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A Bright Line Distinction

Dear Editor,

I was disappointed by your editorial of April 11, entitled “Budget Timeline.” The writer mistakenly assumes that legislative Republicans will oppose passage of a state budget because we support such things as lower health insurance costs and common sense reform of Maine’s welfare system. These are completely unrelated issues and seem deliberately juxtaposed to cast Republicans in a bad light. Let me try to set the record straight.

At a press conference on April 9, I outlined a handful of bills that differentiate Republicans from Democrats. They include a bill to allow Maine residents to purchase health insurance from companies operating in other states, where rates are much more affordable. Another bill would require state employees, including legislators, to pay 15 percent of their health insurance costs. A third bill would overhaul the state welfare system to ease the transition from welfare to work.

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

The editorial misconstrued those comments as follows: “Drawing ‘bright lines,’ as Rep. Tardy said, between Republicans and Democrats isn’t entirely helpful when lawmakers, no matter their party affiliation, must work together to complete a budget.”

We will work with Democrats to make sure the state has a responsible budget. But we reserve the right to draw a “bright line” between the two parties on issues where we disagree. I hope your editorial writers can appreciate the distinction.