Augusta Insider Interview Now Online
I had the opportunity to appear in an interview with another of Maine’s top blogs, Augusta Insider . I hope you enjoy getting to know a little bit more about who I am and why I’m running for Governor.
Here’s an excerpt:
AI: How can we reverse recent trends and put Maine on a path to economic prosperity?
Businesses and families can’t afford the high taxes necessary to pay for our bloated state budget, so they leave. The fastest way to reverse that trend and spur job growth is to get spending under control so we can reduce taxes at least to the national averages. That will make Maine more competitive for business investment and jobs and remove a major impediment for companies to do business here.
We will not be able to create a healthy economy in Maine until we put our fiscal house in order. That requires someone with intimate knowledge of finance and how an economy works. I have that experience.
AI: What one piece of legislation in this past legislative session did you consider most important, whether you were for it or against it?
Bruce: The budget battle was deeply disappointing. It served as a microcosm of what is wrong in Augusta. Our elected officials failed to balance the last state budget with tax revenues generated here in Maine. Instead of making the tough choices, they plugged the hole with one-time “stimulus” money from Washington which now legally prohibits us from reforming some our most out-of-control programs. So, when the money runs out at the end of next year, we have an even bigger problem to fix. Now Augusta is borrowing millions more from future generations to “balance” the current budget. Again, instead of making the difficult spending decisions, our elected officials are unrealistically betting that our economy will rebound enough in the 1-2 years to generate the needed tax revenues.
This type of gross fiscal mismanagement of hard-earned taxpayer dollars has been continuing in Augusta for years. As a business owner and manager, trained in finance and economics, I find this behavior inexcusable and frightening. This must stop.
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