The Maine Teachers Union met Tuesday night with more than 200 teachers and several members of the Maine Legislature at the Augusta Civic Center to discuss their options to deal with a $34 million decrease in state aid to schools.

They could start by not holding expensive meetings to talk about it, or running ad campaings designed to scare you into submission.

Not surprisingly, their well thought-out answer was to call on the Maine Legislature to raise your taxes.

Interestingly, the three teachers quoted in the article were all music teachers...Some highlights from their interviews, accompanied by their 2009 salaries, exclusive of benefits. *source, MaineOpenGov.org:

"Without increased revenue, we will be forced to make drastic cuts," Patti English, a Winthrop music teacher - 2009 Salary, exclusive of benefits: $51,816

"The cuts to funding of education will send the state backwards," said Larry Morrissette, a Maranacook High School music teacher - 2009 Salary, exclusive of benefits: $54,532


I'll let you decide what's motivating these desperate pleas to raise your taxes...

Find all school employee salaries and school spending information on MaineOpenGov.org.
 

Again we find Maine leading the way in the wrong direction.

In a story that is making national headlines, Maine state rep. Andrea Boland, a Democrat from Sanford, wants to force cell phone manufacturers to include warnings on all devices and packaging that state that cell phones carry a risk of causing cancer (although, much like global warming, no scientific evidence exists to verify that "fact").

Boland has convinced the appropriate people in the state house to let her bill come through in the 2010 session that is normally reserved for "emergency" and "governors" bills only.

Nowhere in the country is this required, and only the extremely liberal San Fransisco is trying to push through a similar requirement.

Interestingly enough, Boland is listed as a "Independent Nutriceutical Distributor" (nutriceuticals is the practice of adding "vitatmins" to regular food and then claiming them to be more "healthy") an industry that is known for its extreme lack of regulations...

These salespeople, of which Boland is one, also claim their "nutriceuticals" help prevent cancer, another unproven claim that at least one doctor says is rubbish. 

Two quick thoughts about Obama's directive to make government more accountable.

First, he asked this directive (11 pages total) to be drafted on January 21st, 2009. It's now December 8, 2009, almost a full year later.

Second, one of the very first items on the directive is the date, which reads "December 8, 2008". Ummm...isn't it 2009?

Government...they can't get the date right, can we expect them to offer true transparency?

They are at it again.

Our friends at the Maine Arts Commission are looking for artists to complete three art projects, one at the new Brewer Elementary/Middle School (a brand new school needs brand new art projects already?) one at  Aubert Hall at the University of Maine in Orono, and a third one at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.

These three projects will cost taxpayers a total of $122,000 at a time when the state is facing about a $380 million shortfall.

We've highlighted some of the state's expensive "art" projects before, including a feature in the 2009 Maine Piglet Book of the out-of-state artist's dog paintings that reside in some choice rest-stops along I-95.

As the article mentions, Maine law designates one percent of consturction funds as "art funds," but this writer, for one, thinks there should be a "no new spending" provision on that law during budget shortfalls like the one the state is currently facing.

When you are facing a budget crunch in your household, do you immediately run out and buy "Mona Lisa" for the living room? I don't think so...

In a refreshing bit of news out of Augusta this morning, a deputy commissioner for the Maine Department of Transportation stated the need to "prioritize like we never have before" when it comes to spending.

Why does government wait for tough times to prioritize how they spend taxpayer dollars?