Budget Advisory Member Recounts Last Nights Workshop

 Dot Fitzgerald "Founding member of Lisbon Concerned Citizens" pictured with Frank Anicetti "The Original MoxieMan"

A friend recently told me not to write a letter to TLR or act when you are angry or upset.

Right now I am ignoring that advice.

Attending the April 24, 2012 Overview of Budget Workshop with Budget Advisory Board were Town Manager Steve Eldridge and Town Councilors, acting-chair Lori Pomelow, Mark Lunt, Mike Bowie, Gina Mason and Roger Bickford.

I was the only member of the Advisory Board to attend.

Two members of the Advisory Board were noticeably absent, a "silent protest" as the Advisory Board is advisory in name only. Advice, suggestions, are ignored.

Questions asked are answered and explained as though one were a little child.

Departments on the agenda were the Library, Town Engineer, Town Buildings, Technology, Solid Waste, Finance and Town Clerk.

Town Manager and Council are considering cutting $10,000 from the Library, already bare bones, budget. That would mean eliminating the pre-school, head-start and summer reading programs.

The Town Building budget includes $15,000 for new roofing and $4,000 to replace the windows at the E.T. Smith fire station In Lisbon village.

The fire station has 9 windows, 3 are very small. I have been informed that the cost of roofing materials have, like, gone through the roof.

But, $15,000 for a plain pitched roof with no dormers or valleys seems a little excessive.

A friend said he just replaced 13 windows in his older home for under $3,000.

Yet, $4,000 for nine windows?

Town Engineer said the Public works roof is leaking. The E.T.Smith Co. roof is NOT leaking.

Why are they replacing the non-leaking roof, instead if the one that is leaking?

These will go out to bid, and if bids are lower the extra will go into the town's undesignated funds account. Another word for a slush fund! ! ! ! ! !

I asked why Town Engineer, also head of Public Works, Solid Waste and Sewerage Treatment Plant has unlimited use of a town owned vehicle?

In case of an emergency I was told.

Putting mileage, wear and tear, tires, town employees doing the maintenance, for his personal use?

And guess who will have to pay when the vehicle needs to be replaced due to high mileage, etc?

You guessed it! ! !

Deputy Fire Chiefs for Lisbon and Lisbon Falls use their own vehicles in the event of an emergency.

Why can't the Town Engineer do the same?

The cost for all town employees to receive a 2% wage increase, or as Eldridge puts it, a one-time bonus, plus step/longevity increases is a whopping $174,657.
(One Hundred Seventy Four Thousand Six Hundred Fifty Seven Dollars).

I'm sure they are entitled to raises, but can the taxpayers afford it?

We all are paying more for gas, heating oil, groceries. with no big pay increases

The Town Manager and Town Council living in a fantasy land. Are acting like Lisbon Taxpayers have money trees growing in their back yards!!!!!

And still we are not allowed to vote on the town budget. Wonder Why??????



Dot Fitzgerald
A Very Fed Up Concerned Citizen

Mad Cop Disease, er, Cow Disease Returns; Reuters: Top vet rushes to soothe mad cow fears

Peter Reuter

The Lisbon Reporter

At a time when Lisbon's Top Cop can't even find thirty-two thousand five hundred dollars, ($32,500) of public funds, missing, misplaced, misused, or stolen from Lisbon's Economic & Community Development Office perhaps we should let some 'bovine spongiform encephalopathy' detectives work on the case.  They seem to be able to track a disease from one continent to the other and in fact can locate the damned stall where it was 'conceived' all in the name of protecting the people.

MAD COW DISEASE or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)

Fatal neurodegenerative disease of cattle. Symptoms include behavioral changes (e.g., agitation), gradual loss of coordination and locomotive function, and, in advanced stages, weight loss, fine muscular contractions, and abnormal gait. Brain tissue becomes pitted with holes and spongy. Death usually follows within a year. The disease is similar to the neurodegenerative disease of sheep called scrapie. No treatment is known. A BSE epidemic in Britain that began in the mid-1980s is believed to have been caused by the use of cattle feed containing supplements made from ruminant carcasses and trimmings. Hundreds of thousands of infected cattle were slaughtered and the use of animal-derived protein supplements ended. The cause of both BSE and scrapie is attributed to an infectious aberrant protein called a prion. The unusual occurrence of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, another prion-related illness, in young people beginning in the mid-1990s may be linked to eating meat from cattle with BSE.

Baaad News 'Sheeple' these attributes can be directly associated to OUR so called politicians that we entrust with our safety.

Top vet rushes to soothe mad cow fears

By Roberta Rampton | Reuters

  Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Mad Cow Disease Found in U.S. Cow (ABC News)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hours after confirming to reporters that the United States had found its fourth-ever case of mad cow disease, John Clifford was ready to answer the world's questions about the safety of U.S. beef.

