Comment: On the poor and elderly. from Lewiston Me by JAC

Comment: I think for starters that they should give me and all the other state workers a bonus and my pay raise. I Think that the state needs to hire more people, more offfice support people as we are so short staffed. It is not right to make me work as hard as I do with only 2-15 minutes break a day and a 1/2 hour lunch!!!! TheState needs to hire more people that will help with unemployment and things will get done a little faster...I want a raise for all I do! from Maine by Shelly

Comment: TAXPAYER FIRST NEED RELIEF FROM ALL TAXES SO WE CAN LIVE Can't earn a living wage in this State-so first bring all wages up to LIVING WAGES-if we all earned living wages-you would have plenty from the overtaxed Maine worker Thank you from Windham ME by Joanne

Comment: We need to address highways, roadways, and bridges ASAP. Only with better transportation systems will we be able to move tourists in and out of our state. If there's room for school spending, we need to get funding to our schools to address school accreditation issues. from Biddeford by D

Comment: Don't we ALL pay a state gas tax? That tax revenue was put in place to pay for road repairs in the state, am I missing something here? This is another reason why this spendulus package is a very bad idea. We all ready have the money to do the repairs, its to bad the state is fiscal irresponsible. from raymond by jim

Comment: First of all, I disagree strongly that this money belongs to either the federal or state government. This money comes directly from those of us that pays taxes. And in my opinion, this money should go directly back to the taxpayers. Whatever money the state of Maine gets should be given back to the taxpayers. If the objective is to stimulate the economy, then giving people more money to invest or spend should do the trick. from South Portland / ME by James

Comment: Give it to the people. Our government has already proven it cant spend it responsibly. from livermore,me by l

Comment: Fixing our roads and bridges and I mean in the rural areas. I am so tired of seeing big pot holes that ruin my tires. by fran

Comment: the money should be returned so that we won't owe any in the future. from dresden by crystal

Comment: well, that is a great question. I can start with where not to spend it. first, DO NOT spend it on welfare or other broke social programs. those programs have wasted enough of the tax payers money. The money would be best spent on road repair (seeing how maine roads are recked every winter) employing many maine workers. Next, use the money for tax breaks to entice more and better businesses to the state. Also get rid of the excise tax on cars. That can put $500 or more into Mainer's pockets every year. I'm sure that many other people have great ideas also, but let's not fight over the money and work together to get Mainers better on their feet. from Westbrook by Matt

Comment: We'll since maine raised everyones taxes so much last year it should pay off everyone's property/land taxes for 1 year to help them save money so they can spend it on things in Maine. Spend some on cleaning up maines act by removing all the litter, garbage all over maines scenic back roads!! from Oakland Maine by Rocho

Comment: schools from Auburn by Guy

Comment: "TAX BREAKS"!!!!! from oobme by jim

Comment: on the very poor SS recepints can't make it without help in this ecom. from Lewiston by Brian

Comment: I think the first priority should be roads and bridges. The roads in Maine are crumbling at an alarming rate, especially the rural roads that we ALL drive on at some point. After that, tax relief for residents. Excise taxes should be eliminated entirely or reduced yearly so that older cars, say 8 years or older, should be exempt from the repeated excise tax. If there is any money left, hire some more police officers so they can sit and monitor red lights and catch all the color blind drivers who can't seem to tell a red light from a green light. They will pay for themselves in no time. from Kennebunkport, ME by Bud

Comment: The money should be used for our infrastructure, our roads and bridges are bad, but put people to work who belong in the country first,no illegal immigrants,please! from oob by Babs

Comment: I think some of the money should go towards rehabilitating people that are on disability...they can still work...but at a different level according to their disability... from Buxton, Maine by Laurie

Comment: Maine should not accept any of the money. This is going to hurt us. Just watch. from Canton by Ron

Comment: give it to the iraqi sencondary imigrints and all the bleedin hearts clubs along with the tree huggers or any women that wants to have eight babys from scarboro by d mulen

Comment: I think they shuold use the money for schools. Because some schools are old and they might need some big repaers done. so that schools will look updated. And they can use money for Jobs too. from ME by sophie

