Support the Governor Event March 2011

If you want to do more or if you cannot be in Augusta, please write a
letter to the papers in support of the Governor's Budget. Use this

labeled as 'submit online' offer the opportunity to submit a letter through an online form. Links labeled as 'contact page' offer information such as email address or mailing addresses to submit letters.

(Submission email address at bottom of page)

Greenville - Moosehead Messenger
Contact Page:

The best thing to do is to show up at the state house, but if you can't PLEASE do the following:
Folks who CANNOT take the day off, or CANNOT afford the gas: your voices CAN be heard and WILL be heard. And for those of you who will be in Augusta, these options may intensify our impact.

An additional & effective way to get your message across is to make 2 calls; one to the Clerk of the House & one to the Clerk of Appropriations. Each of these Clerks will have the Page stick your message to the Representatives microphones in the House Chambers. Make it short and polite and ask that your message be hung on their microphones. Please, call by Wednesday. The effect should be that Thursday morning when the House convenes the members of this Committee & your Representatives will be greeted with many sticky notes right on their microphones telling them you support Governor LePage's Budget. When you give the Clerk your name, include your occupation, your contact information and your district as well.

Your District & your Representative can be found by going to this page which lists Towns in Alphabetical Order:
http://www.maine.gov/legis/house/townlist.htm

1 ~ MAKE 2 CALLS BY WEDNESDAY:

Call the Clerk of the House at 287-1400. Politely insist that a message of support for the Governor's budget be delivered to your Representative. Something short and simple like: "Please support our governor's solutions to our unfunded liability burden. We are broke!" or "The Union's represent UNION interests. Please support the governor's budget."

Include in your message your name, occupation, contact information and House District #.

Call the Clerk of Appropriations at 287-1316. Ask for Carol Tompkins. Just like above, politely insist that a message of support for the Governor's budget be delivered to each member of Appropriations and hung on their microphones.

Include in your message your name, occupation, contact information and House District #.

Find you District & your Representative here: http://www.maine.gov/legis/house/townlist.htm

2 ~ NEXT: WRITE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE & THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

Write an e-mail to your Representative in support of the Governor's budget and copy it to the Appropriations Committee. I have created a "block" of e-mails for you to just copy and paste for quick and easy sending. If you have the time to communicate to the members on Appropriations individually, I listed them with their contact info in this e-mail below.

Find your Representative here (same link as above): http://www.maine.gov/legis/house/townlist.htm

Block e-mail of Appropriation members:

rrosen113@aol.com, RKatz@lipmankatzmckee.com,SenDawn.Hill@Legislature.Maine.Gov, patricksaflood@roadrunner.com, RepPatrick.Flood@legislature.maine.gov, twinsor@megalink.net, RepTom.Winsor@legislature.maine.gov, kathydhchase@hotmail.com, RepKathleen.Chase@legislature.maine.gov, tyleraclark@msn.com, RepTyler.Clark@legislature.maine.gov, fredlaw@myfairpoint.net, kenneth.fredette@post.harvard.edu, keschl@yahoo.com, RepDennis.Keschl@legislature.maine.gov, mrotundo@bates.edu, RepJohn.Martin@legislature.maine.gov, dcwebster@comcast.net, RepDavid.Webster@legislature.maine.gov,RepSara.Stevens@legislature.maine.gov

3 ~ NEXT: PROMOTE AN EDUCATED POPULACE

UNFUNDED PENSION LIABILITY LINK (1 page)

UNFUNDED GOVERNMENT RETIREE HEALTH LIABILITY LINK (1 page)

These 2 links provide FACTUAL information of what our state MUST deal with regarding these unfunded liabilities, including the FACTS of what Governor LePage's Budget proposes to do to remedy our financial burden that if not addressed WILL continue to compound to the point where less and less money will be available to fund EDUCATION, INFRASTRUCTURE, and care for our most vulnerable!

They are one page each. Easy to read. Easy to understand and they both include a graphic for a picture of reality.

OPTION: Print off 1 copy of each and post them up at your local gas station/convenient store

OPTION: Print off 10 copies, 20 copies?... place them on the counter in your gas station/convenient store & post up.

4 ~ NEXT: WRITE A LETTER TO THE PAPER THIS WEEK

I was sent the following link which will take you to a list of papers by location. Just scroll down to the newspaper info.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15Ko91idKzC619xTnQShi7Yhv3aOU4gk...