Clifford, the government's chief veterinary officer at the agriculture department, had quickly called his counterparts in Mexico and Canada, the first and second-largest buyers of U.S. beef, to tell them about a California cow found to have an "atypical" type of the brain-wasting disease.

Having taken up his post in May 2004, just six months after the first U.S. case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy was discovered, he knows that sharing information quickly during the next 24 hours -- and in the weeks ahead -- will be vital for reassuring consumers, both domestic and foreign.

"It's critically important for the trust and continuing of the trade between those countries," Clifford said in an interview, trying to pre-empt concerns about the nation's herd that could send the multi-billion U.S. industry into another tailspin.

More to read here.


Now how about Mad Politician Disease (MPD)?  Hmmm, Could that be something of Epidemic Proportions already with no known antidote?

Analogy About Sports

Never quite saw it this way - but, it's an interesting assessment

The Wonder of it All:

1. The sport of choice for the urban poor is BASKETBALL.

2. The sport of choice for maintenance level employees is BOWLING.

3. The sport of choice for front-line workers is FOOTBALL.

4. The sport of choice for supervisors is BASEBALL.

5. The sport of choice for middle management is TENNIS.

6. The sport of choice for corporate executives and officers is GOLF.

THE AMAZING CONCLUSION:

The higher you go in the corporate structure, the smaller your balls become.

Therefore, one might conclude, there must be a ton of people in Washington playing marbles

Maine's Snewzmedia is Asleep at the Keyboard; The Maine WIRE: Sussman Press Herald Passes on Another GOP Op-Ed‏

Sussman Press Herald Passes on Another GOP Op-Ed 

 

Last Sunday, the Donald Sussman/Chellie Pingree owned Press Herald ran an editorial titled “Republicans fail to honor their word.” The piece was about the recent decision by the majority of Maine’s legislature not to re-convene early to attempt an override of Governor LePage’s recent line-item veto of the budget bill.

The Press Herald said that, “Republican lawmakers decided in a secret poll not to support the budget compromise they had publicly backed just a few days earlier.”

An earlier version of the story called out the Senate Republicans for their lack of transparency, although the Senate Republicans had released the poll showing how each Senator had voted four days earlier.

At 3am yesterday, the PPH offered a correction on their website version of the op-ed, saying they “mischaracterized Republican senators’ transparency in letting stand Gov. LePage’s line-item vetoes.”

The Press Herald editorial ran four days after Senate Republicans say they had sent an op-ed from Senators Mike Thibodeau and Ron Collins, that explained their reasons for voting Nay to go back into session ahead of schedule to address the line-item veto. Senate Republicans assert that the PPH had agreed to run it on Friday the 20th, but it did not appear.

The PPH editorial, however, mistake included, did run on Sunday the 22nd and the Senate Republicans decided to withdraw their submission of their own op-ed. In a press release they noted that, “our piece has still not run and we are dismayed by the total lack of objectivity on the part of the newspaper [PPH]. Why can’t readers be presented with competing opinions and make up their own minds?”

Below, in it’s entirety, is the Senate Republican op-ed that the Press Herald passed on:

______________________________________________________

Legislative Republicans will address the general assistance shortfall in a responsible manner that protects taxpayers from unnecessary costs

By Senator Mike Thibodeau and Senator Ron Collins

Just last week, Governor LePage utilized a previously unused provision in Maine law: the line item veto. Passed during the King administration and supported by voters in a statewide referendum, the line-item veto can be used by Governors to object to portions of a budget without vetoing the entire document.

The two items Governor LePage chose to veto were a portion of the additional funds needed to cover a projected shortfall in the FY 2013 General Assistance allocation, and $3 million in “disproportionate share” funding to hospitals and psychiatric facilities in order to offset losses in federal funding. If the Legislature were meeting, we would take up a Governor’s veto within the prescribed time limit of five days. However, the Legislature is adjourned until May 15th, when we will return to finalize work on the FY 2013 supplemental budget.

Given the fact that the Legislature will be returning next month, legislators had to decide if it made sense to reconvene again within five days solely to deal with the line-item veto.

Maine’s Constitution – specifically Article IV, Part Third, Section 1 – provides that the Legislature may convene on the call of the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, with consent of the majority of the members of the Legislature of each political party, all members of the Legislature having first been polled. Based upon this provision, and a letter from the House and Senate Democratic leaders, we conducted the poll of members of both parties required to grant consent to reconvening the Legislature. It failed when two-thirds of legislative Republicans declined to give consent to coming in this week.

As two Senators who voted not to reconvene, we are writing to highlight the reasoning behind our decision.  There is plenty of time to address the issues contained in the vetoes in a thoughtful, responsible manner that is both timely and respectful of the extra costs that would have been borne by taxpayers had we added yet another session day.

