AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s recent statement that Maine students are “looked down upon” by people in other parts of the country derives from “life experience,” not any specific incidents or data, according to Adrienne Bennett, a spokeswoman for the governor. “He is a business man. It’s from his life experience of talking to people,” […]
Paul LePage
Posted inMaine, sj-web
LePage: Bond money will go to projects with promise
AUGUSTA — The battle over whether the state should borrow money to fund projects, especially community development work, has escalated in recent days. Rep. Jeff McCabe, D-Skowhegan, fired the latest salvo in the skirmish between legislative Democrats and Gov. Paul LePage over his decision to delay authorizing voter-approved bonds until at least January 2014. In […]
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More than ABC needed for Maine students to succeed
On Wednesday, Gov. Paul LePage diagrammed his remedial “ABC” plan to improve schools. The plan, as envisioned, will: A) Improve Accountability. B) Borrow Best practices from other states. C) Expand school Choice. If we had an opportunity for multiple choice, we’d select and completely support A and B, but we’d hesitate on C. Improving accountability […]
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Report shows Maine lags in student scores
Critics may quibble about the details, but Gov. Paul LePage’s characterization of a recent Harvard study is correct: Maine’s investment in educational improvement is paying “pathetic” returns. A close reading of the study — Achievement Growth: International and U.S. State Trends in Student Performance — shows the governor isn’t exaggerating. What we are doing is […]
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LePage matches $18,000 donation to study electronic monitoring of domestic violence offenders
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage has agreed to match an $18,000 donation to fund a task force to explore electronic monitoring systems for domestic violence offenders. At a press conference at the State House on Friday morning, Kelley Gay presented the governor with the money that was raised from the Amy, Coty, Monica Memorial […]
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IRS workers seek apology from LePage
The president of IRS employees’ union sent a letter dated Tuesday to the Republican governor calling the comments “scurrilous and absurd.” LePage made the comment during his weekend radio address as he assailed the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the federal health care law, saying the decision gave Americans no choice but to buy […]
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A political spat over health care
It would be fair to say that Gov. Paul LePage is not thrilled with Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. It would be equally fair to say that Pingree is not overly happy with LePage, either. Their philosophical disagreements about health care (and countless other things) didn’t begin on Monday, but Monday may have marked the start of […]
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LePage, Pingree continue to clash
PORTLAND — A feud between Republican Gov. Paul LePage and Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree is continuing for a second day, with the governor suggesting that Pingree is part of the “jet-setting Washington culture that keeps people dependent on government handouts.” The governor also sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary […]
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Maine gov announces business survey
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage is encouraging businesses to respond to the 2012 Maine Business Survey, which is available online and pose about 40 questions. Responses received over the next several weeks will help drive future economic policy decisions by the administration. Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner George Gervais says the survey gives […]
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The rhetoric of politics and history
During Gov. Paul LePage’s weekly radio address, he over-reached when — in criticizing the Supreme Court’s recent decision on the Affordable Care Act — he compared the IRS with Nazi Germany’s secret police, the “Gestapo.” The response was strident, with Democrats immediately calling for LePage to apologize for his “intentionally offensive” comparison and to end […]