Imagine that you work for a company that has several hundred or more employees. You may be married, have children, a mortgage, car payments, the usual utility bills, taxes and a multitude of the usual expenses that go along with life in the 21st century.

Or imagine that you are single, working for that mythical company, and still have to support yourself with many of the aforementioned costs of living. And you live in a state where accessing employment is difficult at best – especially if you are hoping to re-enter your former occupation.

But you don’t have to imagine this scenario, because it’s real. How many families are now experiencing extreme anxiety, waiting for the wrecking ball to drop? It is unconscionable for Gov. LePage to have announced that unnamed southern Maine companies are planning mass layoffs, while saying that he can’t reveal more information because he has been sworn to secrecy.

Many lives – beyond those of the 1,200 to 1,500 people who LePage now says could lose their jobs – have been affected by this information. The waiting must be excruciating as people try to work out a Plan B. Far better to have kept this “secret” to himself and waited until the companies make their announcements.

The layoff process might include anything from a golden umbrella to a pink slip saying “Don’t return to work on Monday.” My imagination stops at figuring out the motivation for this action by LePage. But then, this isn’t the first time I’ve been perplexed by actions coming from Augusta. I find it a form of torture.

Rachel Schwartz

South Portland

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