Radio Address: Elected officials must listen to Mainers, not job-killing special interests

March 8, 2016

(MP3 Audio)

This past weekend thousands of Mainers turned out to vote in caucuses in record numbers.

Hello, this is Governor Paul LePage.

When citizens vote for a candidate of their choosing, they are participating in the purest form of democracy. However, too many candidates forget their campaign promises once they get into office.

In the 1800s, Alexis de Tocqueville said, ?The health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens.?

He also said, ?The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.?

That?s why I have been holding town halls all across the state. It?s very important Mainers understand what?s going on in Augusta. You won?t get the real story from the media, and politicians only tell you what you want to hear.

Politicians say a strong private sector is incredibly important for our economy and for improving the lives of Maine people. But the average person does not realize how much influence special interests and lobbyists have on their elected officials.

For example, Aroostook County had a rare opportunity to mine for gold and other minerals. This would generate millions of dollars in revenue and create hundreds of good-paying jobs in Northern Maine.

For three years, however, the Natural Resources Council of Maine and other special interest groups have blocked this opportunity. These groups control how legislators vote, including many from Southern Maine.

It?s shameful that legislators from Southern Maine would work against good-paying jobs that are badly needed in Northern Maine.

The Department of Environmental Protection has worked diligently to ensure the rules for mining minerals were carefully considered. Unfortunately, environmental lobbying groups like the Natural Resources Council of Maine used their power and money to persuade politicians to block all mining and kill good jobs for the Maine people.

During the Baldacci Administration, Mainers were led to believe wind turbines would generate jobs and lower electricity rates. But the construction jobs were only short-term. Even worse, our energy prices have not been reduced from the wind industry.

As companies are struggling with high energy prices and laying off Mainers, the Natural Resources Council of Maine is blocking the use of clean and affordable hydropower.

NRCM instructs legislators to promote more expensive wind and solar power at the cost of good jobs for Mainers.
Special interest groups like NRCM do not consider what is in the best interest of all Mainers. They manipulate legislators into enforcing their ideology and spending taxpayer dollars in ways that defies economic sense. Their agenda kills good jobs and makes it harder for businesses to succeed in Maine.

Legislators need to listen to the people who elected them, not the lobbyists and special interests who buy their influence in the halls of the State House. The livelihoods of the Maine people depend on it.

Thank you for listening.