Maine GOP: Governor LePage's Working Legacy, and More

Maine GOP Presents: News You Can Trust Here is a quick round-up of some key news items.  At the Maine GOP we plan on providing you with a periodic update of key articles and opinions from around the state on topics that matter to you.  If you are aware of a news article or event that should be included here, please email garrettmurch@mainegop.com with the link and information. News You Can Trust Video Edition Top Maine and National News Democrat hypocrisy on Republican tax cuts In an op-ed this week in The Hill, Alfredo Ortiz highlighted some of the hypocrisy of the congressional Democrats on there opposition to tax reform. Ortiz noted: According to the Tax Policy Center, the average earner will receive about $135 more a month, and more if they have kids... The latest jobs reports suggests that tax cuts have contributed to the current tight labor market that is generating the fastest average wage growth in nearly a decade... A new nationwide poll of small business owners conducted by the Job Creators Network finds that small businesses favor the tax cuts by a 10 to one margin. Have Democrats apologized for their misguided tax reform fear-mongering? No. In fact, they’ve doubled down on it, promising to repeal them, which would raise taxes on millions of ordinary Americans, if they retake Congress this fall. While Maine newspapers re-publish selected Washington Post, Associated Press, and other national news items all the time, they did not re-publish this one. You can read it here, though! Governor LePage’s State of the State Address This Tuesday, Governor LePage delivered his final State of the State speech. Our Governor discussed his tax cuts, welfare reforms, and elimination of harmful regulations, among other policy achievements. He also reiterated that he won’t expand Medicaid unless the legislature comes up with the money to pay for it. He also discussed policies he is pushing this year to help those in need, use taxpayer money wisely, and continue improving Maine’s economy. Thank you, Governor, you will be dearly missed. But fortunately the Maine GOP has several strong candidates running for Governor to carry on your legacy. YOU CAN WATCH OUR GOVERNOR'S FULL SPEECH HERE Congressman Poliquin Applauds New Timber Production Facility We learned this week there will be a new timber production facility in Millinocket that could create more than 100 new jobs. Congressman Poliquin praised the announcement, stating: Maine’s working forests provide for tens of thousands of jobs across our State and are a key part of Maine’s economy. I have met with numerous forest products groups to discuss cross-laminated timber and how this technology could greatly help our State’s forest products industry. I am thrilled to hear today’s announcement and am grateful Maine’s sustainable working forests will continue to provide for many more jobs in our State in the coming years. LePage Legacy on Welfare Reform One of Governor LePage’s greatestt accomplishments has been welfare reform. Since he took office, the number of jobs has increased dramatically more as the of working-age adults on welfare has shrunk. Mainers of nearly all political stripes value work. Deep down we all know we must prioritize taxpayer-funded welfare dollars on people in desperate need, while moving all of our able-bodied to become self-sufficient and even prosperous. ‌

Not Just Tax Reform, But Major Steps Toward Obamacare Full Repeal

The Tax Reform victory is huge on many levels. President Trump achieves a major victory for all Americans. He has helped to double the child tax credit, lowered the corporate tax rate to make our country far more competitive economically.

This legislation is a big deal, too, because it repeals the individual mandate in Obamacare.

Not the best, since the legislation needs to be repealed in full, but it gets us much, much closer to getting rid of the terrible law in its entirety. Very excited about this.

Not only that, but following passage of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, the Alexander-Murray Obamacare bailout was shelved for discussion next year.

Likely, that bill will not get passed or go anywhere. There will be no bailouts for insurance companies, which were all looking to get rich off of government largesse. Shame on Barack Obama, the corrupto-crat who was looking to make Big Business happy, all while pretending to care about working Americans and progressive ideologies. Never happened. Never.

The collapse of Obamacare is all but immanent, since no one will be forced to purchase crappy insurance that is overpriced and underwhelming. Who is going to jump into the exchanges, then, when they have no need to do so?