Comment: Give it to Senators Snowe and Collins- They will need it- no republicans will ever vote for them again. GIVE IT BACK from Boothbay by John

Comment: Fix old bridges from ME by Dan

Comment: Jobs and Unemployment from Greenwood ME by Jason

Comment: Public works projects are always welcome but I find it hard to believe the pond at Deering Oaks Park would take priority over many, many Portland streets in dire need of repair. from Portland by Rob

Comment: ROADS!!! ROADS!!! ROADS!!! from Durham, Me. by Tammi

Comment: Roads&bridges education,put into law that Mainers pay exsize tax on purchased price not sticker price from vassalboro by Eddie

Comment: school's school's school's here in Brunswick field trips are out. school's say no money from Brunswick Me by Jay

Comment: Maine should take 50 percent of the money they get and put it into savings because every spending project they have will run double the estimated cost and that way there, they won't have to come at us with bond proposal in a couple of years to finish the wastefull spending that is upon us. from SIDNEY MAINE by DAVID

Comment: I think that Maine should consider spending the money on electric infrastructure so we can get away from money hungry oil companies then sell the power Maine generates to other states. Solar power is the best way to go seeing it's renewable and doesn't seem to have a bad impact on the Earths atmosphere I think Maine should also spend money helping the homeless and the less fortunate seeing they seem to get the short end of the stick. from westbrook, me by jason

Comment: It is time for Maine to stop playing games, take back it's State rights under Artcles nine and ten of the US Constitution and sell off some of the states huge land assets to pay the bills, jump start the economy and get some land back on the tax rolls. from Harrison, Maine by Rev. Bob

Comment: They shouldn't. The people should be getting that money. Let us pay off our debts with the money. It won't be as much. We aren't going to see a penny of that stimulis package except up our butts. from Westbrook, Maine by Frank

Comment: I feel that we should use this money to help those struggling with their homes such as the heating oil, mortgages, electricity, ect. We should also consider the education funding , especially retraining programs for new jobs, so that those of us that have been unemployed may find a new career. We also need to assist our hospitals and heath care places. from Sanford, ME by Tracy

Comment: Don't Let Baldacci put his hands on it, he will only use it to balance his general fund to make himself look better as he has done with so many other funding mechanisms, such as 911 funding, State Retirement Health funds, and others. If Baldacci gets his hands on it, the money will never end up where it is earmarked for. The money needs to be given to the communities to best determine what roads need repairs. For all we know Baldacci will make sure that the roads in his home town are repaired, and the rest of the BILLIONS will be used again to bail out his lack of management of government funds. They should use the school and community funding formulas to give back to towns and ease the property tax burdens in communities. from West Baldwin, ME by Jay

Comment: How about repairing/replacing the two draw bridges between kittery, maine and NH. The memorial bridge has been reduced to a 20 ton limit, and continues to reach a level past repairability. The middle (rt1 bypass) bridge has so much rust in it's structure that is easily seen by the top deck..there are rust holes in the guard rails so big they wouldn't handle a hit by a bicyclist. Losing these two bridges would destroy the local economies of kittery and portsmouth, these two towns would simply be bypassed using I95, I think this is a little more important than parking garages and such. from Kittery, Maine by James

Comment: How do we spend money we don't have? No one I have talked with feels good about this stimulus plan. We are going to pay a big price for this foolishness. from Saco by Richard

Comment: My Comment is directed at Shelley state worker. Most people work as hard if not harder than you do and we get 2 15 min breaks and a 1/2 hour lunch. Glad that state workers think they are above and beyond any average worker..how dare you complain. Do your job and get over it. from Maine by Chris

Comment: Give more to the people,Let us spend it.We can help the economy , boosting up sales.The last check we got I believe went to he oil companies . Everyone I know filled up believing the prices would get higher by winter. by Diane

Comment: First...to Shelly some where in Maine, don't be so ungrateful. I'm sure all the people in the state who are currently unemployed really feel sorry for your small amount of breaks you get each day. At least you have a job!! Secondly, the Stimulus Package as a whole is way off the mark. I worked on a package for approx. 1 month, and presented it to Senator Collins office. After emails with her staffers and a meeting cancelled by her office, I had a 40 minute phone discussion with her appropriations staffer. It is obvious that my plan didn't go any where. Probably because it made too much sense. Even though it still would have cost something, it would have helped nearly all Americans, in one way or another, and would have cost less. If anyone in your office would like to sit down and talk about "my plan", let me know. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Michael Van Tassel from Minot by Michael

