Maine Governor Resorts To Extortion To Throw People Off Of Medicaid.

[Galraedia]

If you thought Republicans only resort to extortion and hostage taking on the national level, you would be quite mistaken. They’re perfectly content to threaten and bully on the state level to get their way as well. Case in point: Maine Governor Paul LePage has threatened to close down schools statewide unless he is allowed to throw 65,000 people off of MaineCare, Maine’s version of MedicAid.

“Right now, in order to continue the way we are, I will close schools May 1 and use that money, because that’s where we are,” LePage said in an appearance in Lewiston on Thursday evening. “It’s a matter of not having money. It’s not a matter of policy. It’s a matter of when you have one hundred dollars in your checkbook and you’re spending two hundred, you’ve got a problem.”

Give me what I want or the kids get it! Some choice. Leave the poor with no health care or deprive Maine’s children of a proper education. Funny how that choice only seems to affect the non-rich.

I wonder if it occurred to LePage, even for a moment, to raise taxes or curtail corporate tax breaks? I’ll just bet it didn’t.

Read more: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/01/21/maine-governor-resorts-to-extortion-to-throw-people-off-of-medicaid/

[Zalatix]

1. Why don't Democrats ever call these guys' bluff?

[DJ13]

2. Not just call their bluff

Go out and make noise about all the tax breaks that are responsible for the revenue shortfall.

And put out a plan to keep both operating by closing those tax breaks.

[Zalatix]

3. Yeah, that. 100%.