ADDITIONAL INFO:

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY (3/2) & THURSDAY (3/3)

- PUBLIC HEARING:

Wednesday at 10 am, Room 228 at the State House, Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs

STATE EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT
CONTRIBUTIONS, ELIGIBILITY & COLAS
                Administrative and Financial Services, Department of
                        Departments and Agencies – Statewide (Retirement Initiative and Pension Obligation Only)
                        Language (Part “S” – increases the percentage contribution by state employee and teacher members of the Maine Public Employees Retirement System State Employee Portion Only)
                        Language (Part “T” – increases the normal retirement age for certain state employee and teacher members of the Maine Public Employee Retirement System State Employee Portion Only)
                        Language (Part “U” – reduces the cap on cost-of-living increases on the retirement benefit for members of the State Employee, Teachers, Judicial and Legislative retirement program and freezes the benefit for three years State Employee, Judicial and Legislative Only)
•                      Language (Part “X” – repeals the provisions of statute that made solemn contractual commitments to members of the State Employee and Teacher Retirement Systems related to health insurance and retirement benefits State Employee Only)

• Language (Part “Z” – authorizes an employee retirement incentive program)

- Rally ME:

Ray Richardson has organized a rally at 9:30 am between the State House & the Cross Building. (see map).

We will head in together to greet our Legislators, showing support for them to stand strong. Signs are encouraged, though NO STICKS, allowed. Please take care to spell correctly and print in such a way that they can be easily read. Media will most certainly be present as well.

Ideas for Signs:

Public Unions Represent Public Unions ~ not workers & taxpayers

Public Unions: You are negotiating with PUBLIC funds

Its not about Union Rights, Its about Taxpayer Rights

Hard Choices Today to Save Tomorrow

EVERYone must tighten their belts

12 Billion Dollars in Debt ~ We're BROKE!

Taxpayers Hold The World on THEIR Collective Shoulders

You can take nothing, spread it around all you want ~ You still have nothing

There is no goose laying golden eggs

The Money Tree Died

Sooner or later you run out of other people's money

- PUBLIC HEARING:

Thursday at 1 pm, Room 228 at the State House, Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs

STATE EMPLOYEE AND RETIREE HEALTH INSURANCE,
Administrative and Financial Services, Department of
Departments and Agencies – Statewide (savings from maintaining the cost of employee health insurance at the fiscal year 2010-11 level and projected savings from changes to future retiree health obligations)
Language (Part "V" - amends statutory provisions pertaining to state employees health insurance and caps the total premium increases for the active and retired employees health insurance pla
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

INFORMATIONAL: This link will take you to a discussion between our State Treasurer, Bruce Poliquin and MSEA Executive Director, Chris Quint. It gives a very good run down of how our debt will continue to compound quickly to the detriment of funding education, roads & bridges, and the most vulnerable.

Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs

Senator Richard W. Rosen (R-Hancock), Chair
rrosen113@aol.com
Home Tel: 469-3779/ Cell: 944-5091

Senator Roger J. Katz (R-Kennebec)
RKatz@lipmankatzmckee.com
Home Tel: 622-9921/ Cell: 485-2394

Senator Dawn Hill (D-York)
SenDawn.Hill@Legislature.Maine.Gov
Home Tel: 337-3689

Representative Patrick S. A. Flood (R-Winthrop), Chair
patricksaflood@roadrunner.com, RepPatrick.Flood@legislature.maine.gov
Home Tel: 395-4915

Representative Tom J. Winsor (R-Norway)
twinsor@megalink.net, RepTom.Winsor@legislature.maine.gov
Home Tel: 527-2233

Representative Kathleen D. Chase (R-Wells)
kathydhchase@hotmail.com, RepKathleen.Chase@legislature.maine.gov
Home Tel: 646-2118/ Cell: 468-9747

Representative Tyler Clark (R-Easton)
tyleraclark@msn.com, RepTyler.Clark@legislature.maine.gov
Home Tel: 488-2633/ Cell: 227-6971

Representative Kenneth Wade Fredette (R-Newport)
fredlaw@myfairpoint.net, kenneth.fredette@post.harvard.edu
Home Tel: 368-4242

Representative Dennis L. Keschl (R-Belgrade)
keschl@yahoo.com, RepDennis.Keschl@legislature.maine.gov
Home Tel: 495-2973 / Cell: 441-3701

Representative Margaret R. Rotundo (D-Lewiston)*
mrotundo@bates.edu
Home Tel: 784-3259

Representative John L. Martin (D-Eagle Lake)
RepJohn.Martin@legislature.maine.gov
Home Tel: 444-5556

Representative David C. Webster (D-Freeport)
dcwebster@comcast.net, RepDavid.Webster@legislature.maine.gov
Home Tel: 865-4311

Representative Sara R. Stevens (D-Bangor)
RepSara.Stevens@legislature.maine.gov
Home Tel: 942-8900