Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO Bob Hastings has a great post over at his No Pecksniffery blog, titled 'Blame it on the dog':

Late last summer, State Treasurer David Lemoine invested $20 million in short-term Maine funds in a high risk offshore venture. In November, the Treasurer meekly informed the Appropriations Committee that the investment had gone south. Now widely reported, Lemoine blames Merrill Lynch for the problem and seems to take no personal responsibility for the loss of our tax dollars. This in a time when the state deficit is closing in on a $100 million and probably headed for $200 million before the legislative session closes in the spring.

Reminds me of the lyrics of my friend Warren Nelson’s song “Blame it on the Dog”. It goes like this:

“Blame it on the dog. Blame it on the dog. When something real bad happens, blame it ooooon the dog.”

Hastings makes the point that Lemoine was a typical Maine Democrat patronage hire, and that he had no previous financial experience prior to getting this job, and subsequently playing craps with $20 million of taxpayer money. Hastings recommends Lemoine get the boot:

The Democrat leadership of Maine should fire Lemoine and start a search for an experienced individual with a financial and accounting background. Shame on them for the appointment in the first place, but now they can at least correct the wrong.

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