I knew when I was writing my last post in support of MaineCare expansion that Governor LePage would get up in arms if Question 2 passed. Which it did. And he did.
The best way to address such predictability, along with the equally predictable, larger issue of our broken people’s referendum process is to turn to verse. Love the referendum process or hate it or both, it’s the law, and I think it’s high time — no pun intended — that our elected officials respected that fact while simultaneously working to make the process work better.
Many thanks to Clement Clark Moore for the inspiration — a little silliness is good for the soul:
A few nights before Christmas
And Thanksgiving too
Kwanza, Hanukah, the whole
Hullaballoo
The holiday stuff
Still tucked in totes with care
In hopes that healthcare and buds
Soon would be there.
And Mainers in fall garb
Not thinking about totes
Had just settled our brains
On how to cast our votes.
When out of the Blaine
There arose such a clatter
The governor said
Mainers’ votes just don’t matter.
Away from the voters
He flew like a flash.
There were hopes of healthcare
Needing to be dashed.
More rapid than eagles
His backers they came.
They’ve been so devoted we
Don’t need to name names.
As dry leaves that before
The wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle,
Mount to the sky,
So to the media
The rhetoric flew —
Foot dragging, not helping
When there’s a job to do.
In a twinkling the gov
Brought state money up.
When it comes to the poor,
It’s an empty cup.
But thoughts swirled in my head
Of money in excess
If weed legalization
Wasn’t a mess.
Maine could be dressed in green
From York to Aroostock
With ample state revenues
From the buds we pick.
Bundles of cash
Could be in our coffers—
Just think of the benefits
Our state could offer!
We’d have broad faces,
Happy, with nice full bellies
Laughing as the munchies
Have us reaching for jelly.
Then LePage could become
A right jolly old elf
Handing out healthcare access
In spite of himself.
In the wink of our eyes
And a twist of our heads
Caring for others
Would be nothing to dread.
If only our gov
Had gone straight to his work
With the legislature
No going berserk,
He could spring to his
Retirement secure knowing
That Maine’s healthcare report
Card soon would be glowing
The the gov could exclaim
Retiring out of sight,
“Good Healthcare to all
Revenues are alright!”