THE PORTLAND PHOENIX | NEWS + FEATURES | OCTOBER 22, 2010 11
Would-be governors THEIR IDEAS FOR CHANGING MAINE, FROM A PROGRESSIVE PERSPECTIVE _BY L AN C E TAP L E Y
ELIOT CUTLER
PAUL LEPAGE
ELIZABETH MITCHELL
SHAWN MOODY
VERY GOOD Lower busi-
VERY BAD Who wants
GOOD School food
to invest in Maine with his environmental, education, and energy policies? And massive cuts to state services?
GOOD Expand the Seed Capital Investment Tax Credit. Support start-ups.
FEW SPECIFIC IDEAS
ness costs by reducing electric bills with public power. Lower healthcare costs with state -aided insurance rewarding healthy behaviors.
Focus on small business, agriculture, forestry, fishing. But how? Accelerate equipment depreciation.
provided by local organic farmers. Loan fund finances new farms. Even partial success would be a feat.
GOOD Merge university
VERY BAD Reduce top
GOOD Renegotiate state’s
8.5% income tax to 5%. Reduce many other taxes. State could lose up to $1 billion in revenue over two years, according to tax bureau.
wholesale liquor-sales lease.
VERY BAD Reduce top 8.5% income tax to 6-6.5%. State loses hundreds of millions in revenue. Hasn’t calculated how much.
DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS
and community-college systems.
Independent
JOBS
TAXES/ SPENDING
GOOD No promises to special interests.
Republican
Democrat
GOOD 25% of school, prison food from local farmers.
BAD Lower income-tax rates, especially for top earners.
Independent
KEVIN SCOTT Independent
Voluntary 32-hour state-worker week. But how many would choose it?
GOOD Zero-based budgeting.
GOOD Longer school year. DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS
EDUCATION
Charter schools. Could help some kids but damage public schools.
GOOD Zero-based
BAD Shaky plans for
budgeting.
funding some proposals.
DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS
GOOD Expand pre-
DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS
BAD School vouchers.
Connect teacher pay to student performance. But could be heavyhanded.
kindergarten services for kids.
Merit pay for teachers. But how?
Destroy public schools.
DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS GOOD State grants pay
Charter schools. Could help some kids but damage public schools.
first-year college tuition.
BAD School vouchers. Destroy public schools.
GOOD Public power emphasizing green power.
ENERGY/ ENVIRONMENT
GOOD No nuclear power,
BAD Minimize environ-
GOOD $100 million for
mental reviews.
Land for Maine’s Future.
GOOD No nuclear power or offshore drilling.
BAD Support nuclear
GOOD No nuclear power,
FEW SPECIFIC IDEAS
power.
offshore drilling.
Promote hydro, wind, biomass, tidal, etc. But how?
offshore drilling.
GOOD Weatherize schools.
DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS Withdraw Maine from Northeast electricity grid for lower rates. Big pros and big cons.
BAD Eliminate citizen GOOD Expand natural-
boards for DEP and LURC.
HEALTH/ WELFARE/ SOCIAL ISSUES
gas lines.
GOOD Health-insurance public options.
GOOD Welfare recipients
GOOD Pro-choice. Pro-gay
keep more job earnings.
marriage.
GOOD Pro-choice. Pro-gay marriage.
GOOD Pro-choice. Pro-gay marriage.
GOOD Divisive issues go
GOOD No casinos.
DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS
GOOD No casinos.
BAD Pro-life. Anti-gay
to referendum.
State pays its bills to hospitals. No money source given.
VERY BAD Drug screening for welfare and Medicaid recipients. Is this Maine?
BAD Anti-gay marriage. BAD Supports casinos.
marriage.
BAD Reinstate the death penalty.
GOVERNMENT REFORM
DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS
GOOD Government
GOOD Officials required to
FEW SPECIFIC IDEAS
Reorganize, review agencies. Depends on management skills.
proceedings on TV.
file financial disclosures.
Incentivize state workers to find savings.
GOOD State spending
BAD Merge State Plan-
database online.
ning Office and economic development efforts. Planning should not just serve business.
GOOD Freedom-of-information law strengthened.
NO IDEAS Period.