It is important to note that the supplemental budget we passed will fund the general assistance shortfall for the 2012 fiscal year that ends June 30th.  The line-item vetoes strike a portion of the projected additional appropriations needed to cover the general assistance shortfall in the fourth quarter of next year’s budget.

The vetoes leave in place several policy changes we made that will help us to address the issues going forward.  For example, a Department of Health and Human Services working group will proceed to review General Assistance Program rules and regulations and make recommendations to the Legislature no later than December 1, 2012. The focus of this stakeholder group is to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, uniformity, and financial accountability of the program. The budget passed by the Legislature also includes a reduction of the current reimbursement rate to service center municipalities from 90 percent to 85 percent and a nine month cap on housing, with some hardship exceptions. Even if the Legislature were to wait until January 2013 to act, it will have a full four months to address the projected shortfall.

The Legislature is now in recess until May 15th, pending revised revenue estimates due at the end of April and the work of the Appropriations Committee once those figures are available. When we return, we will act on the second FY 2013 supplemental budget, which addresses the estimated $85 million shortfall in the Department of Health and Human Services.

Reconvening the Legislature before May 15th would cost taxpayers an estimated $15,000 per day at a time when we are seeking ways to eliminate unnecessary costs. None of the items addressed in the line item vetoes will occur before we have the opportunity to address the issues.

As legislators, we have a responsibility to carefully weigh the issues and act in the best interests of sound policy and fiscal responsibility for the people of Maine. In short, convening the Legislature this week would have been an unnecessary exercise and expense. We will continue to work to address the general assistance shortfall and ensure that the program protects Maine’s most vulnerable citizens and is financially sustainable for taxpayers.

Senator Mike Thibodeau chairs the Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee and is a member of the Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee. He represents Maine Senate District 23 which includes all of Waldo County.

Sen. Ron Collins chairs the Transportation Committee and is a member of the State and Local Government Committee. Collins represents Maine State Senate District 2 which includes the York County towns of Acton, Berwick, Cornish, Lebanon, Limerick, Newfield, North Berwick, Parsonsfield, Shapleigh, and Wells. Collins chairs the 125th Legislature’s Transportation Committee.

 http://www.themainewire.com/2012/04/sussman-press-herald-passes-gop-op-ed/

Our Governments Are Out Of Control; NaturalNews: Health Ranger release "S-Men" science parody video - watch it here‏

Dear NaturalNews & Lisbon Reporter readers,

Your health freedoms are under severe attack  right now. There are two issues I haven't even had time to write articles about yet:

#1) Parents are being denied vaccine exemption rights in some states, where they would be *forced* to submit their children to vaccination. This is being covered on the Linderman Unleashed radio show today at www.NaturalNewsRadio.com

#2) A nutrition blogger in North Carolina is facing jail time for giving out nutritional advice on his blog! Government goons say he needs a "license" to offer dietary advice! The person targeted in this censorship agenda is the featured guest on today's Robert Scott Bell Show, also being broadcast on www.NaturalNewsRadio.com 

On the comedy side of things, I've just released a new parody video called the "S-Men!" It's a take on the "X-Men," but in this case the "S" stands for "science!" And it's a funny parody about how today's brainwashed scientists claim to be protecting us all from dangerous herbs and nutritional supplements while defending the safety of nuclear power, chemotherapy, fluoride, vaccines and more.
Read the announcement (and watch the video) at:
http://www.naturalnews.com/035677_S-Men_science_superheroes.html

P.S. Yes, I did all the character voices in this video! Including the "Vaccine Vigilante," whose voice I modeled after Smeagol from Lord of the Rings...

Birth defects are one-third more likely in babies conceived with IVF, according to studies (NaturalNews) Technology is a wonderful thing in most cases, but sometimes doing things the old-fashioned way is not only better, it's safer too. To wit, a new study found that babies conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF...

Many US hospitals, including children's hospitals, continue to serve McDonald's fast food in their cafeterias (NaturalNews) Many people still think of hospitals as places where the sick become healthy, and where disease is nursed into wellness -- but these notions could not be further from the truth. Besides being cesspools of antibiotic-resistant "superbugs...

Help protect food and farm freedom in your area with local 'right-to-farm' laws (NaturalNews) Throughout the last 100-or-so years, rapid urbanization has driven many farmers out of formerly-rural areas that have now become urban and suburban enclaves. And while every state in America now has some type of "right-to-farm" law on the...

New Zealand woman's Coca-Cola habit blamed for her death (NaturalNews) The Coca-Cola Company is currently embroiled in an investigation involving a New Zealand woman who allegedly died as a result of drinking too much of the company's sugary beverage. According to reports, Natasha Marie Harris had been consuming...

