Governor LePage Suggests Maine’s Unemployed Residents Prefer Collecting Benefits Over Finding Jobs; Democratic Lawmaker Fires Back

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Democratic lawmaker says he’s upset by Gov. Paul LePage’s suggestion that many of Maine’s unemployed residents would rather collect benefits than find a job.

Andrew O’Brien of Lincolnville says he’s been trying to meet with the Republican governor since LePage made his remarks last week with no success.

Instead he sent an open letter to LePage on Wednesday asking him to spend time at career centers to learn more about the experiences of the unemployed. He said LePage should listen to “job seekers,” not just “job creators.”

O’Brien says it took him several months to find a job.

A spokeswoman for LePage tells The Portland Press Herald that while the governor is sympathetic to Maine residents looking for work, some people are taking advantage of the system.

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Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

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Posted by erik devaney on Nov 3 2011. Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry