Maine Legislature

House Democratic Office

www.housedemocrats.maine.gov

July 15, 2011

Cain says real Maine people need real solutions

Good morning, I’m Rep. Emily Cain of Orono, the House Democratic leader. 

The beautiful Maine summer is now in full swing, but Democrats in Augusta have not stopped working for you.  We are in our districts meeting with Maine people everywhere from the grocery and hardware stores to the local fairs that are part of Maine’s summer tradition.  

This week Democrats launched a series of statewide meetings to help bring your voice back to Augusta in January.

In November, Maine people gave us a mandate to create jobs and to improve our economy.  Democrats listened and we fought day in and day out for real Maine people – working families and small businesses.

For the first time in decades Republicans were in charge. Instead of putting that mandate into action, they pushed an extreme agenda on behalf of the chemical industry, big insurance, the conservative right, and campaign donors from away.

Bill after bill we saw solutions in search of a problem -- from efforts to undermine the rights of working people to allowing toxic chemicals in sippy cups.

Where was the focus on helping real Maine people? Where was the focus on jobs?

Rolling back voting rights will NOT create jobs.

Rolling back environmental protections will NOT create jobs

Rolling back health insurance laws and adding a new tax to everyone’s insurance policy will NOT create jobs.

We go back to our districts empty handed with no jobs package for the voters.

Republicans refused to consider a bond proposal – a proven job creator.  Bonds improve our roads, ports, and bridges and invest in our communities.

Republicans left jobs on the table.

They held economic stimulus hostage.

We know real Maine people expect better.

After months of Republican rule in Augusta -- retirees will have to live on less, rural Mainers will pay more for health care, service centers will have to slash school budgets, and Roads and bridges will take longer to fix.

Week after week, hundreds of Mainers packed the State House to protest these attacks on our values. Democrats stood on their side.

The differences between Democrats and Republicans were stark. 

Republicans in the legislature backed the governor and his extreme policies time after time.

They voted against protecting our children from bullies in schools. 

They voted to roll back child labor protections and to put Canadian workers to work in the Maine woods before Maine loggers.

They voted to limit access to family planning for women.

They voted against raising the minimum wage by quarter on the very same day they voted for an estate tax giveaway to 550 of our wealthiest residents.

These are not real solutions for real Maine people.

We are in the minority in Augusta. We can't stop the extremism, favoritism, and damaging proposals that work against Maine people’s interests without you.

We are coming to you this summer to listen, to learn and to develop a strategy together in hopes that you will come back with us to Augusta in January. 

If you're a family business struggling to turn a profit - we want to talk to you.

If you’re a senior choosing between paying for heat or medicine – we want to talk to you.

If you’re a college student trying to figure out how to pay for your classes – we want to talk to you.

If you're a working family struggling to make the monthly bills - we want to talk to you.

Together, we can tell Governor LePage and the Republican majority in Augusta in a united voice that it is time to get to work on a plan to make Maine strong.

We want to work to address the real problems of real Maine people.

Thank you for listening. I’m Rep. Emily Cain of Orono, the House Democratic leader. Have a great weekend.