conservation Law Foundation says this bill gives an advantage to those who pollute and forces taxpayers to pick up the tab. The bill means that if someone polluted the Androscoggin River and the state didn’t find out about it for six years then it is on the backs of the taxpayers to clean it up. This same bill has been sponsored before and failed. With our new administration who knows it may have a chance to pass this go round. If this concerns you, please write a letter to the editor or consider putting in testimony for this bill.

Snowe-Mello is also the sponsor of another bill that would weaken the law restricting the use of polybrominated flame retardants that are found in mattresses, furniture, home electronics and plastic shipping pallets used to transport food. These chemicals have been found to threaten childhood brain development and cause learning disabilities. Snowe-Mello was stated as saying that she worries about hurting companies that do business in Maine or indirectly employ Maine people and she acknowledges that she supported the bill because of a manufacturer’s request. There you go folks, I guess this is what our new Senator’s and Reps call putting people before politics.

Jeff Timberlake - District 96 (Turner, Minot, Hebron)

Timberlake is part owner of Ricker Hill Orchards, one of the largest apple farms in the state. He has a self-serving bill in to revise notification requirements for pesticides. This bill changes the notification requirements for aircraft spraying from 1320 feet to 100 feet. I have to say, with this change, what’s the use of notification? People want to be notified if a nearby farm is spraying pesticides. Within three months of the pesticide notification list being created last year over 1600 people had signed up. I am sure the number is way above that now. This bill has not been reported out of committee yet. If you would like to be added to the pesticide notice list go here.

Wood-District 75 (Sabattus and Greene)

Wood has in several bills of concern. An act to auction off moose permits to Maine guides is a self-serving bill. Did you know that Wood is a Maine Guide? In the land of morals and ethics, we call this unethical. Being a Rep. or a Senator it never bides well to put in a self-serving bill.

Next, Wood had a bill in to amend the unemployment compensation law regarding denial of benefits or refusing to accept work from a former employer. From reading the bill text, Wood wanted job seekers to be refused unemployment if they forfeited a professional license or credential, or if they moved and don’t tell a former employer. Wow, no wonder this bill was voted Ought Not to Pass out of committee. Not one committee member voted for it–not even a Republican. This is pretty close to communism.

Greene residents, pay attention to this one. Wood is the co-sponsor of a bill sponsored by Crafts of Lisbon. The bill, an act to prohibit water-ski courses on small ponds, directly affects Allen Pond and is the sole reason why it was put in. It looks like it has been voted on and will come out of committee with a divided report. This means that it will make it to the House and Senate floor. If you do not want this legislation write a letter to the editor or contact your Rep and Senator ASAP.

As I hear of any bills of concern that are out from any Rep or Senator in Androscoggin County, I will keep you posted. If you are interested in submitted testimony for any of the bills that have not gone to public hearing yet, contact me and I can show you how.

To write a letter to the editor to the Sun Journal go here.

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To begin, taxpayers may visit the IRS website, www.IRS.gov, and click on the “Free File” icon.Users will find a list of Free File Alliance member companies and may either choose the one that fits their needs or utilize the “help me find a company” tool. After selecting a company, taxpayers will be transferred to the company’s website to prepare, complete and electronically file their federal income tax returns. Three of the 19 participating software companies also offer services in Spanish.

Confidential Employee’s Pension Plan Costs State ‘Extra’ $3 Million!

By John Christie and Naomi Schalit, Senior reporters ©Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting.Posted March 02, 2011, at 8:28 p.m.

AUGUSTA, Maine - As state employees and teachers head into a second day of fighting the governor’s proposal to take almost 10 percent out of their paychecks to cover their pensions and pension debt, about 1,200 state employees known as “confidentials” have no such worry.

Those employees — mostly in higher pay grades — will put only 3.65 percent of their pay into the retirement system if Gov. Paul LePage’s pension legislation is approved. This would continue the longstanding gap between regular state employees and the confidentials that goes back to 1981.

Confidential employees are defined as state employees not eligible for collective bargaining because they are either in high-level, policymaking jobs or they are involved in union contract negotiations.

Examples of positions classified as confidential range from assistant director of nursing to budget analyst to civil engineer.

State employees and teachers testified Wednesday against LePage’s budget bill before the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee and more were expected to show up Thursday for the second day of the committee’s hearings.

The regular employees now pay 7.65 percent of their pay into the pension fund, and the state adds an additional 5.5 percent. Under LePage’s proposal, the 7.65 would go up to 9.65 percent and the state share would stay the same. The additional millions raised by the increase would help pay down the $4.3 billion pension debt.

The confidential employees currently pay 1.65 percent of their pay into the pension system. The state then adds the 5.5 percent it contributes for regular employees, plus an additional 6 percent. The result is that the total contribution to the system for the confidentials is the same as the total for regular employees:13.15 percent.

But almost all of the pension costs for confidential’s is borne by the state.

Last year, the state paid about $3 million more than it would have paid if confidentials had contributed the same percentage as regular employees, according to calculations provided by the state finance department to the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting.

The contribution difference means confidential employees take home a larger percentage of their paycheck. A teacher, for example, who makes $35,000, pays $2,677 per year into the pension system. That will go up to $3,377 if the governor’s proposal is approved. A confidential employee, such as a staff attorney, who makes $75,000, has to pay $1,237 per year for her pension. That would increase to $2,737.