Comment: The money should be spent on improving schools, repairing our miserable roads, and financing renewable energy projects - like wind, solar, wood, and tidal power. from Winthrop by Gary

Comment: The state should help businesses hire all out of work people to rebuild roads, parks and other infastructre. This will encourage other businesses to move to Maine and give those workers self-respect and valuable job skills. from Saco by Ted

Comment: If the law would allow and it were a "shovel ready" project, we should put the money into adding to our highway infrastructure. Maine needs an East-West highway and a new highway that comes off of 95 to service Fort Kent. This would create better transportation and economic stimulus within the state. People want less taxes but they are unwillingly to adapt to the current times. You have to give in order to take. Invest in the future and not react to the past! That is my motto and I hope others pick up on it too! from Gorham by Shonn

Comment: Again people want to spend the money on things that are not necessary at this time like parks for dogs, a washer to wash buses, skateboard park,and to build another parking garage in Lewiston. What they should be worried about is fixing their streets there is not one in the city that is driveable..Again spending the money on not important issues and waisting the money once again..This is not a free ride people this economy is in trouble we are trying to put people back to work not have them walk their dogs...Be real from Gray, Maine by Irene

Comment: Create more decent payimg jobs here in the state for everyone including those who did not have the chance to go to college. Give tax rebates to all including the elderly and the many single workers who often have nearly as many expenses as the families. The single people trying to make a living seem to be left ouy of some of these programs. from Maine by L.

Comment: The money should go into the education system. Affordable housing should also be a top priority. from Bath by T

Comment: PLease tell me who benifits from putting all that money into roads and bridges? A few Big companies and those politicians who benifit from those companies getting these jobs. That is a very small percentage of our states workforce. That is if the state even awards these jobs to a Maine based company and not some out of state low bidder. As we all already know we cannot trust the state to use our money wisely. First we need to reduce the size of the state government, Give the money back to those of us who pay tax. So that we can stimulate our economy. Giving more money to unresponsible government agencies and big buisness is NOT what we should do. from Maine by Peter

Comment: Knowing this state's history, I'm sure it will be spent on more social services and not given back to the middle class where it belongs! by Chad

Comment: JOBS ! JOBS ! JOBS ! from Avon by Randall

Comment: I think they should spend the money on education. Our children need more art, music, and sports programs. When we cut those programs, we are only hurting our children's chance to recieve a well rounded education. ~F from Dresden Maine by Felicia

Comment: IT STILL SURPRISES ME THAT WE CAN FIND MONEY TO GIVE TO THE LEACHES OF SOCIETY BUT WE CAN'T HELP ELDERLY VETERANS HEAT THEIR HOMES. WHERE IS THE RELIEF FOR THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNER WHO WANTS TO WORK BUT ISN'T AND CANNOT RECEIVE UNEMPLOYMENT? from GORHAM by RY

Comment: Send it back. AM one of Maine's retired baby boomers and there is not a tax incentive that will help me keep up with the increased cost of living. My husband is a retired GM employee and already has just had a portion of his health benifits taken away, increased cost of prescriptions, added a monthly cost deducted form his check each month, as well as new added annual deductibles, and hav ebeen told they will no longer pay for any cost of a hospital bill that our Medicare won't pay for. Will I be next waiting in line for a job bagging groceries to make ends meet? My husband can't because of a heart condition. from Nobleboro, ME. by Martha

Comment: We need to put people back to WORK, fixing roads, bridges, schools, put money into education for our kids, and helping the elderly. don't increase welfare benefits and stop paying overtime for state workers. they make more than they should. I THINK THEIR OVER PAYED AS IT IS. from auburn by mike

Comment: infrastructure is a main priority with maine roads & bridges in sad shape but if we spend money on schools / university systems maine could get a boost from the private sector wanting a educated workforce therfore they will have to build / remodel facilities that are lacking from Auburn , Maine by Mike

