Justin Alfond: "We do not have to disparage our workforce, our schools, denigrate our state, or put down the very qualities that make Maine special."
Democrats say getting Mainers back to work will be a top priority, saying 50,000 Mainers are still unemployed, and even more Mainers are underemployed or lack the skills for a better future.
Republicans say job creation was their top priority these last two years. Senator Roger Katz says it's nice to see democrats join the party.
Senator Roger Katz: "The kinds of reforms we put in place last year are now just beginning to work. We had 7,000 new jobs created in the last year or so. So they're starting to work and we want to continue to build on that."
Democrats want to put more money into public education, and not siphon money away from Maine's public schools to give to charter schools. Democrats also say they intend to stop the skyrocketing cost for health insurance in the state.
But the first order of business will be to deal with somewhere in the neighborhood of a $150 million budget shortfall from lost revenues and out of control Mainecare spending.
Without question, this will be a critical legislative session. But the fact is, with these massive budget shortfalls the state now faces, state agencies will have to learn to do more with less.
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