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Jay Finegan, 287-1445
April 9, 2009  
Bonnie Gould, 287-6557
     
Republican Legislators Push Common Sense Solutions for Maine’s Future

Raye and Tardy envision what GOP leadership would mean for Maine people

AUGUSTA– Led by Senate Republican Leader Kevin Raye (R-Perry) and House Republican Leader Josh Tardy (R-Newport), Maine’s GOP legislators assembled on the banks of the Kennebec River in downtown Augusta today to announce their vision for Maine under Republican leadership, guided by a commitment to “Common Sense Solutions for Maine’s Future.”

Speaking for Senate and House Republicans, Raye presented a series of core principles that unite Maine Republican leaders, using the acronym CREATE to describe the GOP vision of a Caring, Responsible, Efficient, Affordable, Transparent, and Effective state government.

He also addressed the disconnect evidenced in the November 2008 election when Maine voters overwhelmingly voted to repeal taxes that were a centerpiece of the Democratic agenda in the last Legislature and yet, on the same ballot, re-elected the Democratic majority with strengthened numbers.

“The result of the November election made it painfully clear that our party has not done a good job of communicating what Republican leadership would mean for Maine people – and for their children,” said Raye. “What the election told us is that the people of Maine are with us, but until we do a better job of conveying our message, they don’t even know it.

“So we’ve made a concerted effort to get out from under the dome and actively listen to the people. What we heard has clearly confirmed for us that the people of Maine are with us, but until we do a better job of conveying our message, they don’t even know it. We’re here today to mark the start of a new era. And to begin to clearly define for the people of this state what Maine Republican leadership stands for,” said Raye.

“This is about a true long term commitment to the people of Maine to offer common sense solutions that will help Maine residents reach some common goals – a strong employment base and better jobs, greater prosperity for our citizens, more affordable insurance, a sensible plan for our energy future and lower taxes,” said Rep. Tardy.

“The next two months will be packed with action on all fronts. There are hundreds of individual bills that will come before us, and we have identified 19 or 20 Republican bills that represent sound principles of responsible government. This is not a one-time shot just for this session and this is not about controlling the legislative agenda, because we don’t control the agenda. We are here today to lay out the ideas that capture our vision for Maine – now and into the future,” Tardy said.

“Our overall goal is to have a well-run state that does the essential work of government, but does it efficiently and at the least possible cost to the taxpayers. We know that we can’t tax and spend our way to prosperity,” noted Tardy, who went on to say “we are not here today with a laundry list of legislative proposals, but we do want to highlight a few of the measures that exemplify the Maine Republican commitment to common sense.” He went on to cite:

L.D. 290, a bill by Rep. Jon McKane (R-Newcastle) that would allow Maine residents to buy health insurance from outside the state.

L.D. 254, sponsored by Rep. Rich Cebra (R-Naples) that would reform Maine’s costly welfare system that currently penalizes people who leave welfare to go to work.

L.D. 1027, sponsored by Rep. Joan Nass (R-Acton) that would ensure that Maine’s young people leave high school with basic knowledge about personal finance, money management, parenting, food science, and consumer science.

L.D. 1279, sponsored by Sen. Jon Courtney (R-Sanford) that would reduce Maine’s top income tax rate from 8.5 percent to 4.5 percent and remove low-income families making less than $30,000 from the tax rolls entirely.

“If we were in the majority in the Legislature, these things would be happening. But for now, all we can do it draw a bright line between us and the other party and hope that the people of our state understand that there is a difference – a big difference,” Tardy said.

“While Democrats have held complete one-party control of the Blaine House, Senate and House of Representatives for the past six and a half years, Republicans last won complete control of state government in 1962 – when I was a year old and Rep. Tardy hadn’t even been born,” Raye noted. “It’s time we effectively convey that Republicans are the party that best represents Maine’s working men and women. Maine Republicans offer the common sense leadership that the working people of our state demand and deserve.”

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