Comment: Terminal expansion at Portland International Jetport. Project is "shovel ready" and would finally address shortcomings at the current undersized terminal. Would provide over 300 jobs and give Maine a first class gateway to Vacationland. Finally! from South Portland, ME by Jim

Comment: State should pay the hospitals #1 monies owed for medicare/ keep hospitals and staff working!!!!!!! from Scarborough by Roxanne

Comment: i think that the money should be spent first on the people who lost their jobs and/or houses. it would be good to help the ones who lost the most first. from lewiston by cynthia

Comment: Only on jobs, Not paying for past debts. OK for Roads, bridges, shools, but never for any new programs. from Chelsea Me by Larry

Comment: AFTER READING SOME OF THE COMMMENT ON HERE THIS IS WHAT I HAVE TO SAY WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE OF US WHO HAVE LOST OUR JOB AND UNENPLOYMENT HAS RUN OUT AND THERE IS NO JOBS TO FIND . WE HAVE TO GO TO WELFARE. WE HAVE WORKED FOR YEARS WE HAVE PAID TAXES IS IT NOT WHAT THAT IS FOR . FOR HELP. I STILL NEED TO FEED MY FAMILY. HOW ABOUT THE OLD LIVING ON SSI THEY DO NOT MAKE MUCH AND THEY WORKED HARD ALSO DON'T THE DESIVE SOMETHING FOR A JOB WELL DONE. I THINK PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS DONE A JOB WELL DONE HE HAS JUST BEGONE TO FIGHT FOR US. GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO SHOW YOU WHAT CHANGE WILL REALLY BE YOU MIGHT JUST BE SUPRISED. from SANFORD MAINE by CHANGE FOR MAINE

Comment: I WOULD GIVE BACK MONEY TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO DID TAXES THIS YEAR LIKE THEY DID LAST YEAR.FROM WHAT I HEARD WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO GET A CHECK LIKE WE DID LAST YEAR. from SABATTUS/ME by BRIAN

Comment: MAKE SURE IT DOESNT GO INTO TOWN AND COUNTY OFFICIALS SALARY INCREASES, MAKE THESE TOWNS MORE PROPEROUS BY PUTTING THIS MONEY INTO THINGS THE TOWNS CAN USE NOT INTO THEIR PERSONAL BANK ACCOUNTS WHICH THEY WILL TRY TO DO! from SANFORD ME by VIEWER OF NEWS 13

Comment: It seems that the frist priority will be give themselves a big raise right off the top! from auburn me. by steve

Comment: Maybe repairing roads and bridges will provide job opportunities to some, but it will not help most of the unemployed. I think the focus should be on providing jobs and helping college students. What good are roads and bridges if people can't afford the gas to use them? People in Maine are having a difficult time right now. This money should be used to help taxpayers get back on their feet. from Lewiston, Me. by Laura

Comment: The Maine economy would flourish if this money was divided equally among all Maine TAX PAYING citizens. If we are going to fund roads and bridges then abolish the state gas tax and then use the $27B wisely for these improvements from Round Pond by Paul

Comment: First thing they need to do is to fix the problem that has put us in this position we are in. Get rid of the incompetent officials in Augusta. Yes, that starts with you Mr. Baldacci. Your state government has squandered away everything that your taxpayers have been paying for. The entire Maine State IRS should be fired. After we get rid of the problems, I think there are some very smart and determined individuals out there without jobs. We should start by employing some of them to fill these holes left behind by the incompetent legislature. Then and only then can we get to work on bringing jobs and money into this state. We have some very grave issues that need to be addressed. Start by bringing business into the state. The more business we bring in, the less tax burden on everybody. We need to freeze all these "feel good" initiatives until the state and communities are back on their feet. Whatever the plan, with the clown act that we have at the capitol, there will need to be some very strict oversight (babysitting). from Brunswick by Disgusted

Comment: On roads and bridges from Portland, ME by Barbara

Comment: Infrastructure first; our roads are worn out in most all directions which directly impact damage to our cars/trucks. from Livermore Falls,Maine by guy

Comment: Maine Income Tax relief to full-time Maine residents. from Whitefield, ME by Sherry