State documents also showed that the number of confidential employees has been going up steadily over the last decade.

At the end of Gov. Angus King’s administration, in 2002, there were 1,149 confidential employees. By the end of Gov. John Baldacci’s eight years in office, the number had grown to 1,258, a 9.5 percent increase.

Sawin Millett, the state’s finance commissioner and a veteran legislator and finance official in the McKernan administration, said the LePage administration is not considering making confidential employees pay the same as other other employees toward their pension and the pension debt.

He explained that in the early 1980s, confidential employees were offered a 10.5 percent pay increase over two years, or to have the state contribute a higher amount to their pensions. They chose the latter.

“Realizing the history,” Millett said, “they obviously forgo, or forewent, raises at that time, which they still haven’t gotten. The fairness approach I think would be to say everybody gets a 2 percent bump on their share.”

Chris Quint, executive director of the Maine State Employees Association, said his members feel otherwise. “They definitely think it’s a fairness issue,” he said. “All this talk of a shared sacrifice, then it should be shared sacrifice for all around.” One of Quint’s union members, Jim Betts of Winthrop, a claims adjudicator at the state Bureau of Unemployment Compensation, said, “I’m paying as a taxpayer for this unfunded liability, just like every other citizen in the state of Maine; then, on top of it, they’re taxing me again as a state employee, by freezing my wages, increasing my health care costs and now, raising, by 2 percent, to pay back the loan of the McKernan years.”

Some members of the Appropriations Committee said the issue of how much the confidential employees pay toward their pensions and the pension debt could be revisited.

The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting is a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism organization based in Hallowell.

E-mail: mainecenter@gmail.com
Web: pinetreewatchdog.com

It sure has been a busy week politically. On Thursday, the budget for the next two years was released.

I attended a listening session with the Lewiston/Auburn delegation this morning. It was an interesting and informative session. The session was well attended by local residents. Senator Margaret Craven, Rep. Peggy Rotundo, Rep. Mike Carey, Rep. Brian Bolduc, and Rep. Dick Wagner were present.

We began by discussing the environment. People are concerned about our rivers and lakes and the lack of funding for sewer and runoff. A municipal worker at the session, brought up the bill to allow municipalities to dump snow into rivers like the state used to. This worker, having helped create the Lewiston snow dump, is very concerned about this. On a regular basis he sees snow being dumped with trash, furniture, chemicals and who knows what being dumped in the snow dump. Just imagine what would happen to our rivers if we were to start dumping snow in them again. This would be a tragedy. As it is we still have several paper mills that dump into our rivers. What do you think about this?

Several state workers present are very concerned about the state pension system. Rep. Rotundo pointed out to us all that half a billion dollars going into the budget is coming from the state pension system. This means that the Governor’s plan to take 2% away from state workers already collecting pensions is how part of the budget is being funded. State workers in retirement or close to retirement are concerned. It is important to point out that state workers do not get Social Security. Their pension is their Social Security and it is not much. Rep. Rotundo said that if the budget was voted on today, it probably would not pass as Republican’s and Democrat’s disagree with it. Another important note about our pension system pointed out by Rep. Mike Carey is that the pension fund numbers in the press are one to one and a half years old. The pension fund has been doing much better recently.

State workers in the room were also very concerned about lay offs and they need to be very careful. The Governor has told state workers not to talk to the media. If they do they fear they will be fired. How is that for freedom of speech?

When we discussed education, charter and voucher schools were brought up. Many are concerned about state taxpayer dollars funding private schools. I like the concept of charter schools, but I think they need to be under the umbrella of our Department of Education. I do not agree with taxpayers funding private schools. What’s your view?

The DEP and LURC were discussed briefly. One person in the room worked closely with the DEP. He stated that he didn’t believe that companies see DEP or LURC as a road block. If your permit is in order it takes 30 days or less to get your permit. If you are trying to get a permit without following the rules that is where the problem is. Our DEP regulations are important to our environment and our tourism industly. Rep. Mike Carey is on the newly created regulations committee that is traveling the state. He stated that people all over the state are concerned about our environment and getting rid of DEP regulations that protect our state and our health.

Welfare was discussed, there was concern about families that live on welfare for generations. Yes, we all know someone or have heard the stories. I want to point out to you that there is a welfare fraud hot line to call if welfare fraud is suspected. The number is 287-2409. If you truly know of someone committing welfare fraud, please call. Recently, there was a story in the Kennebec Journal about welfare fraud. I want to point out a really important fact to you. The Pine Tree card (food stamp card as some know it) also includes other benefits on it. This system saves the state money. So, yes, people can get cash if that is a benefit that they have. If the state collects child support for a custodial parent, the child support comes off from the card. People on welfare often need cash for gas, or diapers, or medications, etc. To take the benefit off from the card would cost the state (taxpayers) money as a new system would need to be created.

Senator Margaret Craven pointed out that Maine has one of the highest percentages of veterans in the nation. Some good news for our veterans… A veterans senior daycare will be coming with the new veterans care center in Lewiston/Auburn.

Take a look at the articles below. You may find them interesting and as always contact me if you want to discuss anything that I have mentioned.

Have you heard of the Opportunity Maine Program? This tax credit program reimburses Maine workers for student loan payments for those who earn an associates or bachelors degree at a Maine school and continue to live and work here after graduation. Click here for more info.

Weekly Address - Maine Democrats

12 Feb 2011

Good morning. Thank you for tuning in. I’m Rep. Emily Cain of Orono, House Democratic leader.

This week Governor LePage released his proposed state budget for the next two years. Although he addressed the legislature and has held numerous campaign-style press events on what he believes to be the good and exciting items in his budget, we’re still waiting for many of the details on how the budget is actually balanced. Writing a budget that governs more than a million people and balances shrinking resources with growing needs is hard work, and the devil is in the details.

We don’t disagree on everything. Based on what we know today, we appreciate the show of support for state education in Governor LePage’s budget. We appreciate the show of interest from all of our Republican colleagues in committing to a bipartisan budget. And there are concepts where Democrats can agree with Governor LePage in his initial proposal.

But the way that he approaches those concepts often doesn’t make sense, and will cause more harm than good. He called his budget a jobs bill; however, what we see in reality is a weakening of paychecks to thousands of Maine workers and retirees. We see a stalling of important investment that would create and support good paying jobs in growing Maine industries, and necessary upgrades to our state’s infrastructure. We see a plan to pay for tax cuts that skew toward the wealthy by reaching into the pockets of people with fixed incomes.

Democrats support reducing income taxes. But they should be reduced in a way that is fair to people of all incomes. While just reducing the top rate will lower taxes for most Mainers, the benefits only get better and better the more money you make. People on fixed incomes have a much smaller portion of their income taxes reduced than people who earn a lot of money.

That’s not just plainly unfair; it also makes really bad economic sense.

Those tax breaks, and many others are paid for by reducing the modest benefits that retirees in Maine paid for and earned throughout their entire lives.

The Governor talks a lot about reducing dependence on state services and programs, but he’s short on offering alternatives. Setting a cutoff date for services doesn’t help move Mainers toward independence because it treats a symptom of the problem and ignores the cause for people to need state support in the first place. They’re poor, sick, hungry and lack necessary skills. They still will be when support is taken away if we don’t treat the root of the problem: they need access to better paying jobs. They need education and training. They need access to health care and economic opportunity. Rather than support these tools, Governor LePage’s budget only weakens them.

Telling people that the answer is simply to “get a job” is insulting to the thousands of Mainers who have been trying to do just that, every day. Let’s focus on creating those jobs, not demonizing all of the people who can’t find them.

This is a very sensitive time for Maine. Our economy is just starting to turn around. But stalling critical investments in our economy and infrastructure, and cutting the incomes of thousands of Maine folks who earn a modest living will put a screeching halt to that growth and push Maine backwards. Now more than ever, we need to govern on facts, not anecdotes. We hope that Governor LePage and Republicans in the Legislature are ready and willing to meet us in the middle. It’s never been more important than it is today.

Thanks for listening.

LePage orders State Fire Marshall to NOT testify at a hearing on legalizing fireworks

by: Gerald Weinand, www.dirigoblue.com
Tue Feb 08, 2011 at 07:04:46 AM EST

The Bangor Daily News reports that the reason why no one from the State Fire Marshall’s Office failed to testify at a legislative hearing on legalizing the sale of fireworks is because Gov. Paul LePage ordered that they did not:

Lawmakers heard testimony Monday from supporters and opponents of legislation that would allow the sale and use of a wide range of fireworks in the state.But perhaps the idea’s most vocal opponent was conspicuously silent.

That’s because Gov. Paul LePage — whose administration supports the sale and use of some consumer fireworks — did not allow anyone from the State Fire Marshal’s Office to testify before lawmakers Monday. The fire marshal’s office has consistently opposed similar legislation in the past.

“In his role as fire marshal, [John Dean] has offered testimony on similar bills in the past, and I don’t think it would be fair to him to ask him to express an opinion contrary — well, not exactly contrary - to what he has said in the past,” said Dan Billings, Gov. Paul LePage’s chief legal counsel, on the administration’s decision not to allow Dean to testify.

Fair? Since Dean has a history of opposing relaxing the laws on the sale of fireworks, allowing him to testify against a bill the Governor supports wouldn’t be fair?

Why exactly is that, Mr. Billings? Because Dean would be in fear of losing his job? Is that how the LePage administration works?

This from the administration that claims it wants to “adopt a standard of rulemaking requiring rules to be predicated on valid science and clarity of language” in regards to environmental regulations.

Will scientists that work for the State that oppose LePage’s roll-back of environmental regulations also be ordered not to testify at a legislative hearing out of fairness?

Bill to Repeal your guaranteed access to Health Insurance

by: Gerald Weinand, www.dirigoblue.com
Mon Feb 07, 2011 at 23:36:44 PM EST

Maine was one of the first states to guarantee each of her citizens access to health insurance. Any resident cannot be denied new or renewal of a health insurance, as specified in MRSA 24-A §2736-C, sub-§3.A:

3. Guaranteed issuance and guaranteed renewal. Carriers providing individual health plans must meet the following requirements on issuance and renewal.
A. Coverage must be guaranteed to all residents of this State other than those eligible without paying a premium for Medicare Part A. On or after January 1, 1998, coverage must be guaranteed to all legally domiciled federally eligible individuals, as defined in section 2848, regardless of the length of time they have been legally domiciled in this State.

Maine law prohibits denial for any reason of a new policy or renewal of an existing one, even for a pre-existing condition (but excepting fraud).

This prohibition against denial is now included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which began taking affect 23 March 2010 for new policies for children, and will cover all Americans in 2014.

Rep. Paul Davis (R-Sangerville) wants to repeal your guarantee of access to a new health insurance policy by introducing LD410. Davis’ bill is cosponsored by:

Rep. Dale Crafts (R-Lisbon)
Rep. Ken Fredette (R-Newport)
Rep. Jeff Gifford (R-Lincoln)
Rep. Peter Johnson (R-Greenville)
Rep. Kerri Prescott (R-Topsham)
Sen. Tom Saviello (R-Franklin)
Sen. Mike Thibodeau (R-Waldo)
Rep. Jeffrey Timberlake (R-Turner)
Rep. Paul Waterhouse (R-Bridgton)

And there’s more!

Davis would also remove restrictions that bar insurers from adjusting rates for things other than what is allowed under current law, which reads:

24-A MRSA §2808-B, sub-§2.C. A carrier may vary the premium rate due to family membership, smoking status, participation in wellness programs and group size.

Davis would add “gender, health status, age, occupation or industry, geographic area,” to the reasons why an insurer could make you pay a higher premium.

Davis’ bill would also eliminate community rating for individual health insurance and the small group health insurance market.

So in short, Davis would make it more difficult for a Mainer to obtain a new health insurance policy, and if they could, it will likely be more expensive - especially if you are a woman of child bearing years.
And and since the ACA mandates that every individual be covered by health insurance beginning in 2014 (or pay a fine), the real intent of this bill may be so simply muck up the works.

Heckofajob, Rep. Paul Davis.

I hope that everyone had a nice week. The weather has been nice. I enjoy the 30 and 40 degree days of winter. You may have noticed lately that the content of my newsletter does not include as much positive or good news as it used to. In the future, I will seek out good news stories to add. I will still add in other important information that I think is important enough to share also. Our political landscape in Maine is quite negative right now. I think it is important that people stay informed and know what is going on.

Matt Dunlap was hired as the interim executive director for the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM). Matt was most recently our Secretary of State. He has a long history with SAM and I think he will represent them well.

Maine students outperformed students in most other states on the science portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress that was administered in 2009. That is great news! You can read more below.

Many of you may have heard of the memo that was sent out by Dan Demmerit before the elections. Even House and Senate Republicans are upset with the memo. What do you think of this? You can read more about it here on MPBN.

This past week, I attended a meeting and many of the Androscoggin delegates were there. One told of a state worker that was fired for speaking up against a freshman Republican. By the end of the day the state worker was asked to pass in his Blackberry and computer, and he was escorted out of the building. I don’t care what political party you are affiliated with, this is wrong, but unfortunately this is what we have. Read The Chilling Affect of the LePage Administration and The Clothespin Method below.

What do you think of LePage’s environmental plan for Maine? Take a look at the Legislative radio address by Rep. Bob Duchesne below. It is titled “Economy Needs Logging Trucks in the Forest, Not Condos.”

The unclaimed property list is now available. Check and see if you are on the list here…. https://www.maine.gov/treasurer/unclaimed_property/online/search.php?DL=GO

P.S. I saw on Facebook that Elizabeth Ann’s Express Lube on Sabattus Street in Lewiston is donating $2 for every star service oil change to the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Get your oil changed at Elizabeth Ann’s and support a great cause!

Have a wonderful week!

Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) Announces Leadership Changes

AUGUSTA, MAINE-Jim Gorman, President of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, was joined by the Board of Directors in welcoming former board member and lifetime SAM member Matt Dunlap on board as interim Executive Director today.

“This marks another exciting chapter in our transition plan,” said Gorman. “As an organization, we’ve been focused on getting back to our grass-roots members and doing our best to serve them. Our search for professionals to represent the interests of conservationists in Augusta has been quite a journey, but we believe that Matt Dunlap will serve our members well.”

Matt Dunlap began his experiences in the outdoors trapping under the tutelage of the legendary Milton “Skip” Leach in the midcoast region during the 1970’s. Dunlap served four terms in the Maine Legislature, and spent three of those terms as House Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. While in the Legislature, Dunlap sponsored successful legislation regulating wolf hybrids, creating and expanding the Lifetime Hunting and Fishing License, and creating the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission, among dozens of other initiatives. Dunlap also served three terms as Maine’s Secretary of State.

Dunlap is a founder, past officer and is a current board member of Maine’s Youth Fish and Game Association. As a board member of SAM, he has represented the organization in the Keeping Maine’s Forest initiative and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s Smelt Task Force last year. Dunlap also represented SAM in the formation of the Maine Outdoor Federation in 2010. During his period of legislative service, Dunlap served as the House Chair of the Joint Study Committee to Secure the Future of Maine’s Wildlife and Fish and was the chair of the Marsh Island Community Deer Committee between the town of Orono and the city of Old Town.<

A monthly columnist for The Northwoods Sporting Journal since 1997, Dunlap has won numerous awards for his writing, including Best Column in a Magazine in 2006 and 2008 from the New England Outdoor Writer’s Association. He has also been a periodic co-host on Maine Outdoors, a talk radio show devoted to outdoor topics with Northwoods Sporting Journal editor V. Paul Reynolds since 1997.

Dunlap’s work in the outdoors has also been recognized by Maine Audubon, the Maine Bowhunters Association and the Maine Professional Guides Association.

“With all the changes and challenges that face sportsmen right now, we felt we needed someone who would have instant credibility with the powers that be in Augusta, and with the rest of the outdoor community,” said Gorman, noting also the significant contributions of George Smith and Tim Bell in their work preceding Dunlap. “They deserve our gratitude for helping us get to this point,” he said.