The three part process to radiant health and long life (NaturalNews) The human body possesses a powerful healing and regenerative chemistry. Examples of sudden and extraordinary healing - so called miraculous healing, demonstrate what this rejuvenate potential can actually do when it is truly unlocked. There...

Celiac disease linked to infertility (NaturalNews) For couples who are struggling to get pregnant, discovering the underlying cause of infertility can be a lengthy and frustrating process. In the past, infertility issues were considered a female problem, but today's research shows the causes...

Former head says TSA is 'national embarrassment' (NaturalNews) When former president George W. Bush signed into law the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which established the existence of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA...

Obama administration announces 'War on Terror' is over; so can we fire the TSA and repeal the Patriot Act now? (NaturalNews) In an astonishing bit of unexpected news, a senior State Department official has announced, "The war on terror is over." This stems from the idea, reports the National Journal, that, "it is no longer the case, in other words, that...

Adya Clarity co. being sued for misrepresentation, fraud, by Matt Monarch - Raw Food World (NaturalNews) Matt Monarch, founder of the Raw Food World (www.RawFoodWorld.com) has announced his intention to sue Adya, Inc. for what he describes to NaturalNews as damages, product misrepresentation and fraud. Matt Monarch's full statement is found...

Certainly There Are More 'Feral Pigs' In America's Capital Beltway; BrasscheckTV: Small farms raided as government conducts animal genocide‏ (animals, Authorities kill feral pigs in Michigan , Bakers Green Acres, Department of Natural Resources, DNR, genocide, Michigan, Michigan Pork Producer Association, pigs)

Lisbon,
 
This is an update on the ongoing events in Michigan, where small
farms are being force to exterminate their livestock or face felony
charges.
 
At least two farms have already been the subject of ARMED raids for
the suspected crime of not having the same inbreed and sickly pigs
as the bigger factory farms do.
 
 
Goodman Green
- Brasscheck

 

Michigan government unleashes armed raids on small pig farmers

by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
NaturalNews.com

(NaturalNews) NaturalNews can now confirm that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has, in total violation of the Fourth Amendment, conducted two armed raids on pig farmers in that state, one in Kalkaska County at Fife Lake and another in Cheboygan County. Staging raids involving six vehicles and ten armed men, DNA conducted unconstitutional, illegal and arguably criminal armed raids on these two farms with the intent of shooting all the farmers' pigs under a bizarre new "Invasive Species Order" (ISO) that has suddenly declared traditional livestock to be an invasive species.

The ISO also deems farmers who raise these pigs to be felons, and DNR officials were ready to make arrests on the scene and haul away these farmers to be prosecuted as hardened criminals.

Farmer forced to shoot his own baby piglets in cold blood
"I think this is an unconstitutional order, these actions of the DNR are way out of bounds," attorney Joseph O'Leary told NaturalNews in an interview today. He is representing one of the farmers who was targeted in these raids. "To take what was six months ago an entirely legal activity, and suddenly people are felons over it. They're not growing drugs, running guns or killing anybody, they're raising animals pursuant to USDA regulations and state of Michigan regulations. They haven't done anything wrong here, and the DNR is treating them like they are hardened criminals."

In anticipation of the DNR arriving on the scene, one farmer engaged in what can only be described as a heart-wrenching task of shooting his own pigs, one by one, including baby piglets before the DNR arrived. This was to avoid being arrested as a felon. His livelihood is now completely destroyed, as the state of Michigan has put him out of business. Even after this farmer informed the DNR that he had destroyed his entire herd of pigs, the DNR continued to illegally acquire a search warrant by providing false information to a court Judge, then conducting an armed raid on his ranch to verify that the entire herd of pigs had indeed already been shot to death. That this took place satisfied the DNR, which is now showing itself to be engaged in the mob-style destruction of targeted farming businesses through its mass-murder agenda of Michigan's small-scale farm pigs.

Read more here

A Night of Humor Coming to Lisbon April 26th with Bob Marley

Lisbon High School Senior Wins 2012 Moxie Festival Logo Design Contest‏

Lisbon High School Senior Danielle Malesiewski receives a $100 check and a 2012 Moxie Festival t-shirt with her winning logo from with John Silvestri, Chairman of the Moxie Festival Committee.

 Lisbon -The Moxie Festival Committee is pleased to announce that Lisbon High School Senior Danielle Malesiewski has won the 2012 Moxie Festival Design Contest based on the 2011 theme, “We’re in Moxieland.” 

 

“Dani’s logo shows that Lisbon is the place in Maine to find a talent that can only be described as moxie,” said John Silvestri, Chairman of the Moxie Festival Committee.

