As anyone who’s spent any time near a newsstand, a tv set, a radio, a computer terminal, a coffee shop or a barber shop has heard within the past few months, when offshore oil drilling rigs are erected there’s a significant danger of environmental disaster and economic devastation to nearby fishing and tourism industries.
As anyone who’s spent any time near a travel magazine and a map can figure out, the state of Maine’s economy relies heavily upon fishing and tourism. Without these two sources of income, the state would fall into a disastrous slump.
And yet when Republican candidate for Governor of Maine Paul LePage was asked the following question in a gubernatorial debate this May:
“Would you support offshore drilling in the waters off the Maine Coast?”
Paul LePage answered with just one word:
“Yes.”
If you live in Maine, I encourage you to take a moment when you find yourself at the side of a bay, down at the mouth of a harbor or on the shore of one of Maine’s many offshore islands. Take a breath of the fresh air and ask yourself, “Do I want an oil spill here?”
Ask yourself that question at least once before you cast a vote this November.
Right now, the man who’d bring offshore oil drilling to Maine is ahead 8 points in the polls.
How do you feel about Eliot Cutler?
To tell you the truth, I haven’t formed a solid of opinion of Eliot Cutler yet, Ross. I know I don’t like his support for charter schools in the abstract, and I know I like the sound of some of what he’s saying, but I need to learn more about what he really specifically means before I know how I’ll vote. I might vote for Cutler, I might vote for Elizabeth Mitchell, but I’m pretty darned sure I won’t be voting for LePage.
Let’s place a little gentlemens wager: i say it doesn’t matter who you vote for in this race, that once they’re in office they’ll be “persuaded” to allow offshore oil drilling and you say it won’t happen to whoever gets elected.