“It’s an exciting opportunity,” said Dunlap. “I’ve always loved the outdoors, and have found a lot of energy in the discussions that surround policy changes. No matter what I do, I always find time to work with people to promote the sporting life; this is a chance to really help Maine sportsmen promote conservation at a much higher level.”

Maine Students Reach Top 10 on National Science Test - Fourth-graders tied for fifth and eighth-graders tied for eighth in an assessment done in 45 states.

By Kelley Bouchard kbouchard@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

AUGUSTA - Maine students outperformed students in most other states on the science portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress that was administered in 2009, according to results released Tuesday

Comparing scores across the nation, Maine’s fourth-graders tied for fifth place on the science test, and Maine’s eighth-graders tied for eighth, said David Connerty-Marin, spokesman for the Maine Department of Education.

Forty-two percent of Maine’s fourth-graders scored “proficient” or better, compared with 32 percent nationally, while 35 percent of Maine’s eighth-graders scored “proficient” or better, compared with 29 percent nationally, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

The assessment test is the only exam that allows comparison of students’ performance across states. Five states didn’t participate.

Results for the test’s reading and math portions were released in late 2009 and early 2010, Connerty-Marin said.

Among lower-income and black students, Maine performed better than other states on the science test.

In Maine, 29 percent of fourth-graders who were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch scored “proficient” or better on the science test, compared with 16 percent nationally, Connerty-Marin said. In the same category, 22 percent of Maine’s eighth-graders scored “proficient” or better, compared with 14 percent nationally, he said.

Maine’s fourth-graders who are black had an average score that was 21 points lower than that of white students, compared with 35 points lower nationally, according to the national center. Maine’s eighth-graders who are black had an average score that was 33 percent lower than that of white students, compared with 36 points nationally, the center reported.

Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at: kbouchard@pressherald.com

Agent Orange Victim Loses Health Coverage Over 2-Cent Shortfall

By Daniel Tencer

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011 — 6:22 pm

A Vietnam veteran suffering from a bone cancer blamed on exposure to Agent Orange was dropped from his health insurance for a two-cent shortfall on a premium payment, only to have the insurance reinstated when the story became public.

Ronald Flanagan of Thornton, Colorado, said he never received a warning from Ceridian Cobra Services that his coverage was cut, and only found out when he showed up at a hospital for a biopsy.

“The nurses were just getting ready to do the biopsy when my wife popped into the office and told them, ‘Stop. We don’t have any insurance,’” Flanagan told ABC channel 7 in Denver.

His wife, Frances, had just been informed that due a typo on their November premium payment, their insurance had been canceled. She had swapped a 7 for a 9, sending Ceridian a check for $328.67, instead of $328.69.

The Flanagans said the insurer did little to notify them their coverage was about to be canceled. Their next statement listed the faulty November payment, but did not alert them that their insurance was canceled. Their December premium payment was accepted, they say.<

“They never did a certified letter saying what could happen. They never made a phone call. As far as I’m concerned, they’re looking for a way to drop you,” Ronald Flanagan said.

After sending a letter to ABC in Denver on Tuesday defending its decision to drop the Flanagans, the company appeared to quickly change its mind on Wednesday, when officials at the Florida-based insurer reportedly called the Flanagans personally to let them know their coverage had been reinstated.According to AOL, Flanagan’s doctors believe his cancer was likely caused by exposure to Agent Orange, a toxic herbicide used by the US military during the Vietnam War as part of its herbicidal warfare campaign. An estimated 40,000 US soldiers were exposed to the toxin, though few have been compensated. The chemical has also been blamed in the maiming or death of 400,000 Vietnamese people.<

Flanagan told the press that losing his insurance crippled him emotionally, and he was considering using the Veterans Administration hospital in Seattle — 1,400 miles away — before Ceridian reinstated his policy.

“The insurance company is paying out way more than I’m paying in. And I understand that. But that’s part of the insurance game,” he said.

Restrictions on insurers’ ability to drop costly patients are among the reforms in the health reform law passed last year.

The Flanagans’ case doesn’t appear to be isolated. A Colorado woman suffering from leukemia said last year she was dropped from her health plan over a one-cent shortfall. That incident involved a different insurer, Discovery Benefits.

La Rosa Carrington of Colorado Springs said the letter notifying her of the canceled policy didn’t even mention that she was one penny short. She said the insurer relented when she threatened to take her story to the press.

“Economy Needs Logging Trucks in that Forest, Not Condos”

by MPBN Capitol Connection on Saturday, January 29, 2011 at 8:03am

Legislative Radio Address: Thank you for tuning in this morning. I’m State Rep. Bob Duchesne of Hudson.

I’m also the lead House Democrat on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the new regulatory fairness committee.

This week, Governor Paul LePage rolled out his plan to repeal many of Maine’s long-standing environmental protections. Citizens state-wide are stunned. Of the 63 recommendations, more than half rolled back protections to the health, safety, and welfare of Maine citizens. The worst  would repeal new rules that protect children from a potentially toxic chemical called Bisphenol A. Nine states and Canada have already taken action to reduce childhood exposure to this chemical.

So, seriously, is there a business in Maine that suggested to the governor that we put this chemical back into children’s baby bottles and sippy cups?

