
Here’s Why So Many Maine Residents Are Livid With Janet Mills
Admittedly, I am a fairly conservative guy, however, whether there is a D or an R next to a politician's name doesn't matter to me. What I care about most is having those in office who best represents my beliefs and policy preferences.
And, I would argue, that most people in Maine and beyond feel the same way. To me, regardless of the 'party in power', I know that being politics is difficult and oftentimes thankless.
What about Maine Governor Mills?
The same goes for our Governor here in Maine. Sure, maybe I didn't vote for Mills, but that doesn't mean that I don't sympathize with how difficult the job of running a whole-ass state is. Sorry for saying ass.
READ MORE: Here's why Janet Mills won't benefit from the Governors' pay raise
One of the things that always pisses people off regardless of political preference, is the state's budget. Whether it's new spending, new spending cuts, or an increase in taxes, there is always a group that is unhappy.
And alas, it has happened again, but I get it. According to an article published by the Kennebec Journal, Governor Janet Mills released her budget proposal for Maine over the next two years.
Why are so many people ticked off with the budget proposal?
Mills unveiled a two-year state budget proposal Friday that increases the tax cigarettes while maintaining the state’s free community college program and other administration priorities. Now of course there are many other intricacies and programs included in the newly proposed budget, however, the concern we have heard the most about is the increase in the cigarette sales tax.
READ MORE: Why is this Maine man singing to Janet Mills every day?
The increase on cigarette tax would take the state tax from $2 a pack to $3 a pack. It is speculated that this increase would generate an additional $80 million in revenue for Maine over the next two years.
What did the Governor have to say about her plan?
Governor Mills said in part about her proposed budget,
“With this proposal, we have taken a balanced approach — one that includes investments to maintain core programs, like education funding and health care; that raises revenues in a targeted way to benefit public health; and that makes difficult programmatic changes to save money,”
Did Maine republicans respond?
Maine House Minority Leader, Billy Bob Faulkingham (R) said in part,
“Maine is already one of the highest taxed states in the country, so we don’t see a need to increase any tax,”
Again, there is too much in the proposed budget to cover here. Some of those things include changes to SNAP eligibility, affordable housing, education and more. We would encourage you to thoroughly read through the proposal to get a better idea for yourself.
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Gallery Credit: Lizzy Snyder
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Gallery Credit: Lizzy Snyder
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