AUGUSTA — Hundreds of people opposed to budget cuts proposed by Gov. John Baldacci filled every nook and cranny of the Hall of Flags at the State House Wednesday morning and spilled over into hallways and stairways as speakers urged the protesters to fight the reductions.

The crowd, which was one of the largest at the Capitol in recent memory, was so big that Capitol Security asked people to clear the stairways and exits so police would not have to evacuate the building as a safety precaution.

The crowd then thinned out a bit and the half-hour rally was allowed to continue.

Insisting that "Maine can do better," speakers generally shied away from proposing specific alternatives to Baldacci's plan, although some said the state should find new sources of revenue and dip into savings, to minimize the need for cuts in state programs.

"Budgets are not just financial documents, they are moral documents" as well, said the Rev. Jill Job Saxby of the Maine Council of Churches.

"We believe that these budget cuts are fundamentally wrong," she told the crowd. "In the long run, these cuts will cost more in dollars than they save in the short run."

The rally was held as the Legislature's Appropriations Committee continued to hold public hearings on a second round of cuts that Baldacci unveiled last week, to buttress initial cuts he proposed back in January.

Baldacci's plan, which he needs the Legislature's blessing to implement, would fill a $190 million hole in the $6.3 billion two-year budget for the period ending June 30, 2009.

Gordon Chibroski/Staff Photographer.
Maine Can Do Better Rally attendees listen as Betsey Sweet and a host of agency representatives plead for legislators to not cut the budget for their state assistance.