LePage’s (Maine Rep. Gov.) opposition to chemicals law draws criticism

[Maine-ah]

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/02/04/politics/458614/

AUGUSTA, Maine — It seemed like an issue upon which everyone could agree: protecting children from harmful chemicals in the products they use every day.

Yet less than three years after the “Kid-Safe Products Act” passed the Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support, the law has re-emerged as a political issue and a potential flash point in the coming debate over Gov. Paul LePage’s regulatory reform agenda.

Environmental and public health groups accuse LePage of putting the interests of chemical companies and toy manufacturers ahead of children by targeting a proposed ban on the use of bisphenol-A, or BPA, in children’s sippy cups and other consumer products sold in Maine.

“It runs afoul of common sense and it exposes the governor’s hypocrisy,” said Mike Belliveau, executive director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center. “He is supposed to be for the little guy, and here he is representing the big companies from out of state.”

[jpak]

1. LePage is a typical republic - he wants environmental regulations to be based on "sound science"

but when the science doesn't square with his ideology (or his cronies wishes) he ignores them.

Bisphenol-A

Global warming

Vernal pools

you name it.

and like all moran teabaggers, he wears his ignorance like a badge of honor.

yup

[atreides1]

2. I have a question

How is it that no one ever realized that there were so many pro-corporate, bigoted, mysoginistic voters in Maine, until now?

I don't live there, have enough asshats here in Virginia, and they gave us Crazy Ken and his Band of Bigots.

And mostly because a black man was elected to serve as President!

[Maine-ah]

3. split vote...3 candidates last election

he was elected with 38% of the vote.

[jpak]

4. LePage won with only 38% of the vote in a multi-candidate field

and the anonymous posters in the comments sections of Maine papers are paid operatives of the Maine Heritage Foundation that live in their mommy's basements.

They are not the majority in Maine - not by a long shot.

[Vinca]

5. Last night my brother called me from his home in Portland, Maine.

He's beside himself over LePage. The guy is a grade A nut. He (my brother) blames the Democrat in the primary on LePage's win. He said there was a fairly strong (and decent) Independent candidate and a weak Democratic candidate. Apparently a relative or associate of the Dem candidate undertook a smear campaign which was all untrue about the Indie candidate. He said the Indie candidate almost won despite the smears, but the nut edged him out. Too bad. Maine is a great state and this character is going to do a lot of harm.

[Maine-ah]

6. the indie was also a former democrat.(Cutler)

and the democrat (Mitchell) should have dropped out. It was a pretty tight race in the end, I thought Cutler was going to make it, but LePage squeaked through.

[jpak]

7. I voed for Libby absentee, but wished I could have that one back

:(

[Crystal Clarity]

10. The smear campaign came from a loser of the Dem primary.

Not the winner of the Dem primary herself (aka Libby Mitchell, the Dem candidate for the general election). The smear campaign came from a woman by the name of Rosa Scarecelli who had lost the Dem primary to Mitchell.

BTW, Mitchell was NOT "a weak candidate"... Her credentials were impeccable. Unfortunately, the very thing that made her an excellent candidate (years of political experience in Maine politics) worked against her due to the 2010 election's emphasis against "career politicians". Sad, because in nearly any other year, her amazing record would have been a strong point, not a detriment.

I ended up voting for the independent because for me, it came down to 'anyone but LePage', but he wasn't my first choice by a long shot. IMO we had an excellent Dem. candidate for Gov. but it just wasn't her year.

[Vinca]

12. Thanks for more info. My brother isn't the political junkie that I am

so I'm not surprised he didn't get the story right.

[northernlights]

11. Mitchell should have dropped out.

She had no chance to win and ended up being the spoiler. I blame her and the die-hard, party line voters who left us with this disaster of a teabaggovernor.

I was going to vote for Mitchell, in spite of her horrible tv ads, which really turned me off. But I held out to see who had the best shot.

[TeeYiYi]

8. The man's name is synonymous with mucilage...

TYY :D

[jpak]

9. He's also synonymous with ignorant anti-environment dumbfuckery

yup