I’m sad that the Maine Senate failed to override Mr. LePage’s veto of a bill which would have, at a cost of $1 million, given Mainers who installed solar panels a bit of a rebate, and paid for low income Mainers’ high-efficiency heat pumps. Besides the obvious benefits of lower costs, cleaner energy, and warmer homes, the program was projected to generate $10 million. And did I mention clean energy?

Sens. Edward Youngblood, R-Brewer and Doug Thomas, R-Ripley, would have us believe they were drawing the line on higher taxes which would come “out of the pockets of the aged, the poor.” Such concern. For sixty cents. Per household. Per year.

No mention of the $750,000 worth of high-efficiency heat pumps for low-income families the bill would have provided. –

I’m also sad that the senate failed to override the bill to cancel the contract of Coordinated Transportation Solution; the out-of-state company with the $28 million dollar plus contract to provide rides for MaineCare clients. I fail to comprehend how any senator, if he is truly concerned about the increasing financial burdens on their constituents, could support a company whose abysmal service has left thousands of Mainers without rides and undermined local businesses.

CTS’s performance – or lack of it – has heaped hardship on the poorest Mainers. But instead of taking Coordinated Transportation Solutions to task, the Maine Senate’s failure to override allows this contract to keep right on running, and what about that extra $1.2 million CTS collected in February; in addition to their usual monthly $2.1 million?

Sixty cents is outrageous? Did you ever hear about penny-wise and pound-foolish?

Pauline Hunneman

Freeport

 


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