NEWS: Live Chat with with Voters via the Portland Press-Herald
As originally published by the Portland Press-Herald
The following is a LIVE chat that took place on the Portland Press-Herald’s website, pressherald.com
12:00
MaineTodayMedia: Good morning, and welcome to the latest in our series of online chats with the candidates for Maine governor. Today’s guest is Republican Bruce Poliquin.
12:00
MaineTodayMedia: I’m Angie Muhs, managing editor of the Portland Press Herald. Before we get started—we expect Bruce shortly—a few housekeeping matters.
12:01
MaineTodayMedia: We encourage you to use your real name when you post a question, and we’ll try to get to as many questions and topics from as many people as we can. Please keep questions focused on issues so that we may have a civil conversation.
12:02
Bruce Poliquin: Hello everyone. I want to thank the Portland Press-Herald for hosting the online chat today. I look forward to everyone’s questions.
12:03
MaineTodayMedia: Bruce, thanks for joining us.
12:03
MaineTodayMedia: If you missed today’s profile of Bruce you can read it here.
12:03
MaineTodayMedia: Whoops, I mean here: http://www.pressherald.com/news/Profile-A-business-friendly-environment-tops-Poliquins-agenda-.html
12:03
MaineTodayMedia: And we have a few questions coming, so let’s start with Shawn.
12:04
[Comment From Shawn]
Do you believe that Progressives have helped or hurt the Republican party?
12:05
Bruce Poliquin:
Shawn, I think any time we stray from our core principles of free enterprise, fiscal prudence, limited government, personal responsibility, and individual liberties it hurts us.
12:06
[Comment From Bob Rasche]
What are your thoughts on reducing MaineCare costs
12:10
MaineTodayMedia: Thanks to everyone for the questions coming in. .. Please understand we post one at a time. We will get to as many as we can…
12:10
Bruce Poliquin:
Bob, MaineCare now enrolls 280,000 of our fellow Mainers - 23% of our population. The reason for this is the ease of enrollment, no residency requirement, and the fact that the benefits provided in MaineCare are more generous than in most other states. We can no longer afford to be everything to everybody.
As Governor, I’ll lead the effort to institute a residency requirement so people will have to live in Maine for a reasonable period of time before they can receive benefits. I’ll work to reduce the the benefits so they are no more generous than those offered in other states.
That will dramatically reduce the what we’re spending on MaineCare.
12:10
[Comment From Gary]
Mr Poliquin, what is your stance on gay marriage in Maine, and will you lower the citizens incredible tax burden if elected, and if so, by how much and what means. The tax rate in Maine borderlines crazy.
12:12
Bruce Poliquin:
Government and politics have no place in social issues like gay marriage. When it comes to an issue of conscience, the people of Maine should have a vote. As Governor, I will do everything in my power to refer such issues to the ballot so that the people of Maine can ultimately make the decision.
12:13
MaineTodayMedia: Bruce, would you like to address the 2nd part of Gary’s question, re taxes?
12:13
[Comment From Gary]
BRAVO for your answer on MaineCare
12:13
Bruce Poliquin: On taxes, yes, Maine has one of the highest tax burdens in the country and it is a major impediment to business formation and jobs. However, we must address spending first. Central to my plan to improve Maine’s economy is to only spend what we take in and get our fiscal house i order. That must come first.
12:14
MaineTodayMedia: OK, we’ll take a question from William next.
12:14
[Comment From William]
Bruce - your campaign chose to be the first to air television ads critical of your opponents. Do you have any second thoughts about that, particularly given some criticism that at least some of the accusations in those ads were false?
12:19
Bruce Poliquin: William, it’s important that all relevant information be part of the discussion regarding who is best qualified to oversee state finances. Our campaign has made it part of the discussion and now voters will make the decision.
12:19
[Comment From Trevor]
You have said your first action as Governor would be to audit every State Agency to look for savings, waste and duplication. We have tried several times top combine certain “similar” agencies into one and every time it has failed, due to special interest groups. Do you have a plan to streamline State Agencies?
12:23
Bruce Poliquin: Trevor, Streamlining state agencies must be part of the mix. To be successful in the private sector, a competent manager must always look for cost efficiencies. By conducting performance audits of our departments, agencies and programs, we’ll determine which are performing well and which are not. We’ll then be able to make the appropriate adjustments. But we must conduct the performance audit first otherwise we risk hurting agencies and programs that are working, and not reforming those that are not.
12:24
[Comment From Steve Sanderson]
How do you plan on attracting new businesses and creating jobs? in manufacturing , good sustainable jobs, not just highway projects.
12:28
Bruce Poliquin: Great question, Steve. As Governor, I will introduce a new positive attitude toward business development and jobs. Maine businesses are not the enemy. They employ our people. Our state government should do everything possible to help them thrive.
I’ll then lead the effort to get our spending under control. Maine must become one of those states that only spends what we take in.
Once we get our fiscal house in order, I’ll then lead the effort to reduce taxes in a meaningful way. That will create incentives for businesses to invest in Maine and create jobs, and keep our young families here.
