News

Ballot issues deconstructed

By Jessica Fish

Posted on Oct. 27, 2008, at 12:00 a.m.

Question 1: People’s Veto

“Do you want to reject the parts of a new law that change the method of funding Maine’s Dirigo Health Program through charging health insurance companies a fixed fee on paid claims and adding taxes to malt liquor, wine and soft drinks?”

A yes vote:

A vote in favor of this question would repeal the current law, which taxes beverages and insurance claims. The law was passed at the end of April in the last few days of the legislative session and was brought to a public vote by the group Fed Up With Taxes. The group collected 90,000 signatures in two months to place the question on the ballot.

“We feel that this is absolutely the worse time to be increasing taxes on Maine people and small businesses,” said Ted O’Meara, spokesperson and consultant for the group. He said the new tax will result in a $40 million tax increase statewide and would be particularly harmful to small business owners.

The tax affects almost all types of beverages, including the syrup used by restaurants to make their own soda. O’Meara cited one business owner who said the new tax would cost him $10,000 annually.

“We feel that this is just another tax that Maine can’t afford,” O’Meara said.

A no vote:

Voting against this question would leave the law as it stands.

Health Care Coverage for Maine is a coalition of local organizations and individuals that have joined in opposition to Question 1.

According to maine.gov, Dirigo Health Care provides rate relief for 48,000 Maine citizens on top of providing its own insurance. Eliminating funding for this program could make health care unaffordable for its patrons.

Dirigo Health Care is “an independent executive agency to arrange for the provision of comprehensive, affordable health care coverage to eligible small employers . on a voluntary basis,” according to its Web site. It was created by the Maine Legislature in 2003.

Question 2: Citizen Initiative

“Do you want to allow a certain Maine company to have the only casino in Maine, to be located in Oxford County, if part of the revenue is used to fund specific state programs?”

A yes vote:

Pat Lamarche, spokesperson for the initiative “Yes on Two for Maine,” said casinos would increase jobs and money flow in the state. “Maine is a tourism state [and] casinos are the most job-intensive form of tourism.”

She said 50 percent of the money from the casino will go to the state in the form of taxes, and 26 percent of those funds will be used for education.

In response to questions from opposing groups, Lamarche said the proposed casino will not raise crime levels.

“[Casino jobs] are good jobs – the average job will pay $35,000 a year, in addition to health benefits. The No. 1 cause of crime is recession. Desperate people do desperate things.”

A no vote:

CasinosNO! is a group against casino gambling that has taken a stance against the building of an Oxford Casino.

“Casinos have never been shown to be economic development. There’s just no evidence anywhere that states that have casino gambling are any better off economically, financially or provide jobs or better service then states that have them,” said Dennis Bailey, executive director of CasinosNO!

The bill prohibits the building of any other casino in Maine for the next 10 years and allows the casino to provide credit for patrons who run out of money. It also lowers the legal age to gamble on a slot machine or gaming device from 21 to 19. It allows Harrold Dean, a Las Vegas backer of the casino, a seat on the board of every organization that will receive money from the casino.

“The bill itself is just a mess – it’s terrible – I’ve been working in Maine politics for 30 years and it’s by far the worst piece of legislation [I've seen],” Bailey said.

Question 3: Bond Issue

“Do you favor a $3,400,000 bond issue to support drinking water programs, to support the construction of wastewater treatment facilities and to leverage $17,000,000 in other funds?”

Explanation:

The third and final question on the ballot is a bond issue. According to Maine’s Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, bond questions typically pass without incident.

“It’s a periodic thing . the public has the opportunity to vote them down, [but] this would benefit every town in the state, so there’s no reason you would see towns . organized against this, because everyone will get some of the money,” Dunlap said.

He explained that bonds that do not pass often fail because of something called “ballot fatigue” when there are several bonds and voters who “get tired of checking yes.”

This particular question updates the current system and was passed with support by both the Maine Senate and House of Representatives.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 27th, 2008, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.