Comment: i don't agree w/ it to begin with but, money should used in way to create meaningful long lasting jobs. it shouldn'be used for anything else especialy on budget gaps from limington/ me by steve

Comment: jobs, lowering taxes from Saco by Chris

Comment: I think that the first thing that should happen is for the money to go to schools!!!!! The schools are so short staffed in the special ed programs and there are so many kiddos that need the extra help. Then worry about the roads... I also think that every tax payer in maine should get a small amount, and lets just forget about the salaried people. The higher ups make so much money to begin with that they don't know what to do with it all!!! from Augusta by Heidi

Comment: Give it to the people that work and have put up with The State B.S. for all these years. Our present state goverment will blow it all and we will still be in the red for years to come. from Wiscasset, maine by S.

Comment: Some money should be used to help small businesses start and grow. This creates jobs. Everyone would like to have a sizeable chunk put in their pocket but let's be realistic. Use the money on projects that create jobs and entice business to locate in Maine. Spending millions on welfare related stuff does not create jobs. NONE of this money should be used on wage/benefit issues unless it creates more jobs. This handout is supposed to be for jobs but I'll bet most of it will go to projects where the big get bigger and the small guys get the shaft...again. from North Berwick, ME by Dan

Comment: Infrastructure is where the money should be concentrated on. If more money is thrown into social programs, this could be a disaster in future years. This money is supposed to be a one time thing. Social programs (welfare, Medicaid/Medicare) are long term budget items. What happens when the money runs out? Then the overtaxed taxpayer is again told to fork over more. from Freeport by J

Comment: It would be nice if the stimulus trickled down to the general public. There are a whole lot of people who could use it to buy oil and other necessary things. from Otisfield, Me by Sharon

Comment: The money should go to the people who have no homes or money, the people who have to sleep on the streets day after day. There are so many homeless people around, its hard to believe. The money should go into building a large more capable homeless shelter since there are more people homeless than there are beds in the shelters. from lisbon, ME by Meagan

Comment: Give the money to the people who haven't missed a mortgage payment and were responsible enough to sign into fixed-rate mortgages but still struggle to put one meal a day on their table for themselves and their children. We are the people who can prevent any further damage, yet we receive nothing. from Waterboro, ME by Misty

Comment: I don't know why you are even asking this question. The state never has and never will do what the people want or need. Which is why the state budget is so messed up. have they figured out why businesses keep leaving Maine and have done anything about it? Of course not. We obviously need to fire all of them and rehire. No other place keeps you if you screw up, they fire you. The state is the last people who should be handling OUR money. The stimulus package is OUR money. But we will never see any of it. from Shalpeigh by Carol

Comment: We need to create jobs now, ramp up the rebuilding of our roads and put people to work. schools are becoming more and more outdated, lets use this money to keep maine people working. by Josh

Comment: The State of Maine is way behind on Education. We need to make sure our children get the proper tools and education to succeed once they graduate. More money NEEDW to be placed in schools to make sure we have the teachers, supplies and new technology needed to assure success for our children. from Greene, Maine by Tammy

Comment: Give it back. You sold out the American people and took other people's money because your democratic big spending liberal government can't balance it's budget. Barak Obama is a joke. He bought the Presidency. No experience and is totally incompetent. from Topsham by Wade

Comment: A TAX BREAK FOR ALL OF US!!!!!!! from Scarborough by K-

Comment: the state of maine will not hire these people laid-off the state will keep the money.and work the people in state sheds on overtine and any extras just to suck up the moneys IT WILL NOT HELP by judi

Comment: Where is the money coming from that is supposed to give every high school student a laptop next year from Winthrop, ME by Anne

Comment: fix the back roads !!! from casco by pat

Comment: I think they should start spreading the wealth to every working citizen of Maine! We need a bail out from being over-taxed and underpaid! from Poland Spring, Me by Nicole

Comment: To create jobs and for education from Wells, Maine by Denise

Comment: I think some should go to help the special needs people in our state being that the Gov. took some funds away from these people from them. they need it they can help it because of the way they are and they need our help and suport.... by L

Comment: to make schools better, and to make citys town and states better from greene,me by uriah

