To the editor:
Many of you know I’m not a partisan guy. I don’t cast my vote based on party politics. For all the years that I’ve been honored to serve the people of Madawaska, I’ve always tried to do what was right for you, even if it meant breaking with party leaders. That’s why I was very surprised to see an attack on me that incorrectly said I voted for a Democratic tax reform package that was repealed by voters two years ago.
The truth is I split with my party then and voted against that tax reform package, not once but twice. Political attacks shouldn’t surprise anyone during a campaign season. But I do think it is important to get the facts right — especially when it’s as easy as checking the public record.
It’s hard to understand why anyone would blatantly lie about my record. The best explanation I can think of is that Republicans want to distract people from their poor record on job creation. Maine has 50,000 people looking for work. Nationally, we are one of only a handful of states where the economy slid backwards last year. While all of our neighboring states are emerging from the recession, Maine is still losing hundreds of jobs.
Republicans promised job creation. They haven’t delivered. Instead, we’ve seen them pass huge tax cuts for the rich, undercut teachers and our public schools, and allow insurance companies to raise rates by 500 percent on older, rural Mainers.
People in Madawaska can always count on me to stand up for them and to tell the truth.
Ken Theriault
D-Madawaska
