Republican radio address: Our Philosophy

For the weekend of November 20-21, 2010

Greetings, this is Bob Nutting, state representative from Oakland and the Republican nominee to be Speaker of the House. Formal election of the Senate President and House Speaker will take place on December 1st after the new Legislature is sworn in. But events are already moving quickly in Augusta as we plan for the new session. The transition from Democratic control of the Legislature to Republican control represents a dramatic change in state government. It means Mainers will see a new philosophy of governing – a pro-growth and pro-freedom approach to get Maine’s economy moving again.

When you look across the extensive range of state programs and services, from mental health facilities to the university system to state prisons, state parks and state courts, one fact is inescapable. None of these things are possible without tax revenues flowing into the state treasury. And the only thing that can generate those tax revenues is a dynamic economy that produces good private sector jobs.

Unlike the federal government, Maine cannot print money. It is only through the taxes paid by the working people of our state that we can provide the services that benefit our citizens. So whether your prime concern is social services or the environment or schools, the economy matters. In fact, a stronger economy is the only solution for the many problems we face. As President Kennedy once said, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” A greater prosperity in our state will benefit everyone.

The Speaker of the House acts as a policy-maker and spokesperson for the principles of their party. Here are three important principles that define the Republican philosophy. First, we believe that a small and efficient government is the best government. Maine government has tried to be all things to all people, and it’s not working – we have run out of money to maintain the status quo. The question is not whether we want to reduce the size and scope of government. The only choice is to right-size government to fit with the available tax revenues to support it. We’re not going to raise taxes, because that would be counterproductive in our fragile economic recovery. It was Democrat Thomas Jefferson who said, “That government is best which governs least.” Those words sum up our philosophy.

Second, we believe that working people deserve to keep more of their hard-earned money. Maine’s high levels of taxation seize money from the folks who earn it and transfer it to other folks. Some of that is necessary, obviously, to care for the truly needy, but we have gone overboard.

And third, we believe that we must stop regulating private businesses to the extremes. We have created one of the most hostile regulatory environments in the nation, where regulators seem to prefer punishing companies instead of working out problems in a mutually beneficial fashion. That is no longer acceptable. Clearly, some regulation of industry is required, but we have created a job-killing regulatory jungle that scares off entrepreneurs and businesses looking to expand. We should be doing everything possible to encourage business investment in our state, because that creates jobs.

The new Republican majority in the House and Senate is under no illusions. We know that all Mainers have not suddenly fallen in love with the Republican Party. We realize the voters are giving us a test run to see if our ideas can bring Maine back from its economic slump. Our unemployment problem is serious. Too many of our kids have to leave here to find work. The cost of health insurance has become a backbreaker for employers and families. According to Forbes magazine, we have the worst business climate in the country. Government cannot create jobs, but it can establish the conditions that allow entrepreneurs and small companies to create them. So our emphasis will be on preserving the jobs we already have, in large businesses and small ones, and valuing company builders who want to set up shop in Maine.

Governor-elect LePage set a positive tone this week when he introduced the members of his budget task force. He put together a talented team of 10 volunteers to get a new spending plan ready by mid-January. The group includes Democrats as well as Republicans, because he wanted to bring together the best people he could find, regardless of party label. That’s a good example of the Republican leadership we plan to provide over the next two years. We are all in this together, and together we will begin building a more prosperous future.

This is Bob Nutting. Thank you for listening.

###