Comment: I think that we should be dealing with people who have no homes, no food and are living on our streets. We should be making sure that they have food and a warm place to sleep. We need to start taking care of our people and their basic humen needs from Gray by Barbara

Comment: I think a portion of that money should be spent on finding a new Govenor , one that knows what they are doing and HONEST !!!!!!! from saco , Maine by Skip

Comment: Wind and solar for government buildings and complexes. from Yarmouth by Peggy

Comment: This is another government plan that does not help the average American, it is geared towards people who have money, and not to the people who really need it. This is a disaster in the making. Mark my words, the country will be no better off for this stimulus package. I compare it to this: Let’s said I have just lost my job, I am behind on all of my bills, my credit rating is going down the toilet and I am about to lose everything. So what should I do? Well common sense would dictate that you need to save what you can and watch every penny you spend, but not the government, they think the way to get us out of debit is to spend more money? They say that this program will create millions of jobs, well the fact of the matter is that it will not. It will end up costing more jobs than it is going to create (I do not have the space here to explain, but I would love to) , and it is going to seriously change the face of the job market for years to come (and not in a good way). With all of that said, I think the state needs to use some of the money to reduce property taxes and help out the people that work and pay there taxes everyday. from Saco by David

Comment: set a side enough money to clear the clear zone on the interstate and other roads and then utilize the wood as a heating source for low income assistance or sell to supliment state budget. from Topsham by Melodie

Comment: SPEND? Why not invest? How can a company build windmills for profit,but the state can't.Maybe windmills,dams,and farms built by unemployed people of maine,to help the people of maine.Let's think self-sufficient.TAX AND SPEND DOESN'T SEEM TO WORK! from Casco by Dan

Comment: i think maine should spend the economic recovery stimulus plan on the poor and make sure each town can supply food and clothes to the poor, for people who can't work and has a hard time fending for themselves or can't afford food or clothes. from biddeford, maine by james

Comment: They can start with the sewer main and paving project for Main St. in Livermore Falls. The sewer lines are a century old and in danger of collapse and the street is in rough shape also. This is a project that has been kept on the shelf for several years by the state and needs to be done for us to attract businesses and jobs to our town. from Livermore Falls, ME by Leigh

Comment: oh yesha.... I love how some of you want the money to go back to the people...the same people who bought too big a house and ran up too much credit card debt. Yesha...you showed em how to do it didn't ya? NO! from Cape by The Steve

Comment: Dont waste it use it to cut the taxes on us citezens!!! But we all know the governer will waste it!!!! And then blame it on the SMOKERS!!!!!!!! from poland,me by Sean

Comment: i think they just opened the piggy bank and all the monies will be spent on all the wrong things , it really would need to be monitered very closely . from Biddeford, ME by Roger

Comment: i think that money should go to working parent to help with the rasieng cost of day care most parents i know send most of there paycheck on daycare. from chesterville by june

Comment: Give it to the hardworking citizens of Maine. We should not use it to increase and expand welfare programs. Maine should keep to the 5 year TANF limit set by the federal goverment.Instead we extened benefits to these peope after 5 years which comes out of Maine tax payers. If someone can't get their life together in that time then they don't deserve It. IT'S TIME MAINE STOPPED BEING THE STATE THAT PEOPLE COME TO BECAUSE WE HAND OUT WELFARE WHEN OTHER STATES STOP! An upset eligibility worker with the State of Maine! from Augusta, ME by Jim

Comment: Please don't fotget our most vulnerable.Housing and day programs for special needs can't be neglected. from Scarborough/ME by Frank

Comment: KEEP Baldacci's hands off it by Terry

Comment: Give each of us as homeowners credit towards our mortgages so that we can use the extra money for food and other utilities. from Portland, Maine by Andrea

Comment: Lay updated track North to Bangor from Portland to bring AMTRAK to that area.It will create jobs,save oil,and be great for tourism. Maybe after that, private enterprise will build on to the new track to provide rail service to the Maritimes and Montreal.Maine could do this. from Augusta/ME by Jim

Comment: The state should not accept the money from Harrison,Me by Douglas

Comment: I think that the law income people should be the first to get the stimulus money.It is that every time that there is money giving out by the state is alway for the high paid people and people that have enough money but the law income people get nothing. from Hollis Center, Maine 04042 by Marie Angel