Another proposal would gut the entire Kid Safe Product Act that was passed almost unanimously by the Maine Legislature two years ago. Yet another proposal suggests scrapping plans to reduce sulfur content in fuel. Maine leads the nation in childhood asthma. Is dirty air the price our children are supposed to pay for making the state more business friendly?

Here’s something we really didn’t expect from this governor. Time and again he said he would tell Washington to leave us alone. And now his 12th recommendation is to let Washington decide what our environmental statutes and standards should be.  #14 lets Washington decide what our sulfur dioxide standard is. #19 lets Washington decide what our recycling standards are. #26 lets Washington decide how we deal with hazardous substances. #30, 31, and 32 lets Washington decide how we deal with hazardous waste. #52 lets Washington decide how we deal with stormwater runoff that lowers our water quality and harms our trout streams. What happened?

Get this: on the very last proposal, the governor would require the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife to provide comprehensive evidence of wildlife habitat before delaying a project for it, quote, unquote.

Let me get this straight. The department is already underfunded because it is paid for solely by licenses and fees from Maine’s hunters and fishermen. We’re now going to take that money that was intended to protect the deer herd, and use it to protect developers?

If the developer wants to cut down a potential deer wintering yard, he should at least pay for his own study and leave our sportsmen out of it.

The Governor proposes to eliminate the Board of Environmental Protection and rezone three million acres of the north woods for development. Maine people believe that our economy needs logging trucks in that forest, not condos.

Democrats stand with you. We agree with you that Maine’s brand is based on its environment and natural resources.

We will work with the majority party in the legislature to find common ground on reforming, innovating, and streamlining our state’s regulations to make it easier for businesses to grow and do business here.

But Democrats will not back down from our commitment to Maine people to protect clean air, clean water, and our natural heritage.

Frankly, we hope our colleagues across the aisle will stand with us to prevent the governor and special out-of-state interests from rolling back our strong environmental protections.

If none of this is bad enough, let’s get back to the central argument that Governor LePage made in rolling out this package in the first place; he says it’s about helping Maine businesses and growing Maine jobs.

This package would have the opposite effect. At more than 10 billion dollars per year, the tourism industry is Maine’s leading economic driver and the very definition of our state beyond our borders.

Clean Maine seafood and produce is respected and envied worldwide.

Our economy benefits from this reputation and it’s only possible because we’ve committed to cleaner and healthier standards than the federal minimums that are good enough for states like New Jersey and Texas.

All of these industries that define the Maine brand and drive the Maine economy are at serious risk if the measures in Governor LePage’s proposals are carried out.

The Chilling Affect of the LePage Administration

by Gerald Weinand

Sun Jan 30, 2011 at 06:00:00 AM EST

I was contacted recently by a registered user of Dirigo Blue and asked that I delete their account so that nothing they had posted here could be seen.

I was told that they had been asked by a relative, a State employee, to do so.  They also told me that state employees are voluntarily refraining from commenting on any website, blog, or social media site out of fear.  It is rumored that the LePage administration is checking these sites for any criticism which, in turn, may be used against them.  The family member was concerned that members of the administration might encounter their relative’s name here and punish them.

I personally do not think that the administration is doing so, but then, I’m not a State employee who fears they might lose their job. Nearly one out of ten of them will lose their jobs should the new governor be successful in his promise to layoff 2,000 workers - why provide an excuse?

So I deleted the account a short time ago, and with permission, write about it now. We live in interesting times.

The Clothespin Method

The Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee has instituted a new policy to help the chairs recognize members who have questions.

Each lawmaker has a wooden clothespin attached to the bottom of his or her microphone. When they want to talk, they move the clothespin to the top of the microphone to signal the chair.

The method seemed to work well last week — until Rep. Jeff McCabe, D-Skowhegan, apparently moved his clothespin to the top one too many times.

House Chairman Rep. Peter Edgecomb, R-Caribou, suggested that McCabe finish questioning conservation commissioner nominee Bill Beardsley “privately.”

But later, Edgecomb changed his mind and decided to let McCabe and the rest of the Democrats get all of their questions answered in public.

—- The story is that Rep. McCabe left the room and called Speaker Nutting to tell him that he was not being allowed to ask questions. Speaker Nutting knowing the rules, called the Ag Committee Senate and House Chairs and told them to let McCabe ask his questions. You may have seen this in the media this week.

It is definitely winter in Maine now. Boy is it cold outside! Can you believe that up North they may see -30 below in the next couple of days? I know it is cold outside when my dog goes out for less than a minute before he wants to come back in. Brrr.

Well, this was another interesting week in Augusta. It was revealed on WGAN that LePage does not have an adopted black son. The young man is just someone their family has befriended and helped out. Dan Demeritt, LePage’s communication director, got an earful. You can listen below. Just how long do you think this guy will stay in the job? My bet is that he won’t stick around past this spring. He has a very tough job!

Several committees in Augusta held confirmation hearings this week. Bill Nemitz wrote a good article about some of the people confirmed. He is spot on. I find it hard to believe that no one (Democrats) is questioning the experience or “lack of” that these folks have. It is disturbing to think that our state government is now being run by so many people with absolutely no relevant experience.

Check out the article below on health care. It concerns a Sabattus resident. Republicans want to repeal the health care act, but don’t have a solid plan to replace it. My view on this is that we should let the bill become law and get all pieces working. Then figure out what it wrong with it and what needs to be fixed. Let’s not hurt our own people by repealing it with no solid plan.

