[Peacectr_list] Speak Out Against Maine Budget Cuts

[Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine]

  Dear friends,
>I'm sending along a letter to the editor about the proposed budget 
>cuts.  I hope that we can join together to oppose these cuts, 
>challenge their short-sightedness and offer some long term 
>solutions.  I hope you will also consider writing a letter to the 
>editor, sending a letter and/or calling Governor Baldacci  aat 287- 
>33531.

Ilze Petersons
Program Coordinator



>To the Editor:
>
>This morning the Bangor Daily News front page headline read "Baldacci
>orders $38 million in cuts".  Governor Baldacci said that states are
>forced to "deal with a slowing national economy and a beleaguered
>housing market and tightening credit." He also referred to high
>energy prices and diesel fuel prices and that the national economic
>news will remain difficult into the future.    An editorial entitled
>"Spending Control" accepts the prognosis and the solution as being
>one of prioritizing necessary   cuts  and  points out that with a
>distaste for raising taxes, "lawmakers have little room to maneuver."
>
>Our governor, elected representatives and our media  are  short
>sighted.  They continue to propose  cutting needed services for our
>most vulnerable citizens, thereby saving in the short run but
>contributing to long term problems created by not meeting the needs
>of mentally ill children, caregivers, domestic violence victims, and
>more.  We need to start looking for long term solutions that can
>generate the needed funds.
>
>As a community  we should not be forced into prioritizing which
>human needs should be met and which can be neglected.    There are
>two huge drains on our state budget which are never mentioned.  Maine
>taxpayers will pay $370.4 million in federal tax dollars   for the
>cost of the Iraq War in FY 2007 and there is no end in sight.
>According to the National Priorities Project this money could have
>been spent to provide 97,211 people with health care.  And Maine
>residents will lose another  $365.8 million in tax cuts to the
>wealthiest 1%.
>
>Year after year, we ignore these huge revenue losses of our federal
>tax dollars and continue to accept shrinking  programs as if these
>reductions to the neediest would offset the problems with the economy
>which are exacerbated by this administration's dangerous
>foreign policy and by  catering to the wealthiest at the expense of
>the neediest.
>
>We need leaders with the courage to call for a change in national
priorities not simply ask us to choose which pain to alleviate.
-- 
The Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine
170 Park Street
Bangor ME 04401
(207) 942-9343
fax 992-2288
email: info at peacectr.org
check our website:  <http://www.peacectr.org/>www.peacectr.org