Maine Governor LePage opinion pages bristle

Although the recent series of critical opinion articles appearing on the editorial pages of Maine's newspapers has caused a bristling response from readers, these serial critiques should've been published during the legislative session.   

Unfortunately, I have no idea how these articles will help solve the situations they're written about, because the Maine legislature adjounred without resolving them. 

Recent bristling opinion letters appearing in recently  published Maine newspapers are critical of Governor Paul LePage, but these letters would've helped a lot during the now adjounred legislative session.
Nevertheless, here's the latest well thought response among the litany of recent publications:

LePage should get out of economy’s way  (Letter)

Gov. Paul LePage has stood firmly in the way of growth in Maine’s economy, and his latest actions confirm his intent to stifle job creation. How many thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars does he intend to turn his (and our) back on?

• In 2013 a done deal with Statoil was undone by LePage, and the company moved a $120 million offshore wind demonstration project from Maine to Scotland. That same company later invested $2.5 billion in an offshore wind farm in Britain. That might have been Maine’s money.

• Despite the desires of a majority of Maine’s people and the will of the Legislature, LePage has repeatedly vetoed Medicaid expansion. The Maine Hospital Association says that our hospitals will lose $900 million over 10 years if we don’t accept Medicaid expansion, and this is just hospitals. Other sources say the total impact is roughly $200 million every year, or $2 billion over the next decade. This is an estimated 4,000-4,400 good jobs that Mainers aren’t going to get while LePage stands in the way.

• The solar power bill passed by the Legislature and vetoed by LePage resulted from months of work by Maine’s power companies, solar advocates, the public advocate’s office and others. Over the long term it was expected to save electrical customers $110 million and create 650 new jobs. This is three times the number of jobs lost when Madison Paper closed. CMP supports this plan and the public advocate’s office says it will save customers money. Why isn’t LePage embracing energy independence, 650 new jobs and a savings of $110 million?

LePage needs to get out of the way of Maine’s future economy.

Alan Tibbetts  (Sidney, Maine)