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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.
 

The 2009 Maine Piglet Book hit with a bang last Thursday. The Bangor Daily News story ran above the fold and the KJ and Portland Press Herald stories were featured along with the Morning Sentinal piece, while the books release was also featured on several local TV news broadcasts, including My Fox Maine and WGME-Portland (below) and WABI-Bangor (CBS).





Opponents of the Yes on 4 (TABOR) campaign have tried to discredit the book, and defend government spending. They say the $102,000 for 3 dog paintings in a Kennebunk rest stop are "privately funded" - but what they are not saying is that "privately funded" to them means toll money gathered from commuters.

The spokesperson for the opponents of the piglet book is Crystal Canney, who is also the communications director for the anti-TABOR group "Citizens for Maine's Future", who do not want government spending limited. Interestingly enough, it's easy to see why Canney is so opposed to controlling government spending. Canney has been paid, and paid well, by tax dollars in the past few years while working for the Baldacci administration, as you can see from this data found on MaineOpenGov.org:


Yes on 4 (TABOR) supporters point to the Piglet Book as a great example of why TABOR is needed in Maine more than ever - to reign in wasteful government spending. 

Today The Maine Heritage Policy Center and Citizens Against Government Waste released the 2009 Maine Piglet Book, which details at least $2 billion in Maine government waste.

Some of the highlights (or lowlights) in the book:

$82,533 for bottled water in 2008.
$20,000 to produce "My Fair Lady" in an Ogunquit playhouse.
$155,000,000 on the failed government-run Dirigo health program.

I'll blog about the reaction to the 2009 Piglet Book in the next couple days.