Distraction or delivery? What Mainers expect from Augusta | Column

As lawmakers return to Augusta, Mainers are asking practical, urgent questions at their kitchen tables: How do we afford housing? Can we find child care we trust and can afford? How much more expensive will groceries, electricity, health care and heating oil get this year?

These questions shape whether young families can stay in Maine, whether older Mainers can age with dignity, and whether our communities remain strong and connected. Too often, the political conversation drifts away from these realities and toward clickbait, outrage and national talking points that do little to improve people’s lives.

In the Legislature this session, we face a choice. We can engage in politics of distraction — or we can focus on delivering real, measurable progress for Maine people. You can’t eat a soundbite.
Distraction politics thrives on headlines. It centers on issues that provoke fear, anger or division, but rarely results in tangible policy solutions that lower costs or strengthen communities. We’ve seen this pattern play out repeatedly.

While Americans recently received the worst kind of sticker shock with skyrocketing health care premiums, our federal administration has not acted to create any relief. Instead, they are focusing on petty attempts to divide Americans rather than work on solutions. Instead of fixing our economy, we see repeated attempts to vilify others via tweet or direct political attack.

We see this same fear-driven approach in rhetoric around ICE and immigration enforcement. Immigration enforcement is largely a federal responsibility, yet inflammatory propaganda about immigrants and refugees is becoming increasingly used to score political points here at home. That kind of rhetoric doesn’t lower rent, expand child care or help a single Maine family pay their heating bill. What it does do is create panic — in workplaces, schools and neighborhoods — undermining the sense of safety and belonging that strong communities depend on.

Maine has long benefited from newcomers of all walks of life who work hard, raise families and contribute to our economy. Turning neighbors into political targets is not a governing strategy.

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It’s a distraction.

Even national and international flashpoints — from unnecessary, expensive involvement in other countries’ affairs to partisan culture wars — have been pulled into Maine’s legislative conversation. These issues may dominate cable news, but they do not belong at the center of a session that should be focused on affordability and opportunity. Again, the litmus test is simple: Does this help a Mainer afford a home? Does it make child care more accessible? Does it lower everyday costs? Does it help us thrive?

If the answer is no, then we should ask why it’s consuming so much time and energy.

That’s why my Democratic colleagues and I are focused on an agenda centered on affordability. Our “Lower Costs, Stronger Communities” package is about delivering tangible results: making child care more affordable for families and employers; expanding access to housing; supporting first-time homebuyers; easing the burden of grocery costs, energy costs and everyday household costs; and protecting food security for those who need it most.

These are not flashy proposals, because Mainers don’t need more politicians overpromising and underdelivering. These are measures meant to make it easier for people to stay in Maine, raise families here and build stable lives long term.

Governing is not about who can dominate the news cycle. It’s about who actually shows up ready to solve problems. Distraction and bullfighter-type politics may be loud, but they rarely produce results. Substantive progress — the kind that helps people get ahead, not just get by — requires focus, empathy and a willingness to do the hard work.

At the end of the day, we will always have far more in common than what divides us, and lasting success comes from policy solutions that reflect that shared reality. Mainers deserve leaders who keep their eyes on what matters most. As this session moves forward, I hope we choose delivery over distraction — and results over rhetoric.

Mattie Daughtry represents state Senate District 23, Brunswick, Chebeague Island, Freeport, Harpswell, Pownal and part of Yarmouth in the Maine Senate. She also serves as Maine’s Senate president. She can be reached at [email protected] or 207-287-1515.

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Tagged: maine legislature, Times Record, Times Record Community

Source: Press Herald

Locations: Augusta, Brunswick

Region: Central