Maine

Maine Republicans
by Marcia Quizhpi

           Maine is a state located at the northeastern of the United States. It is the largest state of the six New England States. The area of Maine is 35,387 square miles. About 7% of Maine are covered by inland water, and 84% is covered by forest making it the largest portion forestland in any state. The capital of Maine is Augusta, the largest city is Portland. It has a population of 1,243,316 people living in Maine. Maine is best known for its eggs, potatoes, dairy products, and aquaculture. Its leading industries are service industries, manufacturing, and retail trade. Maine is most important minerals are sand, gravel, zinc, clays, peat and lead.
           Maine became the 23rd state to be added to the Missouri Compromise in 1820 after it was separated from Massachusetts. Maine is now the only state with an independent governor. During the 1996 elections Maine voted 52% for Bill Clinton a Democrate and 31% for Bob Dole a Republican. According to the 1994 elections only 909,000 people had the age to vote, 81.6% were registered to vote, but only 8.2% voted. The rest thought that their vote did not count or they did not have the time to go and vote. After a candidate gets four votes for the Electoral College he wins in the state of Maine, therefore, he can move on to another state. The system of government for Maine is the same as any other state; a governor can be in office only two terms. It has four representatives and two senators.
           Since the elections for the year 2000 are months away Maine now wants to be a Republican state. The candidates who are running for reelections are Senator Olympia Snowe and Junior Senator Susan Collins. They believe that the role of the government is to serve the people, not the people to serve the government. The Republicans support the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which is the right to bear arms, so that each citizen could be protected for any danger. The Republicans believe that it is fine to carry weapons if it is only use as protection. When it comes to education the Republicans assure that every child and adult in Maine will receive public education, and that the local government would control everything. The local government will be in charge of providing a safe learning environment and a drug free school for kids. The Republican Party wants to provide an affordable health care to all people. Especially for the elderly, people with mental illness, and people with developmental disabilities that can not take care of themselves. The Republicans think that each Maine citizen has the right to have some kind of health care plan no matter how much his or her income is. They think that all tax deduction should be the same for everyone. To the Republicans, family is considered the most valuable thing that exists. Therefore, the government should be a resource of protection to children who are threatened, abused, or neglected by a parent. They are willing to help them in one way or other as long as they are safe. Social Security is the main concern of many people that is why the Republican Party is willing to keep protecting that system. Another concern the citizens of Maine have is criminal activity. They believe that all alleged juvenile felony offenders should be tried as adults no matter how old they are. The party believes that crime control should not be done at the expense of the Constitution, but by the individual who needs it. The Republicans assure that the government will protect any property owned by a Maine citizen. Any violence of property will be the same as a violation of human rights. According to the Republican the owner of a property is the only one who could make any decisions about his land, the owner is considered being the principal conservation of the environment. The party encourages the development of less polluting and more efficent automobiles because it believes that a healthy environment is important for the families and future generations.
           Most of the citizens in Maine have high quality jobs created by the sector not by the government. During the year 1995, 316,000 men were employed, and 290,000 women were working. They worked an average 40 hours weekly and earned $13 hourly. The Maine Republican party seeks to decrease the amount of the state budget by adopting a prudent spending policy and adjusting rates on tax structures. Especially to individuals who have a low income tax rate, so that Maine would not have a reputation as an anti-business high tax state. The party believes spending should be reduced rather than taxes raised in case of a revenue shortfall. The party also wants to reduce the sales tax on things from six percent to five percent.
           The Maine Republican Party also believes in equal rights, equal justic, and equal opportunity for all no matter what race, creed, sex, and age. They also believe in free enterprise so that each individual would have an opportunity to succeed in life. The mission of the Maine Republican Party is to help Republican candidates win elected office from the school board to the White House to ensure that all children contiune to live in a state and a nation of opportunity for all.