Forcing people to purchase a product was the height of unconstitutional, even though the arrogant Supreme Court judges insisted on upholding that terrible part of Obamacare. Finally, though, Congress did something about it.

Obamacare is still technically alive, but it is heading for a major crash and burn. I can't wait for the rest of the horrid law to be shut down for good and real free market reforms enacted.

Please, President Trump, end the rest of this horrid law. Let's put an end to government welfarism, and let's put an end to allowing illegal aliens to get health insurance on the taxpayers' dime.

Tax Reform Passes the House, and The Dirty Dozen Who Voted "No"

Congress is about to hand President Trump and the country a huge policy, legislative, and political victory. Tax Reform has just passed the House of Representatives.

The sausage-making that goes into legislation can be a real turn-off. Yet for the first time in recent memory, it has become much easier for men and women to know what our representatives are doing in Washington DC, so even if we don't like some of the things that enter the process, we can also pressure our House Reps and US Senators to do more of the right thing.

To the best of my knowledge, as of the writing of this post, there will be no DACA fix, no amnesty, no anything else going on regarding amnesty in any further bills passing out of Congress this week and before the Christmas recess. The House and the Senate need to focus on building the wall, funding all enforcement operations of the federal government to stop amnesty, protect Americans, and ensure the quality and sovereignty of the United States from foreign invaders and domestic enemies.

Tax reform has passed, and may get another vote based on a few reports that the House bill needs to remove some parts which cannot pass based on budget reconciliation rules in the United States Senate.

At any rate, there were 12 House Republicans who voted against the tax reform.

Who are they?

• Dana Rohrabacher of California
• Darrell Issa of California
• Walter B. Jones of North Carolina
• Frank A. LoBiondo of New Jersey
• Christopher H. Smith of New Jersey
• Leonard Lance of New Jersey
• Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey
• Lee Zeldin of New York
• Peter T. King of New York
• Dan Donovan of New York
• John J. Faso of New York
• Elise Stefanik of New York

This is an old discussion, although there are fewer Republicans than last time. Tom McClintock of Northern California did vote for the final bill this time, most likely because the revised legislation out of conference.

The three states represented are high tax states, except for Walter Jones of North Carolina. He has continued his opposition to the bill because of deficits. The high tax states depend on SALT deductions, but why should the rest of the country foot the bill for these states' high tax profligacy?

My response to their opposition: Let the economy roll, and watch the extra funding come into the national coffers and make up for any of the deficits. This bill is definitely worth voting for, and worth ensuring that Republicans in both chambers stand a strong chance of retaining the majorities and continuing the MAGA Agenda.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker Touts Reforms and Successes

Arthur, Yesterday I made it official: I will seek re-election as Governor. Will you please help me keep moving our conservative reforms forward? Support Friends of Scott Walker right now. Though this marks just the beginning of my re-election campaign, the Democrats did not wait until we made it official. There are already a number of Democrats lining up against me and the attacks have been coming fast and furious for weeks now. But, we are used to that, aren't we? We have fought back and won three times – I know we can do it again … but only if we stand strong together. Please show your support for our decision to seek re-election with: $10 $35 $50 $100 $250 Some other amount By working together and staying true to our conservative principles, we have led the Wisconsin comeback all the way to the top ten and fueled the country's surge to the right: More people are working than ever before;  We will deliver $8 billion in tax relief by 2018; and  Our historic funding for schools and investments in Wisconsin's workforce will keep the future bright for generations to come! Show your support for our conservative agenda today. This week, I am hitting the road to meet with people from across Wisconsin to discuss our big, bold plans for the next four years. I love nothing more than traveling this great state and hearing how the things we are doing are helping. But there is more to be done. Help us keep this forward progress going with a generous contribution today. Here is how I knew seeking re-election was the right decision: at the end of each day, after all of the miles and conversations, I can't wait for the alarm to ring to see what opportunities tomorrow will bring. Are you with me? Scott Walker CONTRIBUTE »

Vermont's Republican Governor Blocks All Tax Increases in Budget--First on Record

Now this is really amazing.

