Jim Hightower: Gubernatorial Goofiness in Maine

[marmar]

via CommonDreams:




Published on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 by OtherWords

Gubernatorial Goofiness in Maine
Gov. LePage's rampage includes busting unions, rolling back child labor laws, gutting programs for the middle class and poor, and raising the retirement age for the state's workers

by Jim Hightower


Here's a bit of political trivia: Three of the goofiest, most anti-worker governors in America are named Rick. What're the odds of that?

They are Scott of Florida, Snyder of Michigan, and Perry of Texas. But all three Ricardos are in danger of being out-goofied by Paul LePage of Maine. He's the right-wing extremist who slipped into the governor's chair last fall after a three-way race in which he got a mere 38 percent of the vote. Rather than show a bit of humility, however, this minority governor has pumped himself up with high-octane hubris and gone on a tear against the state's workaday majority.

LePage's rampage includes busting unions, rolling back child labor laws, gutting programs for the middle class and poor, and raising the retirement age for Maine workers--all in his first few weeks in office.

Then, in late March, LePage made his grab for gold-plated goofy greatness. As widely reported, the potentate of the Pine Tree State ordered that a 36-foot-wide mural be removed from the state's Department of Labor building. The work of art depicts historical scenes of Maine workers, but it seems that the governor and certain unnamed corporate backers found the painting too favorable toward laboring people, so--POOF!--it was summarily disappeared into a storeroom. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/04/20-4

[eShirl]

1. turned out there was only one complaint about the mural, and it was anonymous

and it was signed "secret admirer" :puke:

[TygrBright]

2. It might be because although they choose to go by "Rick" they are really Dicks. n/t