Matt Wickenheiser of the Portland Press Herald asked gubernatorial candidates for their thoughts on Baldacci’s budget proposal. See the full story.
Peter’s response:
This administration fails to measure the effectiveness of public programs. Without transparent systems by which to hold agencies accountable for results, the governor has resorted to cutting budgets across the board, the good performers along with the bad.
This budget is based on the assumption that Maine can just buckle down for a while until the storm is over — borrow a little here, add some furlough days there, push payments into the next accounting period, and wait for taxes to rebound in 2011 in hopes that all will be well again.
During the recession of 1991-93, a Republican governor and his legislative followers repaired the workers’ comp system and overhauled public pensions, reforms that were long overdue.
We see no major reforms of this sort in budgets proposed by the current governor and the Democratic majority.
As a result, Maine people lack confidence that their tax dollars are being effectively spent.
That is exactly correct. There are programs out there that will be cut that will put a major burden on the towns of our State. Also programs that will put children at risk and probably/possibly start filling our jails a lot faster than we can handle. It is a dangerous situation not to be taken lightly.