Lepage vetoes heroin treatment, tells addicts to just die already

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

"Maine Gov. Paul LePage To Heroin Addicts: Drop Dead" - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2016/04/20/maine-governor-paul-lepage-heroin-addicts_n_9752250.html

Maine, why did you elect this foul man...

[This account no longer in use.]

Would it be possible to impeach this 'human'?

[DC Al Fine]

The headline does not match up with what Lepage said.

[Classic Conservative]

As someone who has a cousin addicted to drugs can he go  himself.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

As someone who has a cousin addicted to drugs can he go  himself.

I have a brother who is in rehab recovering from heroin; to be fair, LePage did not literally say "drop dead" but this veto is senseless.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Piece of s**t.

[Intell]

Maybe he should die himself.

[Lyin' Steve]

As soon as I saw HuffPo in the URL, I knew he didn't say that.  But even I was shocked by the level of sheer stupidity in the article.
We need to ban HuffPo.

For those who don't want to give HuffPo the clicks, all he did was ban a particular drug that he thinks does nothing to help addicts, and he issued a perfectly mature and bureaucratic-sounding statement.  The 12-year-old author inserted the "drop dead", the tagline says "no seriously, that's pretty much what he said."

Wulfric, you damn fool, shame on you for creating this thread and shame on you for reading the Huffington post.

[Indy Texas]

At least LePage is being consistent in his denigration of drug addicts.

Unlike the rest of the Republican Party, which wanted to be "tough on those drug-using hooligans" for 50 years until the hooligans started to be white people in the suburbs, who of course must be treated with compassion and second/third/fourth chances.

[MaxQue]

I don't understand why Democrats don't prepare impeachment. Or bills to create it.

[Derpist]

As soon as I saw HuffPo in the URL, I knew he didn't say that.  But even I was shocked by the level of sheer stupidity in the article.
We need to ban HuffPo.

For those who don't want to give HuffPo the clicks, all he did was ban a particular drug that he thinks does nothing to help addicts, and he issued a perfectly mature and bureaucratic-sounding statement.  The 12-year-old author inserted the "drop dead", the tagline says "no seriously, that's pretty much what he said."

Wulfric, you damn fool, shame on you for creating this thread and shame on you for reading the Huffington post.

[Torie]

The headline does not match up with what Lepage said.

It seems accurate enough to me. He's saying let them die, assuming they will die later from another overdoes. It is outrageous - and ignorant. What are the statistics that someone saved from an overdoes, dies later from an overdose? What are the odds? Whatever the odds, what he did shocks the conscience - at least my conscience. And it is not as if a ton of money is involved either.

[Reaganfan]

I don't understand why Democrats don't prepare impeachment. Or bills to create it.

You cannot impeach someone just because you disagree with their policies. This is why I roll my eyes at stupid conservatives who say "Impeach Obama!" No matter how much you disagree, no laws were broken. We have to stop this already.

[Blue3]

He refused to swear in a new member of the legislature, just because! Partisan balance wasn't at stake, it was nothing personal, there was no consequence, it was just a sign of disrespect.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

He refused to swear in a new member of the legislature, just because! Partisan balance wasn't at stake, it was nothing personal, there was no consequence, it was just a sign of disrespect.

That isn't a crime.

[Virginiá]

I don't understand why Democrats don't prepare impeachment. Or bills to create it.

Well, Democrats do not control the State Senate, and even if they did, it takes 2/3rds majority to convict. Republicans wouldn't sign off on something like that unless it was so serious that they had no other choice.

On that note, LePage seems like an asshole of the highest order and a man prone to very questionable practices of all sorts, but I'm still not sure myself what kind of action that warrants. He should probably be censured just so there is an official record of lawmakers recognizing him as being a dick.

[Badger]

The headline does not match up with what Lepage said.

Actually, it's pretty close.

[Badger]

As soon as I saw HuffPo in the URL, I knew he didn't say that.  But even I was shocked by the level of sheer stupidity in the article.
We need to ban HuffPo.

For those who don't want to give HuffPo the clicks, all he did was ban a particular drug that he thinks does nothing to help addicts, and he issued a perfectly mature and bureaucratic-sounding statement.  The 12-year-old author inserted the "drop dead", the tagline says "no seriously, that's pretty much what he said."

Wulfric, you damn fool, shame on you for creating this thread and shame on you for reading the Huffington post.

No, it wasn't mature or nonsensical.

<<“Naloxone does not truly save lives; it merely extends them until the next overdose,” LePage wrote.

It was not the first time LePage had shared such a belief, but attaching it to his veto elevated it to a statement of official policy.

“Creating a situation where an addict has a heroin needle in one hand and a shot of naloxone in the other produces a sense of normalcy and security around heroin use that serves only to perpetuate the cycle of addiction,” he wrote.>

So better addicts don't get access to a medicine without which they WILL DIE because they'll just overdose later anyway, and reviving an overdose victim from the brink of death instead of their actually winding up in the morgue somehow "normalizes" heroin addiction?

So he didn't LITTERALLY say "heroin addicts can drop dead". How much of an obtuse apologist does one have to be to avoid acknowledging that is UNQUESTIONABLY the message he expressly and purposely conveyed?!?

[TJ in Oregon]

As someone who has a cousin addicted to drugs can he go  himself.

As someone who has had family members who have recovered from drug addiction to lead outwardly normal lives, he shouldn't go  himself.

Disregarding the political component of this discussion about whether some particular program should be funded or not, willing the good of others is a fundamental Christian teaching that cannot be dispensed with no matter how badly they screw up. Don't wish him ed, pray for him.

[Wells]

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
Who voted for him? Why? How does he even exist?

[This account no longer in use.]

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
Who voted for him? Why? How does he even exist?

Split vote.

[IceSpear]

At least LePage is being consistent in his denigration of drug addicts.

Unlike the rest of the Republican Party, which wanted to be "tough on those drug-using hooligans" for 50 years until the hooligans started to be white people in the suburbs, who of course must be treated with compassion and second/third/fourth chances.

This is a good point. At least LePage is an equal opportunity murderer. Or maybe he's going after the "dozens of black men" that the Maine Republican Party chairman said stole the election for Obama.

[Horsemask]

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
Who voted for him? Why? How does he even exist?

Split vote.

Thank the Democrats for continuing to run Libby Mitchell when she was so far behind in the polls.

There was no reason for him to veto this. Can't wait til he's out of office.......then again, I'm moving to NH in May (at least for a year or so) so I guess I won't have to worry about what he decides to do with his remaining years.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

The veto was overridden, thankfully. But still, what is wrong with this governor?!?

https://bangordailynews.com/2016/04/29/politics/state-house/legislature-overrides-12-of-lepages-33-vetoes-on-final-day/

[101spotted]

At least LePage is being consistent in his denigration of drug addicts.

Unlike the rest of the Republican Party, which wanted to be "tough on those drug-using hooligans" for 50 years until the hooligans started to be white people in the suburbs, who of course must be treated with compassion and second/third/fourth chances.

If I'm not mistaken the heroin addict population has been predominately White since the late 1960s.