PAUL LEPAGE

The best part of my life is I've been hired to work for the people of the state of Maine, and I'm very humble and very proud.

Too many Mainers are dependent on government handouts. Government dependency has not - and never will - create prosperity.

And my response is 70,000 people in the state of Maine that paid income tax in 2011 will not be paying income tax in 2012.

The people of Maine were tired of being in debt and tired of being overtaxed.

I'm saying the federal government is taking away the freedom of Americans to make choices.

If you want a good education, go to private schools. If you can't afford it, tough luck. You can go to the public school.

We must protect our limited resources for those who are truly in need and who are doing all they can to be self-sufficient.

The worst part of my life is newspapers are still alive - sorry, I had to say it.

What I'm trying to say is the Holocaust was a horrific crime against humanity and frankly, I would never want to see that repeated.

You must buy health insurance or pay the new Gestapo - the IRS.

I did not come to Augusta to provide lip service. I came to work for the Maine people. I also came to Augusta to root out crooked politicians and government corruption.

My greatest fear in the state of Maine: newspapers. I'm not a fan of newspapers.

Whenever someone forces me to do something against my will, they're infringing upon my freedoms and my liberties. And that's what I think we're doing in Maine when we have fair share, which means that you are required to belong to a union, you're required to pay dues, but you don't want to participate.

Sometimes I'm overly blunt. I don't like to mince words. I like to get things done. That's the only difference between Chris Christie and I - he's a little shy.

I went to work at 11 years old. I became governor. It's not a big deal. Work doesn't hurt anybody. I'm all for not allowing a 12-year-old to work 40 hours. But a 12-year-old working eight to 10 hours a week or a 14-year-old working 12 to 15 hours a week is not bad.

Everybody looks at the negative effects of global warming, but with the ice melting, the Northern Passage has opened up. So maybe, instead of being at the end of the pipeline, we're now at the beginning of a new pipeline.

Am I perfect? No. Do I want to be perfect? No, because if I were perfect, I would be a reporter.

Reading newspapers in the state of Maine is like paying somebody to tell you lies.

Maine's welfare program is cannibalizing the rest of state government. To all you able-bodied people out there: Get off the couch and get yourself a job.

I care for the poor. I am the one willing to work with the poor and have a safety net we can all depend on and make people understand that nothing in life is free. You have to get back to society.

I was Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular, so I think I should support him since we're one of the same cloth.

Do I think that the ACA is going to force rationing upon the American people? Yes.

I believe if an individual wants to join organized labor and work under a union contract, they should have the legal right to do so. At the same token, a person who does not want to work under organized labor and wants to work should have the ability to do so without the threat of having to join and having to pay dues to organized labor.

Donald Trump is a little bit like I am. He says what needs to be said. Most of all, folks, he's not afraid of the United States liberal media. They dislike him nearly as much as they hate me.

I understand welfare because I lived it. I understand the difference between a want and a need. The Republican Party promised to bring welfare change. We must deliver on this promise.