Is your mettle, metal or muddle?

There is one question that I hear repeatedly asked of my children by my wife.  She will ask often, sometimes daily, “Am I the only one in this house who knows how to reach down, pick something up and clean up a mess?”  I….ahhh….I…I’m sure she is only referring to the children when she asks that, sadly, rhetorical question.  She, of course, couldn’t be making any implication of me…at all…right?  Anyway, ahem, one of the frailties of human nature is to make a mess, see the mess and wait for someone else to clean the mess.  There seems to be this sixth sense, of sorts, that if we leave it alone long enough, someone with a compulsion to fix everything will show up to set things aright.  That’s called kicking the can down the road.

Unfortunately for the State of Maine, John Martin Democrats and their moderate Republican allies have played “kick the can” for so long they’ve acquired affection for the game and an addiction to the stench coming from the can.  Now that Governor Lepage is “cleaning up the neighborhood”, the Democrats, led by John Martin, and all the moderate Republicans in the appropriations committee are doing everything in their power to obstruct the efforts of the Governor and the Treasurer to set the State of Maine back on a course to fiscal solvency.  The reasoning behind their actions is the same old Kennebec two-step.  The Democrats want to preserve the bloated bureaucratic slush fund that pads their ample taxpayer funded behinds.  The moderate Republicans take their cues from the Democrats.  They believe their threat that a conservative fiscal approach will cost them their election.  So they are trying to save their own ample taxpayer funded behinds.

Sitting in meetings with several of these moderates on occasion, this columnist heard one legislator lecture us, ad nauseum, on how his decisions were influenced by all he had learned since he came to Augusta.  Hmmm, maybeeee….that’s the problem.  Legislators spend too much time learning from and adhering to the edicts of big government instead of listening to the people.

I have a photo that I use for inspiration. It was taken in Nazi Germany.  The year was 1936 and the place was Hamburg.  A large is crowd is “assembled” to “celebrate” the building of a warship.  All in the crowd are obediently raising their hand in the Nazi salute except for one man.  With arms defiantly across his chest and a look of disgust, August Landmesser refuses to follow the crowd.  Moderates could do well to heed his example.  We the people are asking our leaders to lead, not bow to government demands.

Here is how the people view the situation.  Big government is way too big.  It’s obese.  The people want the government to quit eating so much, cut back and lose weight.  They ask our legislators to have the courage to say, “No!”

As these politicians act with all the focus and dexterity of the Keystone Kops, it becomes more apparent that the appropriations committee needs a transfusion of strength and common sense from the people, since they are sorely lacking their own.  By the time this in print, the weak watered down appropriations bill, filled with gimmicks and tax hikes, will be back in the legislature for vote.  Call 1-800-423-2900 (House) and 1-800-423-6900 (Senate), tell them to vote “no” on this bill and stop obstructing the Governor’s plan to balance the budget. Let’s Set Maine Free!