Finally, I will simplify business regulations to make it easier to do business in Maine.
This will create a business-friendly environment in Maine attracting good paying private sector jobs. (more…..)
12:29
Bruce Poliquin: The truth is there is no silver bullet that will fix our economy. There is no “big idea” that will save our state. We MUST get back to basics and permanently reduce the cost and complexity of doing business in Maine.
12:30
MaineTodayMedia: Bruce, ready for a different topic? We have a couple questions that are education-related.
12:30
Bruce Poliquin: All set!
12:30
[Comment From Jack]
Do you support or oppose home schooling? Specifically, would you support increased regulation of homeschooling, e.g., teacher certification or the like.
12:30
[Comment From Dick Douty]
I know you are a advocate for Charter Schools. Can you explain how these schools would save the state and municipalities money. Also, how would the quality of education be affected?
12:36
Bruce Poliquin: I strongly support home schooling and would oppose new regulations.
Publicly-funded charter schools should be an extension of our public school system like in other states. Charter schools are laboratories of innovation. They are more flexible in curriculum design, teacher qualifications, and holding schools accountable. Additionally, they often perform at a lower costs than traditional public schools. Our students can benefit greatly from allowing these innovative schools to augment our traditional public schools.
12:36
[Comment From Matt]
The Maine DEP and Maine DOT have a hisotry of purchasing using equipment and State employees to perform many state funded projects that could be done by Maine private firms and contractors. What is your position on privatization.
12:39
MaineTodayMedia: While Bruce is answering, I’d like to note that this chat—as well as all other candidates’—will be archived online here: http://www.pressherald.com/home/governor/Candidates_for_Governor.html
12:41
Bruce Poliquin: Matt, the private sector can often provide services at a lower cost than the public sector. As Governor and chief fiscal officer of the state, it will be my responsibility to help deliver the best services to the taxpayer at the lowest cost. Taxpayers of Maine deserve this.
12:42
MaineTodayMedia: Scott has a question about the legislature’s role.
12:42
[Comment From Scott]
What do we need a legislature for if we put all the tough questions to the voters? Do you favor a change in the Maine Constitution—in that case we may not need a governor either.
12:48
Bruce Poliquin: Scott, as you know, Maine has a long, rich history of giving the voters a loud voice in how their state is governed. I support that process.
However, a competent and fiscally prudent manager as Governor would have avoided the need for many of our past referendum issues. I think the prevalence of all the referendum issues is a symptom of how mismanaged our state has been for so long, and how frustrated our citizens are. My hope is that we can restore Mainer’s trust in their state government.
12:48
MaineTodayMedia: Let’s try to get a few more questions in before we end at 1.
12:48
[Comment From Mike]
Where do you stand on gun rights? And what is your position on trapping in the state of Maine?
12:53
Bruce Poliquin: Mike, I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, gun rights, and an individual’s right to own firearms. Mainers are responsible gun owners. We don’t need any new gun laws. For example, we don’t need background checks for gun purchases through Uncle Henry’s, private transactions, or at gun shows.
On trapping, I support the current laws.
12:53
[Comment From AJ]
Bruce, what is your opinion on school consolidation, how would you change it and how would you change the current school funding formula (EPS)?
1:00
Bruce Poliquin: AJ, Maine has an expensive education system but is receiving average results. One of the reasons we have such an expensive system is high administrative overhead costs. The current Governor has been trying to reduce those costs through the consolidation effort. I wouldn’t have gone about the process in the same way. For example, one size does not fit all school districts. However, we must continue to be serious about reducing administrative costs and get the money in the classroom where the kids are.
The real problem is that Maine is broke. We have no new money. When we fix our economy, they’ll be plenty of tax revenue to educate our kids, and we won’t have to fight over the pieces of a shrinking economic pie. Fix our economy and we’ll have the necessary resources to fund our priorities.
That’s why it’s so important to have a business manager from the private sector with extensive experience in finance to lead our state.
1:00
[Comment From Bill]
Steve asked earlier about your plan for attracting new businesses including manufacturing. While I applaud your answer about reducing spending, taxes and unfriendly business regulations, given our extremely high energy costs, how could any manufacturing business afford to locate in Maine ?
1:01
MaineTodayMedia: Bruce, if you can take one more .. and this will be the last.
1:06
Bruce Poliquin:
Bill, Maine families and businesses pay 50% more for electric power than the national average. As Governor, I will work to reduce that cost to attract business investment and jobs from all industries.
The truth is that Maine has all but eliminated the two cheapest sources of electric power - nuclear power and hydro-electric generation. I will lead the effort to import the cheap, green, renewable, and plentiful power from Canada - which is using nuclear and hydro to produce electricity for roughly a fourth of what Mainers are paying. This will be a major incentive for businesses like manufacturing to invest in Maine and create jobs, as well as help our families lower their monthly electric bills.
1:07
MaineTodayMedia: And that’ll wrap up our chat today. Bruce, thanks for participating with us.
1:07
Bruce Poliquin: I had a great time. Thanks to all the questioners!