Comment: Although tourism will be at a low for the next couple years, I would be in Maine's best interest to invest in Marketing and transportation. A rail to Bar Harbor and though Baxter would be a major step in the right direction. from Gray, ME by Kris

Comment: We should be able to multitask and start using all the money that the plan assigned for states like Maine immediately, since we have a backlog of shovel ready infrastructure projects, (Roads and Bridges), long standing needs in our schools, and with recent job losses, unemployment payments and COBRA, etc., improvements in energy efficiency in government buildings and homes, maintenance of state and local police forces, sheriff's department, and fire fighters where layoffs may have been in the works due to reduced revenues. Thank you to Senators Snow and Collins for their hard work. from Turner, ME by Garrick

Comment: help with peoples credit problems.i know if i was not credit problem i would spend more and that would help with business . from Portland by Steven

Comment: Please fix our roads. When roads are in good condition, vehicles cost less to operate overall, there is safe passage, consumers spend less time, money and aggrevation. from New Sharon

Comment: give it back to the kindergarten students we are stealing it from. do you really believe this is "free money?" from bethel by ron

Comment: ROADS, the ones in Auburn are horrible !! from Auburn by Debbie

Comment: I say first of all, we should put our school budgets back on track, fix some roads and make sure our poorer folks are getting by OK. Lets not spend it foolishly like we do our general fund money. from Harrison by Kip

Comment: Bringing schools back to where our children can recieve the best education. Also fix the roads, fix our towns so they are running more smoothly. from Lewiston by Tina

Comment: I FEEL THE MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT CREATING JOBS FOR PEOPLE AND NOT BAILING OUT DHHS or the state IN THE PAST THEY COULD NOT ACCOUNT FOR MILLIONS LOST IT WAS SHOVED UNDER THE CARPET AND NEVER HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR IT THE STATE NEEDS TO CUT BACK ON HOW MANY PEOPLE THEY EMPLOYEE IN OFFICES LIKE MAINE CARE CONTRACTS OUT A COMPANY TO FIND REASONS TO DENY HEALTH CARE TO ONES WHO NEED IT THE STATE DOES NOT NEED MORE MONEY THEY SHOULD LEARN TO BALANCE THERE BOOKS AND CUT SOME OF THE ONES THAT MAKE 200,000 A YEAR THE MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT ON THE PEOPLE AND WHAT ABOUT THE ONES THAT DID NOT MAX OUT THERE HOME EQUITY AND HAVE NOT LIVED ABOVE THERE MEANS AND STILL HAVE IT TOUGH TO KEEP IT TOGETHER THERE IS NO PAT ON THE BACK FOR THE ONES THAT HAVE GONE DOWN TO ONE INCOME HOUSE HOLD AND CUT CORNERS TO MAKE ENDS MEET THE BANKS SHOULD NOT OF LEND MONEY KNOWING PEOPLE WOULD OF LOST IT IN THE FIRT PLACE THE BANKS SHOULD EAT THE LOSS AND THE CAR INDUSTRY NEEDS TO REBALANCE THERE BOOKS TO MERGE ALL COMPANYS TOGETHER AS ONE DOWN SIZE LIKE EVERY ONE ELSE THE MONEY GOES TO THE PEOPLE NOT THE BUSINESS WHO CAN NOT ACCOUNT FOR THERE SPENDING TAX CUTS FOR SMALL BUSINESS AND INCREASE SSDI AND HELP THE ELDER POPULATION EVERY LARGE CORP HAS THERE HAND OUT IF IT WAS THE LITTLE GUY THEY WOULD FILE BANRUPSTY SO THESE COMPANYS NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THERE OWN DOINGS MONEY WISE NO HAND OUT FROM THE GOVERMENT CUT OUT THE IDEA OF LIVING LIKE A KING from BRIDGTON by CATHY

Comment: SCHOOL, LAW ENFORCEMENT from BUXTON by HEATHER

Comment: Maine should look for economic development. Employing people instead of furthering or growing the number of people on welfare/unemployment should be given top priority and that doesn't mean hiring more 'state workers'! from SP, ME by S