Dani received a $100 check, a t-shirt, and a case of Moxie.  Dani’s logo design appears on the official 2012 Moxie Festival t-shirts which are available at the Lisbon Federal Credit Union, Lisbon Town Hall, and the Festival’s web site:   www.MoxieFestival.com

“We’re in Moxieland” will be the theme of The Moxie Festival parade which attracts over 100 participants.  The parade, which starts at 10 am, attracts over 100 participants and follows a two mile plus route that begins on Capital Avenue and Route 196 and ends at the MTM Center on School Street in Lisbon Falls.

According to Lisbon Public Safety Officials, an estimated 50,000 people attend the three-day Moxie Festival.  The Town of Lisbon has approximately 9,300 residents.

Since 1982, The Moxie Festival in Lisbon, Maine has been held on the second weekend in July.  The Festival now includes a three day Pow Wow; Friday night fireworks; a Saturday parade, Family Fun Fair, and 5K race; and on Sunday, the Chief Worumbo Androscoggin River Race and the Moxie Car Show.  Moxie was designated Maine’s official soft drink on May 20, 2005.

Keep checking the Moxie Festival website:  www.MoxieFestival.com for the latest information on events on our 30^th Anniversary year.

P.W. Sugg Middle School's First Softball Game of the Year Is A Winner

Phillip W. Sugg Middle School hosted their first softball game vs. Cony. PWS grabbed their first win of the season defeating Cony 27-6. 

Great pitching by Hope Morse and closer, Chase Collier. Strong batting by Ashley Patten, Shelby Plourde, Alyssa Hall and Kate Philbrick. 

Defensively, the Greyhounds were unstoppable. 

Great fielding by: Kipri Steele, Alyssa Hall, Ashley Patten, Shelby Plourde,  Jasmin Le, Kate Philbrick, Brittany Norman, Hope Morse, Kaylin Le, Abbie Provencal, Ali Sult and Chandler Riordan. 

Lisbon hosts their next game against St. Mike's on Thursday, April 26 at 4:00.

Coach, Andrea Piela

A tribute to the best singer ever in the USA: My Way Andre Rieu on his Violin in New York

 Andre Rieu (Holland) his orchestra choir did a tribute to Frank Sinatra with My Way on his (Stradivarius) violin.
Radio City Music Hall New York July 29, 2006.

Composer: Jacques Revaux (France)
Lyrics Paul Anka (Canada)
From: New York Memories, Live at Radio City Music Hall July 29, 2006.

 Enjoy!!!

Submitted by: 'All of Us at The Lisbon Reporter'

Goodbye Freedom; BrasscheckTV: Supreme Court tells America to "drop'em and spead'em" (any offense, Glenn Greenwald, humiliation, RT, ruling, servitude, Strip searches , Supreme Court)‏

Lisbon,
 
Yup. That's about right.
 
When just about anything and everything is an arrestable offense,
the Supreme Court has ruled that if arrested, regardless of
offense, anyone can be stripped searched.
 
So, if you think the TSA at the airport is intrusive, try not
paying your parking tickets and see what happens...
 

 
Goodman Green
- Brasscheck

Strip searches could become
as common as Miranda Rights

 

Related article...

Supreme Court Ruling Allows Strip Searches for Any Arrest

By ADAM LIPTAK
New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday ruled by a 5-to-4 vote that officials may strip-search people arrested for any offense, however minor, before admitting them to jails even if the officials have no reason to suspect the presence of contraband.

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, joined by the court’s conservative wing, wrote that courts are in no position to second-guess the judgments of correctional officials who must consider not only the possibility of smuggled weapons and drugs, but also public health and information about gang affiliations.

“Every detainee who will be admitted to the general population may be required to undergo a close visual inspection while undressed,” Justice Kennedy wrote, adding that about 13 million people are admitted each year to the nation’s jails.

The procedures endorsed by the majority are forbidden by statute in at least 10 states and are at odds with the policies of federal authorities. According to a supporting brief filed by the American Bar Association, international human rights treaties also ban the procedures.

Read more here

Coming Out of Retirement

I love it whenever Bill shows up at Obama's events.....

 Where're the Cigars when you need one!!!?

 Submitted by: Todd Comber

We Introduce, Absolute Rights, Where Liberty Is Reborn: Proving The Media's Bias

Greetings Patriot!

In today's edition of Absolute Rights, I talk about the media's terminal liberal bias; in Crisis Ops, we talk about what to do if you haven't prepared; in Global Watch we talk about China and India going head-to-head; and in Contenders' Corner, we discuss the options for Romney's VP.

As always, Absolute Rights is your source for critical intel.

Be smarter than they think you are,

Tim Young
Managing Editor

Proving The Media’s Bias

by Tim Young | Apr 24, 2012 | 

More often than not, we have heard that the media has a liberal bias.  And there are instances that we can point to where it seems that the media has given the Obama administration a break, but they can still try to wiggle their way out of it.

