Maine Labor Commissioner Jeanne S. Paquette writes that the “Le-Page administration believes the best way out of poverty is a job” (Maine Voices, Oct. 20).
This is neither a novel nor a controversial idea.
She then proceeds to outline the steps being taken to find, train and place eligible people who live in poverty. Funding comes from a policy that has disqualified large numbers of people on welfare.
How politically timely that we learned just before the election what an effective job Gov. LePage has been doing. However, what’s described by Paquette has been in place for decades, and it’s called “vocational rehabilitation.” It has always been effective up to its annual budget and staffing limitations.
The governor has not created a new poverty-to-work plan. He’s simply claimed authorship for the creations of others and financed it clumsily and in a way that’s been hurtful to many people.
Paquette has not given us an honest, big-picture view with her assertions.
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