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December 31, 2008

"WELCOME" and "THANK YOU" LEGISLATORS

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009 - First Legislative Session in 2009

Gather at 10 AM at the State House Welcome Center for a Briefing with an Action to Follow on the Third Floor.

The Maine Can Do Better Coalition and our Allies are very excited to invite you to a different kind of event.

We know that this year will be a challenge for all of us.  We are hopeful that all working together, with a positive outlook we can make the best of a bad economic situation.

With that in mind, we are very grateful to all of Maine legislators for their willingness to serve and for their commitment to doing their best for the people of Maine.

We want to start the session saying "THANK YOU" and "WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER".  We intend to line the halls of both the House and Senate so that when they exit their first session we will be there to literally cheer them on, clap for them, thank them, and commit ourselves to working with them for the best outcome for the people of Maine.

Please join us in this expression of gratitude and optimism for their dedication, and our collective intention that this be a positive and productive session.

PLEASE RSVP to info@mainecandobetter.org to let us know you  are coming and how many you're bringing with you.

NOTE TO ORGANIZATION LEADERS: Please also RSVP your availability at 1pm on January 7 to join a presentation and discussion on a package of budget solutions that all of us -- the Maine Can Do Better Coalition -- can stand behind. 

 

Because of you, MaineCanDoBetter.org made a big difference in how the 2008 state budget shortfall was finally resolved.  You signed the petition (over 4,000 of you), made phonecalls (over 1,100 calls to legislators were logged), sent emails (over 6,000), and showed up at the largest rally the State House has seen in more than 40 years (more than 1,000 of you)! This was an amazing response over just a few short weeks.

As a direct result of the strong case you all made, lawmakers restored some of the bad budget cuts originally proposed.

This is a tremendous relief for the thousands who were at risk of losing vital health care, public health, public safety and education services.  By maintaining these public investments, lawmakers wisely chose to protect Maine people and avoid further weakening of Maine’s community fabric.  These restorations will save money and lives, and every Maine citizen and business will benefit as a result.

Unfortunately, this budget also significantly damages essential programs that enable many Maine people to thrive (e.g., people with chronic mental illness, people with developmental disabilities and the workers who serve them). With a $34 million cut in k-12 education funding, this budget also shortsightedly shifts costs to other payers, without regard to impacts on local schools and communities.

Because the Governor and Legislature chose to rely solely on cutting programs rather than adopting a balanced approach that also included strategic new revenue sources and use of the Budget Stabilization Fund (savings which were deliberately set aside for this purpose), lawmakers put people, local governments, and our economy at increased risk.

Clearly, our work is far from finished.  The devastation from such “unbalanced” budgeting simply can’t happen again. State level budget problems, experienced across the country, are far from over.  We will continue to feel the effects from federal policies that have let us down by failing to invest in a stronger domestic economy.  Future budget shortfalls must be dealt with in a balanced way, and MaineCanDoBetter.org will need your help to make sure that happens.

You’ll hear more from us in the coming weeks and months, but here are three things you can do right now:

  • Give yourself a hearty pat on the back for participating and making a difference!
  • Document the effects of the budget cuts and the budget restorations, both individuallyand in your community.  Click here to tell us what you learn.
  • Be ready to take action again soon. What you did made a tremendous difference and we will need to do that, and more, as Maine continues to grapple with this economic downturn.

How Maine lawmakers respond to future budget shortfalls willimpact Maine people and Maine’s economic infrastructure for years to come.  Thank you again for your commitment to maintaining the public investments that keep Maine vibrant and the fabric of our community strong. 

Chart illustrating how maintaining public investments ultimately yields lower costs to taxpayers

 



Maine Can Do Better
565 Congress St., Suite 200
Portland, Maine 04101
phone: 207 797-9207
email: info@mainecandobetter.org
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