Have you ever wished that you had some evidence, just one blatant example to point to, to finally silence your liberal cohorts?  You already do, but I bet you have never brought it up.

THAT STUPID REPUBLICAN

Who is the ‘dumbest’ Vice President in recent history?  As much as you hate to say it, you’ve been trained to answer, Dan Quayle.

And why is he so stupid? He misspelled the word, ‘potato.’

That’s it, nothing more, nothing less.  The entire event took only a few seconds that day at Trenton’s Munoz Rivera School, but the media used it as an opportunity to destroy a promising career.  Quayle even devoted an entire chapter of his 1994 memoir to it.  From that point forward, the media was fixated on spinning republicans as ‘dumb.’

 Follow more on this article here.

http://www.absoluterights.com/

It's Just Dollars & Sense: The Maine WIRE: Time to End Maine’s Income Tax

This would require the 'masses of asses' on welfare needlessly to get off the couch and become a productive member of society.  Never mind the 'culture of entitlement' so prevalent now or the pandemic of 'double dippers' strangling municipal budgets.

 

Editorial: Time to End Maine’s Income Tax

Imagine if the State of Maine wrote you a check for $4,000.
 
Every year.

That’s essentially what would happen if we eliminated Maine’s personal income tax. The average family of four would save nearly $4,000 each year.

Think it’s impossible? Think again.

The personal income tax is a leash that pro-government forces have tied around the necks of Mainers for more than 30 years. Maine used to have a thriving economy and booming industries, but we all know that’s history. The startling truth is, the decline of Maine’s economy started at nearly the exact time the state decided to implement the income tax. And it’s wreaked havoc on families and businesses ever since.

Maine consistently ranks among the worst states in the nation for business climate, and we have one of the highest tax burdens in the country.  The income tax plays a huge roll in this dynamic. The fact is, Maine is known as a big-government state that will squeeze every nickel out of its citizens, even to the detriment of the overall economy.

We can take a huge step toward ending this dynamic by eliminating the income tax.

There are basically two factors involved in eliminating the income tax, and giving families their $4,000 a year back. One is the reduction in the size of government, and the other is the increased economic activity spurred by Maine becoming a more business- and family-friendly state.

Maine’s government has grown at an unbelievable rate, far surpassing need, and far surpassing the rate of growth of other, more prosperous states. A startling statistic is that Maine’s welfare system alone grew 78% over the eight years of the Baldacci administration – while Maine’s poverty rate remained relatively flat.

Here’s an even more amazing fact: If we reduced spending to the level it was the day Angus King became governor, we could completely eliminate the personal income tax.

That’s right. Maine’s income tax brings in roughly $1.3 billion a year, 37% of $3.4 billion in total revenues. When Angus King took office in 1994, total state revenues were about $1.7 billion a year. By the time he left in 2002, annual revenues increased more than 65%, almost a billion dollars, to $2.6 billion a year.

If we reduced our government’s size to 1994 levels, we’d save $1.7 billion a year – $400 million more than we would need to eliminate the income tax.

Reducing the size of Maine’s government by 37% can’t be done overnight. We need to take steps to get spending under control, and that means bringing Maine more in line with national averages in areas like Medicaid eligibility and education spending. Maine’s income tax would need to be phased out over a period of years, as state spending is ratcheted back down to reasonable levels.

Once Maine charts a course for eliminating the income tax, economic activity will be stimulated. As our reputation as one of the worst states in America for doing business recedes, and as the nation sees that we are serious about reducing our tax burden, it will become less difficult to convince companies to invest in our state. The increased economic activity that would result has the potential to increase state revenues overall through sales tax, property tax, and other revenue sources that result from increased commercial activity. The uptick in other revenue sources would make the phase-out of the income tax easier, and possibly more rapid. As we get closer and closer to zero percent, this dynamic compounds.

Right now, Maine is caught in a figurative ‘death spiral’ of economic trends. As the people of Maine get pulled into the social services network, this increases spending and decreases private-sector output. The increased dependence on government increases the need for revenue, which increases the tax burden on a shrinking number of private-sector sources. This drives businesses out of Maine, which reduces the number of jobs, which increases the public dependence on government programs. This ‘death spiral’ is an unsustainable dynamic.

Imagine reversing this trend. Imagine a ‘life spiral’, where the decrease in tax burden spurred more economic activity, which allowed us to further reduce the tax burden, which in turn stimulated even more economic activity.

We can create this dynamic by charting a course for a zero percent income tax.
Eliminating the income tax would put Maine into a group of states that are leading the nation in economic growth. These are the states that are currently taking our businesses, taking our retirees, and taking away our children when they graduate from college.

