Gov. LePage, I want my $925,000 back!
Gov. LePage, I want my money back!
Last year, in a no-bid contract, Governor Paul LePage paid $925,000 of taxpayer money to the Alexander Group for a "report on welfare."
While the Alexander Group is known for their partisan "reports," we learned today that they actually plagiarized their $925,000 work. According to a Bangor Daily News editorial:
"One of the few sensible recommendations from his group’s recently released 228-page report on Maine’s government assistance programs is for Maine to start a subsidized jobs program for its TANF recipients. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, or CBPP, Maine is one of 10 states without such a program.
But in keeping with the rest of his paper, Alexander’s recommendation on subsidized work programs is far from original. In fact, much of it is lifted directly from the CBPP report."
The undersigned respectfully request Mainers be returned their $925,000 in taxpayer money.
Petition by
To:
Gov. LePage, I want my money back!
From:
[Your Name]
Plagiarism.
It's that dirty word your English teacher warned you about in 8th grade. It means you cheated - that you copied someone else's work.
If an 8th grader were to plagiarize work on a report, they'd get in some pretty deep trouble. Here in Maine, however, you've set a new standard of rewarding bad behavior - to the tune of $925,000.
In a no-bid contract, you paid $925,000 of taxpayer dollars to the Alexander Group for a "report on welfare." Today, we learned that the Alexander Group doesn't just write shoddy reports as they are known to do; they actually plagiarize their work. According to a Bangor Daily News editorial:
"One of the few sensible recommendations from his group’s recently released 228-page report on Maine’s government assistance programs is for Maine to start a subsidized jobs program for its TANF recipients. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, or CBPP, Maine is one of 10 states without such a program.
But in keeping with the rest of his paper, Alexander’s recommendation on subsidized work programs is far from original. In fact, much of it is lifted directly from the CBPP report."
If students are held to account for plagiarism, government officials and contractors certainly should. I respectfully request the Alexander Group be required to return the $925,000 in taxpayer funds.