LaMarche Wins Courier Gazette Endorsement
Maine voters certainly cannot claim this year that they have little choice for governor. There are five candidates who possess a wide range of views on how to better manage Maine's government.
Excerpt: "Take a closer look at LaMarche's positions and you might agree that she makes more sense than any of the other candidates. While Mainers would likely be served adequately with a second Baldacci administration, ... LaMarche would be the activist needed to best steer the ship of state."
The incumbent, Democratic Gov. John Baldacci, has a mixed record. His efforts to expand health care coverage for Mainers is laudable, but clearly there is a lot of work left to do on this issue.
The governor, however, has failed miserably in reforming the state's tax system that relies too heavily on the regressive property tax.
Baldacci has been a supporter of education in Maine, but simply sending millions of additional dollars to schools across the state without accountability does little for education or taxpayers.
Republican Chandler Woodcock's answer to the state's tax woes is to cut the corporate income over a number of years. To reduce spending, he calls for tightening up eligibility for people on Medicaid. In other words, cut people off from health insurance. This is the opposite direction Maine should go....
The other candidate in the race is Green Party member Pat LaMarche.
There is a tendency when people hear Green to think of political extremists who tie themselves to trees and oppose any development.
But take a closer look at LaMarche's positions and you might agree that she makes more sense than any of the other candidates.
LaMarche supports a single-payer health care system. Those who oppose a single-payer system simply are speaking the corporate insurance line. Medicare has proven to be one of the most successful health care programs in this country and it is government run. As has been stated numerous times on this opinion page, health care should be a right and not a privilege for those fortunate enough to have enough money to buy adequate coverage.
The Green Party candidate also understands that protecting Maine's natural resources is the key to the state's economic health. Maine is special because of its environment.
Her tax policies are also in line what people are saying. She points out that the property tax makes little sense because it is not based on what we can afford. She notes that a progressive income tax is the fairest system.
While Mainers would likely be served adequately with a second Baldacci administration, ... LaMarche would be the activist needed to best steer the ship of state.
