In Julie McDonald-Smith’s column about “what the press won’t tell you about Paul LePage,” she lists what she views as a number of his accomplishments. She quotes his vision for the future, which sounds reasonable, but does not tell how he will bring it to fruition.

We should all know that government does not create jobs, but she implies that 8,000 jobs were created by LePage and not by employers. She does not indicate how many of these pay a living wage and benefits, and how many are minimum- wage. She states that he paid back hospitals, but does not say that they will again incur debt because LePage does not support the expansion of Medicaid. These folks will still get care, but no one will pay for it, so hospitals will absorb some costs and shift some to others.

LePage cut taxes. The average person saved only a few dollars, while those at the top received a cut of $2,000 or more. The claim was made he saved the pension system. He did this by cutting benefits to retirees, who depend on their promised benefit to have a reasonable retirement.

When he proposed his tax cut, he never said how it would be paid for, what programs would be cut, or who would suffer.

It depends on your perspective whether or not many of his accomplishments are good or bad for the people of Maine.

Stan Tetenman
Poland