Even if you haven’t been watching the news lately (or even if you live under a rock in New Hampshire) it's hard to avoid Governor Paul LePage.
People are talking about Maine's new governor. He's upsetting some people while uplifting others, and he's not even close to finishing his first 100 days in office. The first 100 days are sort of a benchmark for governors and presidents. LePage looks like he's doing a 100-yard dash instead of a mile.
Our new governor is outgoing. He's not media-friendly, but he's not media-shy, either. He has spoken on many controversial issues already.
The fun began during LePage's campaign for governor. (He ran under the Republican Party ticket against Libby Mitchell, a Democrat, and Eliot Cutler, an Independent; LePage won with 38 percent of the vote.) Maine newspapers had fun with headlines such as “LePage tells Obama to go to hell.” Also during the campaign, LePage said he does not object to requiring the teaching of creationism in public schools.
Early into his term LePage said he refused to be “held hostage” by special interest groups. He refused to take part in Martin Luther King Day events or meet with the Maine representatives of the NAACP. He told newspapers to “Tell them they can kiss my butt.” He was referring to the NAACP. His comments sparked outrage, with civil rights leaders calling his remarks “astonishing and troubling.” The governor said he can prove he's not a racist because he has an “adopted” son who is not white. Unfortunately, the adoption paperwork has never been filled out. Fortunately, the young man is still considered part of LePage's family. LePage eventually met with NAACP representatives and tried to “make nice.”
Another hot issue was the hiring of LePage's daughter, Lauren LePage. Paul made her an assistant chief of staff with a pay of about $41,000 despite limited experience. State laws applying to nepotism did not apply to this matter. Critics of the hiring noted that Lauren LePage is earning a salary higher than trained many police officers and teachers.
Governor LePage has made some his biggest media splashes on health care issues.
He called for a repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is the bedrock of the federal health care reform laws passed by Congress a year ago. Among the law's many features is that it helps patients with pre-existing conditions get health insurance coverage. LePage called for a repeal of the act and called it “unconstitutional.” He has asked Maine’s attorney’s general to back him up and challenge the law. He also does not believe in MaineCare (Maine's Medicaid program, which helps low-income people with health insurance) because, he says, it can be too easy to join or qualify for.
LePage opposes same-sex marriage. He says civil union couples get the same legal standing.
Very recently a study has found that in baby bottles there are organic compounds, called Bisphenol A (BPA), which contain toxins. These hormone-disrupting compounds have been found in everyday items such cash register receipts, canned food and baby bottles. Expressing his skepticism, LePage joked that “the only bad thing about BPA is that it might give women little beards.” This did not go over well.
Seems like it's only a matter of time before the governor says something that upsets a lot of people. It would be foolish to dismiss him, however, because of one important issue that he is staking his reputation on: Maine's business climate. LePage wants to make Maine a more business-friendly state so that we can have more jobs and more opportunity for young people. Who can argue with that?
A spokesman for LePage has said this about the governor: "He's got a directness about him that a lot of people find appealing." If Maine's economy improves dramatically on LePage's watch, it may not matter how many people find the governor's comments unappealing.
*Photo credits to http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Maine/photos*
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