Too many Mainers are dependent on government handouts. Government dependency has not - and never will - create prosperity.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Maine's welfare program is cannibalizing the rest of state government. To all you able-bodied people out there: Get off the couch and get yourself a job.
I think Maine needs people. It needs diversity. It needs to be able to respect people. Openness is crucial for this state because we don't want to be known for having the oldest state in the nation. We want young families.
Many small towns I know in Maine are as tight-knit and interdependent as those I associate with rural communities in India or China; with deep roots and old loyalties, skeptical of authority, they are proud and inflexibly territorial.
I support exemptions from the estate tax to ensure that when Maine farm owners die, their families will be able to continue to farm the land that they have protected and lived on, often for generations.
Our goal is to make Maine the healthiest state in the nation and reduce our overall health care costs.
The people of Maine were tired of being in debt and tired of being overtaxed.
Maine people have a live-and-let-live philosophy, and tend to be fair and open-minded.
Access to quality, affordable health care is particularly important here in Maine, where many of us own small businesses or are self-employed.
And my response is 70,000 people in the state of Maine that paid income tax in 2011 will not be paying income tax in 2012.
In Maine, we are fortunate to have a Clean Elections system that allows legislators to turn down corporate special interest money. At the national level, Congress should follow Maine's example by empowering the voices of small donors.