Republicans lawmakers across the country have attacked public employees, cutting their wages, slashing their pensions and, in some cases, eliminating their bargaining rights.They all preach the need for fiscal austerity and budget belt-tightening.
In Maine, Gov, Paul LePage is neither practicing what he preaches nor tightening his belt. Even state employees are being forced to pay more in contributions for their pensions, one isn’t: LePage. He exempted himself from the new pension formula, reports Mike Tipping in the Kennebec Journal.
On top of that, Page's pension—unlike those of public employees—isn’t calculated on length of service but is automatic. He will receive three-eighths of his salary when he leaves office, $26,600. A teacher in Maine would have to work more than 25 years to get the same annual pension.
BTW: Over the past eight years, Maine's teachers and public employees already have been subject to more than $150 million in take-backs to their wages and benefits.
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