Maine governor and Man Who Somehow Got Elected Paul LePage is back in the news again for reasons that, as you might expect, aren't good.
Governor LePage's office sent a letter to members of an environmentalist group accusing them of keeping the people of Maine "mired in poverty."
Last week, LePage sent a letter to about 200 Natural Resources Council of Maine members saying the organization supports policies that undermine Maine’s manufacturing base and impede the growth of good-paying jobs. The letter, which followed weeks of LePage statements highly critical of the organization, concludes by saying that “your financial support of NRCM is costing rural Mainers good jobs and keeping them mired in poverty.”
How did LePage acquire the addresses of NRCM members? The governor's staff combed through public records requested by the governor's office and compiled a list of donors that he could address the letters to.
A spokesperson for the governor reportedly could not immediately say how much taxpayer money the governor's staff spent compiling a list of his political enemies.
Why would Governor LePage want to harass a group of conservationists in the first place? Because they've opposed the governor's plan to allow mining operations on pristine public lands. For this reason, among others, LePage has branded the group as "enemies" of the state.
It may go without saying, but opening up mining operations wouldn't lift anyone out of poverty nor would it boost manufacturing output.