The Doyle Report
by Jon R. Doyle

March 11, 2008

Maine's Shakespearean Experience - "Be great in act as you have been in thought."

As they say at the State House in Augusta, "What's happening?"  There's lots of consideration being given to spending requests and it seems to me that the mood of the Legislature is to take a hard look at some of the proposed cuts which have come from the Baldacci Administration.  Although the Governor has said that safety nets aren't going to be removed - they threaten to be. 

Think about this situation:  Your spouse is very ill; he or she requires home care paid for by MaineCare.  If this administration has its way, your spouse will lose that professional home care and move to a nursing home that will be more expensive.  That just isn't right and, frankly, many are tired of posturing by an administration that can't seem to get its financial act completely together. 

True, the economy is a moving target, but it "ain't" getting any better.  We've been promised some looks at further cuts, because of various needs, but we haven't seen the details of those.  What we get are many presentations to legislative committees devoid of specifics.  That's just not fair.  I suggest that it's time for the Governor and our political leaders to start communicating with Maine people and tell them the real truth about this state's finances - how short we are for money; how difficult it is to raise revenue in a very tough economy; and get some consensus going around solutions rather than continue to operate without all of the facts.

One of the concerns that we understand from some agencies that deal with spousal abuse and family violence that they are going to have to close their doors.  I'm proud to have helped create the Family Violence Project in Augusta which has been operating and protecting people for a number of years.  If they close, we're in big trouble.  To learn more about their work, visit their website:  http://www.familyviolenceproject.org/.    

These aren't just numbers, they're real people and our Governor needs to get himself in front of a microphone frequently and tell Maine people what's going on honestly and in a straightforward way.  He needs to tell us just how we can cut our way out of the serious financial situation in which we find ourselves and he needs to put some substance in his promise that there would always be a safety net.  We don't need general kinds of comments.  What we need are specifics and real people need real solutions and we're ready to listen, if he's ready to talk.  The currently projected budget shortfall of approximately $200 million is about 3% of the $6.3 billion current state 2-year budget.  When you see the types of disruptions in services which will occur from the cuts which the Governor has proposed, you realize how fragile this state's financial condition really is. 

One of the questions frequently asked by legislators and Maine people who are engaged in worrying about this process, is why some departments have made no real cuts in their personnel (DHHS, for example.) while cutting all kinds of programs.  Real Maine people are paying hard earned dollars to support this government and they need some answers.  The most recent listing of cuts calls for the loss of just 70 state jobs.

It's true, too, that the current budget problems make it very difficult for the Legislature to focus on other areas.  Many of the committees have been working long hours to try to get their agendas cleared of non-budgetary items so they can focus on those issues.  Committees such as Appropriations and Financial Affairs; Health and Human Services; Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; Insurance and Financial Services; and any committee dealing with bills that have fiscal issues have been and will be working some long hours to complete their work.  In my view, this Legislature is not going to get out of here by its statutory adjournment date in mid-April.  We're going to have a longer session, because we will ultimately have a thrash over whether to cut; whether to raise revenue; if we raise revenue, what methodology we use.  There are two suggestions on the horizon.  One is an increase in the alcohol tax, as of yet an undetermined amount - long over due (there hasn't been a change for 20 years.) - and a penny on the sales tax.  The latter raises about $150 million, perhaps a bit more and both taxes have the advantage of simplicity.  If one were to adopt my suggestion in an earlier Doyle Report in going through the sales tax law and dealing with exemptions and a broadening of the base, that would take a while and that time may not now exist.

The Governor ought to posit to the people with candor and straightforwardness the dilemma in Maine.  Do we let valuable social services lapse, do we put people at risk, or do we face our responsibilities and take care of one another?  We can help to make that choice, if only given the chance.  The political pundits will say whatever they say; the right wingers will say whatever they say (Remember, one of the things they haven't said is that they have some solutions.); and there are those that want to spend us into oblivion.  No one choice is a good one.  What we don't need is more codswallop.  We need some truth telling.  We don't need posturing; we don't need political maneuvering; dancing; segueing; or any of those other well known techniques.  They are dizzying to watch and ineffective to boot. 

A recent poll showed 8 out of 10 Mainiacs didn't want new taxes.  Importantly, they were given general, not specific, questions - more information would have given a more accurate result.  It's like asking people "Do you want to buy a new car?"  Yes or no.  No information about the age, condition, mileage, etc. of the old one or the cost savings available on a new one. A year or two ago, a respected Maine polling firm asked Maine people if they would support an increase in the alcohol tax and they overwhelmingly said yes.  (70%-80%)  Generic polls are useless!

It has always seemed to me, with respect to polls, that if you need them, you're not a leader.  Whether you follow them depends on whether you're a leader or a political weathervane.

We need our Governor and our legislative leaders to get into some public, and I do mean public, discussions of our options - not behind closed doors; not holding back; but let's have the truth out front somewhere that we can all recognize it and deal with it.  We've got some talented people in state government and we've got some talented people in the Legislature.  Let's let them go to work in the sunlight.  Most political pundits are always talking about the transparency of government and how necessary that is and then they proceed to the point of opacity.  Let's clean the glass on state government and have a look at where we are and have some public discussion of where we're going.  Otherwise, my prediction is that what's going to happen is exactly what's happening at the national level.  We're tired of a government that has given us a recession; a war we didn't need; and probably in the long historical term, can't justify; and we're ready for change.  As a matter of fact, we're going to make it. 

We Mainiacs are a practical people and we're resilient - remember my ice storm images - we need to discuss our options and act on them together.

Jon R. Doyle