Breaking: Republicans pick elderly white male as next Speaker of the Maine House

[ticapnews]

http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/14185/Default.aspx

Maine's newly-elected Republican House representatives today did something they've not done in nearly 40 years: They chose a new speaker. After listening to speeches from the four candidates, legislators chose representative Bob Nutting of Oakland to succeed Democratic speaker Hannah Pingree.

With such diversity in their caucus, I'm shocked that they chose an old white guy who used to work at Wal*Mart. Shocked, I tell you!

[molly77]

1. Maybe that is a good sign. Michaud punched a time clock for 20 years.

[MaineDem]

2. Not only that...

He also bilked Maine during Medicaid fraud.

This is the best the House Republicans could come up with?

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Nutting-had-million-dollar-pharmacy-dispute-with-state.html

[Crystal Clarity]

3. I guess government-run programs are ok for R's

as long as they can line their own pockets w/$ from them. :grr:

[Old and In the Way]

4. This deserves a separate thread.

As usual, Republicans using government for personal profit. If they were doing this outside of government, imagine how they will "clean up" while they are on the inside. The rubes never seem to figure this out.

[bluedigger]

5. Here's how he did it.

http://www.sunjournal.com/state/story/946286


AUGUSTA — In 2001, Trues Pharmacy in Oakland, owned by incoming Speaker of the House Robert Nutting, bought medical gloves for $4.39 per package. By the time Trues sold them to a Medicaid provider, the price had gone up to $11.11.

That markup — 153 percent — was much more than was allowed by Maine’s Medicaid program, known as MaineCare, which permits only a 40 percent markup.

Nutting contended in state hearings that his use of a different formula to calculate the markup — a formula which put more money in his pocket — was the accepted method.

Although the state ruled its Medicaid formula — not Nutting’s — should have been followed, the state said that even if it allowed Nutting’s formula, Trues still “overcharged MaineCare 100 percent of the time ...”