Just what I thought – Our steamed governor

There was the great ad from California, touting all the wonderful stuff you can see there. And an ad from Louisiana promoting all it has to offer even after all the tragedy there. And there are ads from other places proud of their state’s uniqueness and sights. Then there’s Maine. Tourist destination, place where people scrimp and save all year just to come here for a week and do one of a thousand things we have to offer. Not according to our governor.

According to his usual lack of tact, Maine is a welfare state comprised of slackers, lazy people and welfare cheats. The schools suck. Students from Maine are looked down upon. The roads are terrible, unions and teachers are responsible for all our financial troubles, state employees are corrupt, kids should not go to college and so on. If you’re a business or individual looking to relocate to Maine, would you do so after reading this or seeing this anti Maine crap on TV?

The governor’s spokesperson, Adrianne Bennett, can put a positive spin on each utterance our governor makes – and with her degree in communication, she has made it an art. I’m surprised she doesn’t bite her tongue each time she has to defend one of his remarks, but I know most Mainers cringe. Let’s examine his comments and her twist on them.

Firstly, his comment about Maine being mostly a welfare state with lazy people just milking the system. I don’t recall Ms. Bennett’s spin on his comment but it could have gone something like this: “He means only all those people on welfare, especially who sit on couches all day.” Gov. LePage’s comment about how bad Maine roads are could have been responded to by Adrianne by saying: “The Democrats spent all the money on welfare.”

The schools suck and students from Maine are looked down upon elsewhere. Bennett’s spin: “It’s because people elsewhere are taller than Maine students.” The governor thinks teachers are so busy joining “organizations” they have no time to actually teach children and kids in Maine don’t need college. Perhaps Ms Bennett might have addressed the media saying: “Only elitists go to college, except me, and all students are very eager to learn and participate. It’s just that teaches don’t know how to teach them.” Our governor thinks all unions are bad. The official spin: “The governor supports unions as long as they are a man and a woman.”

In one heated moment in Newport, the Gov. said: …”Middle managers are about as corrupt as can.” Bennett on the governor’s comment: “He didn’t mean himself, his family or me.” I’ll have to write down what she actually says from now I guess so I’ll remember.

So, instead of touting all that’s good about Maine, LePage seems to be intent upon bad mouthing it and in turn, most of us Mainers. His core supporters stand by him and his rude comments saying things like he’s refreshing and truthful. Really? They actually say that with a straight face?

The “Open For Business” sign erected in Southern Maine is sure to attract businesses and visitors if they don’t mind coming to this corrupt, welfare, lousy school state that is. Perhaps the crew hired to cut grass along the interstate and turnpike can do their usual job and let the grass grow so high the sign is not visible? Have you ever seen the grass this neglected or high? I guess that’s the result of going with the lowest bidder? But, I digress. Welcome to Maine, the way life used to be.

About the Author

Norman Hartley Clarke

Norman lives in Pittsfield and always seems to get a bad shopping cart. If you’d like to contact him, send us an e-mail to info@pvexplorer.com and we will pass it along for you.