Comment: I think that the State of Maine should look at all the possibilities before choosing healthcare. They haven't spent enough time looking at their other choices. They have to split the money. I have nothing against using some of the money for healthcare, but think about Education, Making New Jobs, and all the other stuff out there that we need to fix. Now, I'm only saying this because I tell the truth, but my parents work at a supermarket and they see plenty of people going through the lines with food stamps every day. I know Maine has quite a big population of poor people, but I see that some people use their food stamp for all of their week's groceries and other families have to go to the soup kitchen every day. They should spread the food stamps around. I think that fixing the roads would be a good use for some of the money. I ride in a vehicle and unless we're on the interstate it's bump, bumping away. - From a kid from Waterville, ME by Jordan

Comment: Shelly -ME Maybe you should be thankful you have a job. Most don't and would love to work your hours. They should reduce the tax burden on Maine residents. from Bath by Sherry

Comment: It starts with housing. Let's keep people in their homes if reasonable. Be creative with finances while still protecting the taxpayer in the long run. Also employ innocent, unemployed Consumer Finance Managers with 40 years experience... ME! from Pownal, ME by Walter

Comment: First of all, give the money to the taxpayers. Payoff all our mortgages, then the banks will have nothing to whine about. Too bad they won't be able to buy perks, etc. Get rid of the top brass at the banks and carmakers. They have proven how terrible they are at managing money. Let us not forget Augusta. Get rid of them all and start over. We have nothing to show for the last eight years. And please, let's not fund any more welfare programs. Get these people to work and off their behinds so that they can stop making babies that cost us taxpayers money. Most middle class people can't afford more than two children, yet these women have four or more and sponge off the state. They made their bed, let them sleep in it. Bottom line, return the money to the taxpayers......... from Arundel by P

Comment: Roads, bridges and small businesses from sanford by ruth

Comment: Repairing the streets in Portland!! The streets were horrible before today's storm, but I am sure now there will be even more potholes. from Portland, ME by Meghan

Comment: I don't know if this is allowed but I see one person responded by stating they would like a raise and more breaks.How many breaks does one need? I didn't get a raise at my job either. Lets all stop being greedy for a minute. I don't really have thoughts where the money should go but I know that some people are greedy!! from maine by bob

Comment: First, the State needs to pay its bills to the many businesses it owes, particularly Maine's hard-hit hospitals who have been waiting years for the state to pay them millions of dollars in promisted Mainecare payments. I was laid off from my hospital job because the hospital, like any business, cannot function without cash flow. from North Berwick, ME by Tracey

Comment: Give it all back to the tax payers! from Windham by Mr Black

Comment: First, help the schools with the State portion of their budget so that they keep from laying off teachers from Portland by Jonathan

Comment: Funds need to be spent in job re-training, education & job creation. Also, a lot of road & infrustructure work is now needed (in some cases very overdue). Road construction & road re-construction/rebuild-ing is badly needed, as many roads in Maine are in fair to very poor condition, along with many bridges too. from Cornish by David

Comment: i think we should improve our roads and bridges..Lets get good paying jobs back. from Oxford me by Heather

Comment: To all the morons on here who think they need more help where they work (Shelly). Be glad you have a job and quit whining. As for where the money should go, we should send it right back to Washington where it came from. This bill never should have passed and the best place for this money is right back where it came from. from Anytown by Maverick

Comment: Spend the money on Road and bridges and educational related construction projects from oob me by marc

Comment: Give it to us! it was ours first anyway! from Waterboro by Jason

Comment: Why not just give it to the people and complete our path to socialism! from Portland by j

Comment: I think that a special commitee should be formed,and report to the governor where they think that it will do the most good for our state. from Maine by Steve

Comment: We should give the money back to Mainers. But, to be spent in maine only. We need to bring maine back to where we were. We are already one of the highest taxed States. Besides being a wainter state we have heat to pay for so, let us stimulate ourselves. If the money was given to us and we have to pay it back. Ir needs to stay with us. by Concerned

Comment: Maine should put its funding into anything advancing educational resources. Other educational funding as well, misc things, The drop out rate has grown to far too fast in Maine, Other than that.... The roads... from Lewiston maine by Rob