For the first time on record--in recent memory--the state of Vermont passed a budget which did not have a tax increase.

The legislation also negotiated for better management of the teachers' health insurance plans and placed in command more efficiencies.

This is what Republicans do, and this is what conservative governance looks like:

Greetings,

First and foremost, I’d like to thank you for your help and generosity throughout the last campaign. It’s because of your support that I’m writing to you now as Vermont’s 82nd Governor. It’s a role I’m proud and honored to serve in, and one that gives all of us tremendous opportunities to make Vermont stronger. While I’ve only been in office eight months, many of those opportunities are starting to come to fruition. As promised throughout the campaign, my administration is concentrated on growing the economy, making Vermont more affordable, and protecting the most vulnerable. Those three principles guide us in everything we do. To make good on that promise, I’m proud to have presented, fought for and signed a historic budget that does not raise a single tax or fee. This is the first time this has been done that we can find on record! But it didn’t come easy. Initially, the majority in the legislature  passed a budget that would have raised property taxes AND ignored my proposal to save millions of dollars by changing the way teachers’ health care benefits are handled. I vetoed that budget bill because I knew we could do better for all Vermonters. And we did! The final budget I signed on June 28 ensures property tax rates do not increase for the first time in recent memory, saves $13 million over the next two years by restructuring teachers’ health care benefit plans, and provides a path to achieve greater efficiency, and more savings, in the future. We are working to restore fiscal responsibility in Montpelier, and helping families get ahead, by insisting state spending doesn’t grow faster than the economy or wages. And I will continue to fight to make Vermont more affordable and run a state government which lives within its means. Governor Phil Scott (R-Vermont) In addition to a historic budget that doesn’t raise taxes or fees, we are also prioritizing investments in pro-growth areas like job training and secured a $35 million dollar housing package that will employ hundreds of workers and generate $50 million in wages in the construction of more than 500 housing units -- and help make homes more affordable for middle income households. My budget also invested in early care and learning, and higher education -- an important step toward a cradle-to-career continuum of learning that will attract more jobs and more working families who want to raise their children in the nation’s safest and healthiest state. We are also changing the culture in State Government by listening to those on the front lines, and we’re making some exciting headway in terms of innovating state government to make it more efficient, productive and valuable to you. During my first week in office, I issued three Executive Orders. The first created an Agency of Digital Services, a single entity to better manage state IT projects. The second combined the Lottery Commission and the Department of Liquor Control (the legislature slowed this merger, but I’m confident we’ll get this in 2018). The third order would have unified the Agency of Commerce and Community Development with the Department of Labor -- literally putting the people who help create jobs next to the people who help Vermonters find jobs. Unfortunately, this too was blocked by the legislature, but it’s an idea that continues to be discussed in the State House. Over the next several months, I will remain laser-focused on making state government work better for you. Every Tuesday morning when I convene my cabinet, I always remind them we’re public servants, we’re here to serve and follow through on our commitment to grow the economy, make Vermont more affordable  and protect the most vulnerable. And we’ll continue to think this way, because it’s what Vermonters deserve and expect from their state government. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish just 8 months into the job, but there is much more work to do. Everything I’ve proposed cannot happen overnight, which is why I need your help to ensure I have another term to get this work done. Can I count on you to donate $100, $250, $500, $1000 or any amount you are comfortable with up to $4,000? I can’t thank you enough for the support and encouragement you’ve shown me over the years. Please don’t hesitate to reach out; I’m always willing to listen. Sincerely, Phil Scott Governor Final Reflection Blue state Republicans can make a difference if they focus on basic issues. As long as they keep their promises to make key states affordable, to lower the costs of living and allow the voters to keep more of their money, then they have nothing to worry about!