As millions of Americans celebrated America’s birthday this week, we reflected on our individual liberties and our independence as a Nation. Indeed, it’s always uplifting to remember and honor what our Country is founded upon.

Hello. This is Governor Paul LePage.
For 236 years our constitution has tried to uphold our Founding Fathers intent –to protect Americans rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But what our Founding Fathers, I’m sure, did not have in mind is for our rights to be stripped away by our Federal Government. What our Founding Fathers did not see coming is unfair taxation that burdens the American people.

Obamacare is bad policy and bad law. It raises taxes, cuts Medicare for the elderly, gets between patients and their doctors, costs trillions of taxpayer dollars, and kills jobs.Nonetheless, the Supreme Court has spoken and its decision carries the law of the land. We have an opinion as to what is constitutional and what isn’t. However, what the Court did not tell us is what states should do next.

I have been asked if Maine will move forward with Medicaid expansion. However, Maine is already a welfare expansion state because of the generous benefits offered. Our welfare costs are among the highest in the Nation as a result of
some of the lowest eligibility requirements.Maine has increased its spending by more than a billion dollars during the last decade because of expanded welfare programs. We cannot afford our current programs, so to require Maine to expand coverage even more is fiscally irresponsible. Before we think about taking on any more debt, we must pay our current bills –nearly $500 million is owed to Maine hospitals. Furthermore, there are still too many uncertainties for Maine to implement Obamacare. We do not know how federal matches would be paid for and how newly eligible is defined. Meanwhile, the President has proposed $800 million to finance exchanges, money that has not been approved by Congress. With these looming uncertainties circling around this issue, Maine cannot move forward right now with Obamacare.

Perhaps what is most disturbing about this ruling, though, is that the federal mandate is considered a tax. This tax will add to the $500 billion in tax increases that are already in Obamacare. Now that Congress can use the taxation power of the federal government to compel behavior or lack thereof, what’s next? More taxes if we don’t drive Toyota Priuses or if we eat too much junk food or maybe even pea soup?

This decision has made America less free. We the people have been told there is no choice. You must buy health insurance or pay the new Gestapo – the I.R.S.Even more disheartening is that reviving the American dream just became nearly
impossible to do. We are now a nation in which supports dependency rather than independence. Instead of encouraging self-reliance we are encouraging people to rely on the government.Demanding freebies in life and living freely are two very different things. There used to be a time when we were proud to get people off government programs. Today, we are promoting entitlement programs that are breaking the bank.Success should not be measured by what we can get for free, but rather what we do and give back to society when we are independent and productive citizens. Government-run health care is not what the American dream is about.
Democrats are attacking Republicans saying that we are turning down free health care. I have always said it doesn’t matter if the money is taken from the left or right pocket, it’s still my pocket. Make no mistake about it, taxpayers will pay for this.The debt ceiling has been hiked again – now to $16.4 trillion.

How much more can we take? Because right now it’s not only our children and grandchildren who will be paying for it, it will be our unborn great grandchildren who support our lack of responsibility and accountability for this mistake.

America wasn’t born on these sorts of principles and it’s time we get back on track - not only for our future generations, but for the future of our Nation.

http://media.kjonline.com/documents/LePa....

Jefuf Chrift: the Gov of Maine called the IRS the Gestapo? I must live in Interesting Times.

Yeah, that speech was pretty much fer shiz. He was bang on.

This guy hasn't even been on my radar. Any TFers up in Maine know anything about this guy?

Quote:

Demanding freebies in life and living freely are two very different things.

Exactly!

Why do so few people get that?

This is from Wikipedia. This guy knows what it means to work. Apparently the unions don't like him because of his pro business stance. Can we get him to run for president?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_LePage

LePage was born in Lewiston, Maine, the eldest son of eighteen children of Theresa B. (née Gagnon) and Gerard A. LePage, both of whom were of French-Canadian descent.[2] He grew up speaking French in an impoverished home with an abusive father who was a mill worker.[3] His father drank heavily and terrorized the children; and his mother, though a loving parent, was too intimidated to stop him [4]. At age eleven, after his father beat him and broke his nose, he ran away from home and lived on the streets of Lewiston, seeking shelter wherever he could find it, including in horse stables and at a "strip joint".[3][4] 

After spending roughly two years homeless, he began to earn a living shining shoes, washing dishes at a café and hauling boxes for a truck driver. He later worked at a rubber company, a meat-packing plant, and was a short order cook, and bartender.[5]

LePage applied to Husson College in Bangor, but was initially rejected due to a poor verbal score on the SAT, a result of English being his second language. LePage has said that Peter Snowe – the first husband of current U.S. Senator from Maine Olympia Snowe – persuaded Husson to give LePage a written exam in French, which allowed LePage to show his comprehension and be admitted.[5][6] At Husson, LePage improved his English skills and became editor of the college newspaper.[5] He graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration in Finance and Accounting, and later earned a M.B.A. from the University of Maine.[5]

The Democrats up here are already demanding that LePage apologize for calling the IRS the Gestapo. I sincerely doubt he will. He hasn't apologized for any of his other controversial comments, so it's unlikely he'll start now.

The thing to understand about Maine is that the Democrats were in control for more than 30 years, with all the arrogance and corruption that three decades of one-party rule brings with it. Since LePage and the Republicans won both houses of the legislature and the Governor's mansion in 2010, there have been investigations, resignations, and in one case serious prison time among the formerly entitled class in Augusta.

The Dems are working furiously to regain control of at least one chamber of the legislature in November. (We elect our legislators every two years here, with a four-term limit.) Given their desperation, I expect all sorts of shenanigans at the polls, and they'll be bringing in FSA voters by the busload. But if LePage keeps calling it like it is, the GOP/Tea Party may well survive.

ETA: I should add, among LePage's biggest enemies is the GOP Establishment, who consider him something of an embarrassment. The rank and file love him.

Seriously thinking about e-mailing that to Mittens and telling him this is what his response should've been.

Well I went to the good governor's website

http://www.maine.gov/governor/lepage/cit....

and sent a thank you email to him. This guy is saying what disparately needs to be said by our elected officials and he needs to know he has support.

Landshark, we will NEVER here mittens say anything like this.

Sent him a quick note of thanks.