 The Legislature failed to address the everyday concerns of Mainers
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The majority of our citizens are struggling to pay bills and afford to live in Maine.
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This is House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham with this weeks? Republican Radio Address.?
Republicans went into this past legislative session trying to lower taxes and lower energy costs.
We have repeatedly pointed out that the average Maine family has $7,500 less to spend than last year.
At a time when most of us are doing more with less, state government is growing rapidly.
State government is growing bigger by taking money away from people who need it most.
With record tax receipts, Democrats should have:
- Lowered taxes to let people keep more of their hard-earned money.
- Lowered energy costs by eliminating kickbacks to solar companies that create artificially high electric bills.
Since December, the taxpayer-funded surplus is roughly $340M. If you go back further that amount balloons to over $1 billion in over-collected tax revenues.
Total undedicated revenue for the biennium is $10.6 billion, the Supplemental spends about $10.5 billion.
Even when Republicans and Democrats agreed on the need to provide storm relief, Democrats refused to pay for it out of the surplus.
They used budget gimmicks in order to spend as much taxpayer money as possible.
Housing for illegal migrants is prioritized over nursing and veterans homes and Maine citizens.?
Tens of millions of dollars are being spend on housing without fixing the problem for Maine citizens and the young people who want to stay here.
Even with record tax revenues, Democrats attempted to take money away from retirees and our roads and bridges.
At 3 AM on a Saturday morning, Democrats attempted to raise taxes on retirees by rolling back planned reductions proposed by Republicans and supported by Democrats last year.
Democrats voted to take $60 million away from roads and bridges to fund new programs.
They slashed funding for State Police needed in rural areas.
Public outrage in the light of day caused them to reverse most of the cuts in their final budget.
When they were caught, they tried to play hero.
That is like an arsonist showing up to help put out a fire!
Although most of the raid on the transportation budget was reversed, $11 million is still being diverted from needed transportation projects in order to feed their spending addiction.
People are starting to realize that Maine is not California. There is a growing divide between people that can afford to pay 20% more to live in Maine and families that struggle to pay bills.?
I was proud of the House Republicans.
- We fought to fund your roads
- We fought to keep people?s pensions.
- We fought to give you back more of your money.
- We fought to lower electric bills, and
- We fought to protect your civil liberties.
Although a lot of bad things passed and there was a lot of crazy spending, I think the people of Maine were watching.
I think that people are realizing what is happening to our great state, and will act before the Maine we love is gone forever.
Maine people deserve better from their government!
This has been House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham with this weeks Republican Radio Address.
I?d like to thank you for listening, subscribing, sharing and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham
is serving his third term representing House District 12, which includes the towns of Franklin, Gouldsboro, Hancock, Steuben, Sorrento, Sullivan, and Winter Harbor. Prior to his election as Leader, Rep. Faulkingham served on the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources.
Rep. Faulkingham attended Southern Maine Technical College before serving three years as Lance Corporal Infantry Rifleman in the United States Marine Corps. Since he was a teenager, Billy Bob has been a commercial lobster fisherman in his hometown of Winter Harbor. That has been his occupation since his time in the Marines.
Billy Bob also serves his community as a member of the Winter Harbor Masonic Lodge and the Knights of Pythias Schoodic Lodge. He is very active in the protection of Maine?s heritage lobster fishing industry, and is a member of the Lobster Union Local 207, the Maine Lobsterman?s Association, and Downeast Lobsterman?s Association.
Billy Bob and his wife, Carrie, have three children; Robin, Carter, and Harper. Spending time doing anything with his family is his greatest joy in life.
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