Do you ever wonder what the other side’s playbook looks like in Augusta? Well, recently we got our hands on the Maine People’s Alliance’s candidate questionnaire, and what it reveals is truly shocking.
While it comes as no surprise that the organization is behind some of the most egregious job-killing policies in recent state history, the goals outlined within the questionnaire prove to be way out-of-touch with the vast majority of Mainers, regardless of political affiliation, yet this organization acts as the not-so-silent driving force behind the policy agenda of liberal leaders in Augusta.
- Do you support the current citizen’s initiative to incrementally raise the minimum wage to $12/hr by 2020, index it to cost of living and gradually increase the minimum wage for tipped workers until there is one fair minimum wage for all workers?
- Do you support making health care a human right through a single-payer healthcare system?
- Do you support fully funding pre-K through 12 public education by establishing a 3% surcharge on income over $200,000?
- Do you support debt-free higher education at our public colleges and universities?
- Do you support universal paid family and medical leave?
- Do you support universal childcare and homecare for seniors and people with disabilities by removing the loophole that exempts income over $118,500 from Social Security payroll taxes?
- Do you support accepting federal funds to provide MaineCare to over 70,000 people,especially to address substance use disorder?
- Do you support investing in solar energy, through policies like LD 1649 considered this year?
- Do you support investments in Maine’s local foods economy, such as for food hubs and other infrastructure?
- Do you support state funding for municipal immigrant integration centers?
- Do you support ranked choice voting?
- Do you support fully funding the 2015 Clean Elections reform passed by voters?
- Do you support closing loopholes that let corporations hide income in off-shore tax havens?
- Do you support expanding the HOME fund by increasing the real-estate transaction tax on properties worth more than a million dollars?
- Do you support access to safe, legal abortions through public insurance programs like MaineCare?
- Do you support legislation that prevents employers from inquiring about applicants’ criminal records if the crime is not relevant to the position?
- Do you support requiring insurers to cover transition-related health care for Mainers who are transgender?
- Do you support General Assistance for asylum seekers?
- Do you support eliminating a legal status requirement for driver’s licenses?
- Do you support taking legislative action to undo the administrative changes Gov. LePage made to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that caused Mainers to lose food assistance?