Picture a young couple, just out of college, ready to begin a family, and deciding where to settle down. Right now, this couple can move to an income tax-free state like Florida, with more job opportunities, and use their tax savings to send their kids to private school, take a vacation, or save to start the small business they have dreamed about. But imagine how an extra $4,000 a year would impact their decision to stay in Maine. Imagine how a thriving economy would impact this decision.
Maine lost people and their incomes to the nine states that have no income tax almost every year from 1995 to 2009. This works out to nearly 12,000 people and over $661 million in income lost. Conservative estimates show this out-migration cost state and local government over $87 million in revenue over this time period.

Maine has the opportunity right now to end the exodus of businesses and young people.

Here’s why we know it can be done:

First, we didn’t always have an income tax. It wasn’t until the beginning of the three-decade Democrat dynasty in Augusta that we adopted it.

Second, there are nine other states that function without an income tax, and these states are thriving economically.

And third, the reduction of government necessary to make this happen is not draconian – we merely have to return to the spending levels we had before Angus King and John Baldacci exploded the role of government in our lives.

Over the next several months, the Maine Heritage Policy Center will be rolling out a solid path forward toward eliminating the income tax. We are fortunate that the current administration shares our perspective on reducing the tax burden on our citizens, and the need to create a friendlier business climate. The people of Maine have struggled for long enough, and now is the time to present them with a clear vision for a prosperous future.

That vision is a zero percent income tax, and we look forward to a robust discussion about how to get there in the coming months.

Lance Dutson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Maine Heritage Policy Center.  Email him at lance@mainepolicy.org.

*Note: If you would like to learn more about “Getting to Zero” please consider attending MHPC’s luncheon this Thursday in Portland, Maine at noon for a discussion on eliminating the income tax with Lance Dutson, MHPC’s Economist Scott Moody, and Maine’s Commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services Sawin Millett. Click here for more information and to register.

 http://www.themainewire.com/2012/04/editorial-time-maine%E2%80%99s-income-tax/

Facts You Cannot Deny; BrasscheckTV: The effects of a sustained chemical assault on America‏ (a sustained chemical assault, Bisphenol- A, BPA, canned food, Experimental Vaccines, FDA, plastics)

Lisbon,

With links to diabetes, heart disease, lower fertility rates,
behavioral problems, developmental disorders, and even a handful of cancers, the U.S. has opted NOT to ban BPA in canned foods.

E. Vaccines has produced a new video that quotes several government  websites on the various effects of Bisphenol-A exposure, including the revelation that almost EVERY American, regardless of age, race, gender, or location, is being exposed to this dangerous chemical through our diet.

WARNING: Some things cannot be unseen.


Goodman Green
- Brasscheck

93% of Americans have Bisphenol-A
in their blood and urine

 

Related article...

93% of Americans Have Plastic in their Blood & Urine: Bisphenol-A BPA

by EVaccines
experimentalvaccines.org

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a list of over 400 known chemicals that cause neurotoxic effect on the brain. The effect is in the brains ability to grow and develop properly. Bisphenol-A is one of the chemicals on this list; EPA Building a Database of Developmental Neurotoxicants: http://www.epa.gov/ncct/toxcast/files/summit/48P%20Mundy%20TDAS.pdf

After becoming aware of the disclosures made by the EPA lets go over to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where we will learn how BPA affects our bodies and the brains of laboratory animals: http://www.jhsph.edu/publichealthnews/articles/2008/goldman_schwab_bpa.html

With 6 billion pounds of BPA being produced each year it is no wonder why it is in 93% of people tested. Money is definitely a factor in the decisions of governments to ban or limit the import/export of Bisphenol-A. For instance here you can see the United States government telling France that they cannot ban BPA because it will hurt U.S. exports: http://experimentalvaccines.org/Sweden

Scientific America reported on April 1st 2012 that the U.S. will opt Not to Ban BPA in canned foods: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=us-opts-not-to-ban-bpa-in-can

Science Daily reported that: Bisphenol -A Exposure In Pregnant Mice Permanently Changes DNA Of Offspring:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090610124428.htm

For more information and links, visit experimentalvaccines.org

BrasscheckTV: The most awesome oil company EVER, saves the Gulf of Mexico‏ (Abby Martin, BP, gulf of Mexico, oil spill, PR, public relations, seafood)

Lisbon,

Two years ago the worst maritime oil spill in history took place in
the Gulf of Mexico, but everything is just fine because BP cleaned
it all up. That is, if you ask BP or people paid by BP.

The truth of the matter is that the worst of what they have done is
still hidden from us.

Abby Martin reports on BP's public relations campaign and what it's
leaving out...