I look forward to hearing from any of you who want to discuss these issues. Have a great week and stay warm!

LePage Lies About Adopting Black Son

Listen to this WGAN broadcast. It is a conversation between the hosts and Gov. LePage’s communication director. I would have to bet that this guy will not stay in the job very long. It is tough to defend lies on a regular basis.

Listen here.

590k Mainers with Pre-existing Conditions could be Denied Coverage without Health Reform Law

by: Andi Parkinson
Tue Jan 18, 2011 at 16:25:06 PM EST
Maine AG William Schneider, who is bound and determined to join the repeal bandwagon, may want to know that in doing so he is making a decision that is detrimental to almost 600k Maine residents, including a family from Sabattus.

(Video clip available on C-SPAN) The wife, Claudette Therriault, who testified before the Democratic House Committee earlier today (52:20 mark on the clip), reported that she and her diabetic husband reached the maximum $9100 doughnut hole under Medicare Part D- within a month of enrolling in the plan last year.

They cannot afford necessary preventive care procedures, including endoscopies and mammograms, without the closure of the doughnut hole under the healthcare reform law — let alone their very expensive prescriptions. The couple had to spend approximately 4 months’ worth of mortgage payments in savings to pay their extra expenses last year and relied on the help of various charities to get them through.

ABC reports that approximately half of all Americans have pre-existing conditions.

Read more here.

Bill Nemitz: Dems may regret silence on suspect nominees

Posted: January 23
Updated: Today at 8:58 AM
Most refer to them, with all due respect, as Gov. Paul LePage’s fledgling Cabinet. But as they march through the Maine Legislature en route to their lofty new offices, another moniker comes to mind.

Citizens of Maine, meet Easy Company.

“Easy” as in sliding through legislative confirmation hearings like a warm knife through butter.

“Easy” as in unanimous Senate confirmation votes in which politically correct bipartisanship — at least for now — trumps common-sense evaluation.

“Easy” as in, “If you’re good enough for the guv, gosh-darnit, then you’re good enough for us!”

“I think we’re going along,” conceded state Sen. Joe Brannigan, D-Portland, when asked Friday to explain the Democratic minority’s strategy for vetting and voting on LePage’s Cabinet nominees. “I think what you’ve seen is what you’ll get.”

That approach makes perfect sense for some who have waltzed through the confirmation process on solid knowledge and well-documented experience — Sawin Millett, who’s served in three past administrations and is widely regarded as an expert in all things budgetary, for example, was a no-brainer for commissioner of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services.

But at least two other nominees — Philip A. Congdon for the Department of Economic and Community Development and Mary Mayhew for the Department of Health and Human Services — illustrate just how easy it is to take over a branch of Maine’s state government these days with a resume somewhere between weak and worrisome.<

Congdon, an engineer from Bristol who worked for Texas Instruments for 20 years and first met LePage at a meeting of the Constitutionalists of Maine (Congdon no longer belongs), raised nary an eyebrow Thursday when he told the Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee that his background in economic development is “thin.”

“I have, I think, a strong business background. As far as community economic development, I’ll tell you right now, I haven’t done it,” Congdon, 69, told the legislators. “But I’ll also tell you that I am convinced that I can.”

Even after Congdon told one lawmaker that attracting businesses to Aroostook County and other rural areas is an issue “I haven’t thought about,” the committee gave him a unanimous thumbs-up and sent his nomination on to the Senate.

Then there’s Mayhew, who until recently worked as vice president and chief lobbyist for the Maine Hospital Association and now is poised to take over DHHS.

LePage, by his own admission, has had a devil of a time finding someone to take what is arguably the toughest of all Cabinet jobs. In addition to its $3.1 billion budget, 3,600-member work force and myriad complex programs, DHHS has become a political lightning rod for those, including the governor, who have all but declared open season on welfare in Maine.

Enter Mayhew, just 12 days into her new gig as a senior policy adviser to LePage, who kept her game face on even as the boss joked that he’d “been rejected by more women (for DHHS comish) in the last two weeks than in four years of high school and six of college.”

Setting aside LePage’s tacit admission that the DHHS slot had to add a touch of femininity to an otherwise all-male Cabinet (Our new governor believes in quotas! Who knew?), a careful read of the administration’s biographical sketch for Mayhew reveals no management or chief executive experience whatsoever.

Rather, since she graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in political science, she’s worked exclusively as a government lobbyist and media spokeswoman for a litany of, dare we say, special interests in Augusta. (The Maine Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association, the Maine Association of Insurance Companies and Central Maine Power, to name but a few.)

It’s nice work for those who can find it – in 2009, according to tax filings by the Maine Hospital Association, Mayhew was paid $244,641 in salary and other compensation to represent the organization’s interests in Augusta and Washington.

And, to be fair, Mayhew’s 11 years with the MHA undoubtedly leave her well-versed in how the hospital industry works.

But DHHS is about a lot more than hospitals. It’s about mental health treatment, the homeless, child and elder protective services, people with disabilities, federally funded food stamps and other integral threads in Maine’s social safety net — all of which require a seasoned manager, not a longtime lobbyist, in the corner office.

Mayhew, whose confirmation hearing is set for Feb. 1, was not available for an interview late last week. But Dan Demeritt, LePage’s communications director, said in an e-mail late Friday that “Mary will be working closely with the Governor to put all the pieces in place to manage the department and implement the LePage agenda.”

