Welfare's "Safety Net" Addressed Again by Gov. LePage.

"I have always said Maine’s safety net should help our most needy citizens. These vulnerable Mainers include the elderly, children, disabled and mentally ill.

Hello. This is Governor Paul LePage.

Illegal aliens who choose to live in Maine are not our most vulnerable citizens. We need to take care of Mainers first. I think most Mainers would agree.

During my first few days in office in 2011, I issued an Executive Order to repeal Maine’s status as a sanctuary state. In 2004 Democratic leadership banned state officials from asking people about their legal status when they requested benefits. My order rescinded that policy.

Also in 2011, the State eliminated state welfare benefits for illegal immigrants.

Last week, we took the next step. We told Maine towns and cities they will no longer get state funding to give to illegal aliens...Local taxpayers must speak for themselves. I urge all Mainers to tell your city councilors and selectmen to stop handing out your money to illegals."
http://www.maine.gov/governor/lepage/
(Excerpt) Read more at content.govdelivery.com ...

"...But a reduction has never been LePage’s end game. Since winning re-election in November, his rhetoric has focused on eliminating the tax altogether. “My vision for Maine is a Maine without an income tax,” LePage said during his State of the State address in February.

In town hall meetings around the state, the governor has touted the constitutional amendment as the surest way to seal the income tax’s fate regardless of future election results. He reiterated that argument in the letter.

“To ensure that any income tax cut is permanent and cannot be reinstated by future legislatures, it is critical that we change the Constitution,” LePage wrote. “We must remove the burden that the personal income tax places on Maine families — from retirees on fixed incomes to job creators — by amending the Constitution of the State of Maine to eliminate the personal income tax levied by our State once and for all.”

Given the power dynamic in the Legislature, a constitutional amendment to repeal the income tax is far from a sure thing, even if LePage can convince every Republican to get on board.

Constitutional amendments require two-thirds support of the Legislature before they can even go to voters for approval, and Democrats’ majority in the House will make reaching that threshold a tough task for the governor.

If he is successful, though, 2016 would shape up to be one of the most consequential elections in quite some time. Adding the income-tax killing amendment on the ballot in 2016 would most likely drive conservatives to the polls in droves, boosting the GOP’s prospects in a presidential election year — a time in the election cycle that usually favors Democrats.
Watch bangordailynews.com for updates.

I don't believe that Obama is dumb enough to believe that a tax on corporate jets would be a revenue generator. His agenda is to inspire envy and resentment against wealthy Americans as a tool in pursuit of his higher-tax agenda.
—Walter E. Williams

News Buzzard wrote:Maine did a study on EBT card expenditures because Governor LePage insisted that Mainers on food stamps were all spending the money in wrong places; bars, tobacco products, strip clubs, etc, and they found that 2/10 of 1% of the money was being spent where it shouldn't be. This was just another chapter in the Right Wing Book Of Mythology!

The vast amount of TANF funds are withdrawn from ATMs, and once a benefit becomes cash, the state has no way of determining how it has been spent.
http://www.themainewire.com/2014/01/maine-welfare-cash-spent-liquor-stores-bars-strip-clubs-smoke-shops-casinos/