Goodman Green
- Brasscheck

 BP oil spill 2 years later

 

 Politicians, scientists, environmental groups comment on BP oil spill anniversary

By Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune / NOLA.com

A variety of individuals and organizations addressed the second anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which occurred on Friday:

Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser:

"Early indications are that our oyster reefs are suffering, our fish and shrimp populations have decreased and there is still concern of ongoing diseases in mammals such as dolphins. The effects of the crude oil spilled onto our shores may be long and troubling.

"Countless members of our community were injured as a result of the spill and major economic consequences have been visited upon the citizens of Plaquemines Parish as a result of the spill, the fishing moratorium, the drilling moratorium and the overall affect on our fisheries. Those injuries continue as does the injury to our Parish.

"We intend to aggressively press forward to seek a fair and just resolution of this case. We have independent scientists assessing our fishing grounds, and our economic loss from the spill and will ensure that the health and welfare of our citizens is monitored and assessed.

"Plaquemines Parish is looking to BP to keep its promise to our citizens. We will not rest until our coastline is fully restored."

Scientists who co-authored "A Tale of Two Spills: Novel Science and Policy Implications of an Emerging New Oil Spill Model," in the journal Bioscience:

"The old model assumed that oil would simply float up to the surface and accumulate there and along the coastline. That model works well for pipeline breaks and tanker ruptures, but it is inadequate for this novel type of deep blowout" said co-author Sean Anderson, an associate professor at California State University Channel Islands.

"As the Deepwater Horizon spill unfolded, you would hear folks saying things like, 'We all know what happens when oil and water mix; the oil floats.' That wasn't the whole story, and that oversimplification initially sent us down an incorrect path full of assumptions and actions that were not the best possible use of our time and effort," Anderson said.
 "We have generally hailed the use of [chemical] dispersants as helpful, but really are basing this on the fact we seemed to have kept oil from getting to the surface. The truth is, much of this oil probably was staying at depth, independent of the amount of surfactants we dumped into the ocean. And we dumped a lot of dispersants into the ocean -- all told, approximately one-third of the global supply," said co-author Gary Cherr, director of the University of California-Davis's Bodega Marine Lab.

Melanie Driscoll, ornithologist with the National Audubon Society:

"The brown pelican, poster child for the Deepwater Horizon disaster, represents all of the birds in the Gulf. We know that 826 of them were collected dead or alive. We do not yet know a multiplier to estimate how much of the population was acutely oiled.

"We do know that oil has accelerated the loss of the mangroves in which they breed, accelerated erosion of their beaches and the marshes that produce their food. We know that the developing offspring of birds are often the most affected by exposure to oil, subject to mutations, low birth weight, failure to thrive, cancers, failure to reproduce, and sometimes death. For long-lived species such as pelicans, the young do not normally begin to breed until their third or fourth breeding season. We will not begin to see the effect on their reproductive lives for at least two more breeding seasons. And, because they were delisted prior to the spill, money for regular surveys is gone, and so we have lost continuity in one of the most valuable bird datasets along the Gulf Coast.

"We know how oil affects any organism depends on many factors. These include the type of oil, how weathered it is, the route of transmission, what has consumed it, how much of it has been concentrated into the body tissues of the organism, and how long they have been exposed.

"The National Center for Ecological Assessment and Synthesis out of the University of California, Santa Barbara, has shown that in wetlands benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylenes continue to volatilize, damaging and killing insects, increasing prevalence of the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, which causes problems for oysters and the organisms that eat them, reducing growth in mussels, and damaging coral reefs."

The Ocean Conservancy:

"A NOAA-commissioned study of 32 dolphins living in Barataria Bay, an area of the Gulf known to be heavily oiled, found that many of them were underweight, anemic and showing signs of lung and liver disease. Nearly half were also found to have adrenal insufficiency, a condition that interferes with basic life functions such as metabolism and the immune system.

"While most of the dolphins were still alive at the end of the study, researchers have indicated that survival prospects for the sick dolphins are grim. Their prognosis is troubling because the Gulf dolphin population has been facing what scientists call an unusual mortality event over the last two years. Since February 2010, more than 675 dolphins have stranded in the northern Gulf of Mexico - compared to the usual average of 74 dolphins per year - and the majority of those stranded have been found dead.

"But dolphins aren't the only Gulf animals in trouble. Researchers looking at deep ocean corals seven miles from the spill source found dead and dying corals coated in a brown substance that was later chemically linked to oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon spill.

"The deepwater corals are valuable as indicators of ecosystem health because they provide a unique habitat for other species. 'Think of them as an oasis in the middle of this cold, deep area of the ocean,' said Ocean Conservancy Conservation Biologist Alexis Baldera. "If the damaged corals don't recover quickly, it could have significant impacts on other species that depend on them.' "

Read more here