Consider it done: Interviews last week with Democrats on the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee revealed no expectation that Mayhew will run into any major turbulence as she sails from the governor’s office to that of DHHS commissioner.

“But I think we do have some serious questions to ask about administrative skills, as well as working knowledge of other offices within the department that have a lot of impact on people,” said state Rep. Mark Eves, D-North Berwick, the ranking minority member on the committee.

Questions? Hey, it’s a start.

(Before their unanimous endorsement last week of Bill Beardsley as conservation commissioner, Democrats on the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee had their questioning cut off by state Rep. Peter Edgecomb, R-Caribou, the committee’s chairman. House Speaker Robert Nutting had to place a mid-hearing telephone call to Edgecomb to explain that’s not how the process works.)

Still, beyond the polite interrogatories awaiting Mayhew, unanimous approval by both the Health and Human Services Committee and the 35-member Senate appears all but assured. The word throughout the Democratic minority these days, after all, is to step aside and let Easy Company parade on through.

“What would we get other than we’re being ‘obstructionist’?” asked Brannigan, the veteran Democratic senator who spent 34 years running Shalom House, a community-based program for people with serious mental illness. “We wouldn’t win anything, either actually or symbolically.”

Maybe so. But the more they fall in line and endorse these questionable commissioners now, the less right the Democrats will have to complain later if and when the wheels start coming off. And before they dutifully raise their hands in another unanimous “yes” vote, those same Democrats might at least consider what happened right before their eyes last week: The same governor whose “Job One” is economic development just hired a guy who admits he has no background in it.

And the same governor who loudly deplores “special interests” just hired a special-interest lobbyist to preside over the fates of Maine’s most vulnerable.

“We’re not practiced at this,” Brannigan said with a chuckle. “I’ve been up there 26 years and don’t know what the minority is.” Then again, he added, “there’s nothing wrong with you writing what a bunch of pansies we are.”

That’s easy.

Columnist Bill Nemitz can be contacted at 791-6323 or at: bnemitz@mainetoday.com

I hope that everyone is enjoying January so far. The past few nights have been extremely cold. I keep telling myself only 10 more weeks until spring!

Our new Governor is starting off with a bang. I hope that this is the worst of it and that he begins to consider the ramifications of his words. He represents the people of Maine on a national level. In the matter of two weeks, he has called members of a state department idiots, told the NAACP to kiss his butt and called them a special interest group.  So far, I am not very proud of his representation. I would say that I am a bit embarrassed. How do you feel about this?

Below you will find interesting articles on a prayer that opened a legislative day (a must read!), supplemental budget details, info on our new DEP commissioner, and a bill on campaign advertising.

Speaking of bills that are being presented, you can go to this link to search for bills being sponsored. Bill search

The Prayer that Opened a Legislative Day

by: Gerald Weinand
Fri Jan 07, 2011 at 21:36:48 PM EST

At the beginning of the 125th session of the Maine House of Representatives, leather-bound copies of New Testament were presented to each member for their taking. I am not sure as to why only the New Testament (and not the entire Bible) was proffered, but that is of little matter.

This practice has been tried in the recent past, but has been shut down by previous Speakers. I’m told that the distribution was not allowed in the Maine Senate (I have written to Senate President Kevin Raye to confirm this).

Yesterday, Reverend Roger E. Tracy of East Eddington Community Church led the House in prayer. Tracy was active in the Yes on 1 campaign against LD1020, the law that allowed same-sex couples to marry, and I suggest that you read the invocation for yourself. Page 2 is below the fold.

Take the time to read both pages of the prayer at this link.

Supplemental Budget Details

The Supplemental Budget for 2011 has been submitted by the Governor. You may have heard a little about it recently. Click here to see what is in this budget. After looking through the budget it looks as though the LePage people simply took open positions off the books and moved the funds for them to the General Fund.

The biannual budget will be the one to watch. That will be coming out soon.

Maine League of Conservation Voters Statement on Gov. LePage’s nomination of Darryl Brown as Commissioner of the Dept. of Environmental Protection

January 7, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Maureen Drouin, Executive Director, (207) 620-8811 or maureen@mlcv.org

Augusta, ME - Governor-elect Paul LePage announced his nomination of Darryl N. Brown of Livermore Falls as Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection. Brown, president of Main-Land Development Consultants served in the House from 1979-1986. The Maine League of Conservation Voters (MLCV) released its first scorecard during Brown’s last term and rated him with a score of zero based on his votes on wetlands, radioactive waste and acid rain. A copy of MLCV’s scorecard is available online at: www.mlcv.org/scorecard

In response to the LePage administration’s announcement on Brown’s nomination as Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, Maureen Drouin, Executive Director of the Maine League of Conservation Voters, released the following statement:

“The Department of Environmental Protection is about the protection of our core values: clean drinking water and clean air for our families, an energy future that reduces pollution and cuts our dependence on oil and the conservation of our natural legacy for future generations. Our natural resources are also a cornerstone of Maine’s economy contributing over $6.5 billion annually.

“No doubt, Mr. Brown’s zero environmental score is troubling, but we have made so much progress since he took those votes 25 years ago. Maine people will expect the new Commissioner to uphold the safeguards that protect our health, our natural legacy and our way of life.”

Bill Seeks to Hold Campaign Advertisers Accountable

Go here to read this article from the Bangor Daily News.