The April 9 Press Herald ran a story about the crisis level vacancies in our K-12 system. Knowing full well the extent of the teacher shortage, Pretendocrats on the Appropriations Committee recommended a tax increase (aimed directly and solely) at Maine’s retired educators.

What do Maine’s Pretendocrats want to do with the extra taxes squeezed from educators’ already skimpy pensions? Help schools? Nope. Help school kids? No. Fund anything that helps our youth or schools? That’s a hard no. The new dollars they’d get from the increased taxes on educator pensions would go into the General Fund! Where it could be used for whatever.

Meanwhile the state’s Rainy Day Fund runneth over. In fact it’s reached its statutory maximum so last year’s surplus couldn’t even be deposited, it had to be immediately spent.

Once again, Maine Pretendocrats screw the base. The party that claims to support better public education is instead working late into the night (actually until 4 a.m.) to further disadvantage our retired educators.

If Maine’s Pretendocrats didn’t have such a pathetic record of support for educators and education, I’d be surprised by this proposed legislation. But I’m not the least bit taken aback because I’ve watched the Mills’ administration reject every economic principle once held as a core Democratic value.

I am done with Maine’s Predendocrats. I won’t be giving another dime, knocking on another door, making more phone calls or sending more post cards.

Democrats must either legislate like Democrats or run as the closeted Rethuglicans they are.

Susan F. Feiner
Yarmouth

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