In 2006, there were 552 state employees in the executive and judicial branches making more than $100,000 in total compensation.

Since then, the number has nearly doubled, up to 1,007 in 2009.




View the rest of the highest paid state employees on MaineOpenGov.org.

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?