Issue Position: Budget

Issue Position

Creating a responsible and sustainable budget:

Legislators, on both sides of the aisle, must agree on a tax code that sustains growth and ends the burden on our "Middle Class'.

Since Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger assumed office in California in 2003, his state has been widely associated with out of control debt. However, recently, the election of Governor Jerry Brown and the implementation of a Democratic tax policy has resulted in an estimated $1.2 billion surplus. Governor Brown and the California legislature do not have "magic wands'. Instead, they used a common sense policy of raising taxes on the wealthy and rolling back on its least vital programing. Most importantly, they have decided to not use this surplus as a means of granting a plethora of tax breaks and incentives to corporations or as an excuse to begin wild spending. They have created a contingency fund and have strengthened programs that grow our "Middle Class'. California sets an example that Maine can adopt in order to capture a sustainable, long-term budget.

It is an example that Governor LePage did not follow. Instead, during tough economic times, his administration made $150 million tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefited those making $350,000 or more. The average median household earns $46,000 in Maine. As a result, the LePage economy has hurt our "Middle Class' during a most vulnerable time.

Instead, we must grow and strengthen our "Middle Class' by ending these tax cuts for the most wealthy citizens. This will allow us to sustain a productive and healthy workforce for corporations and businesses across the state -- especially right here in Biddeford.

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