Sift through the propaganda before the referendum election

We’ve got less than two weeks before going to the polls to express our views on several issues – time enough to review once again what you’ll be asked, and, if you’re still undecided, to try to resolve some of your concerns.

Some of them, like question one, on whether or not to reject Maine’s new law allowing same-sex marriage, is pretty much a matter of conscience, with strong feelings both for and against. Most folks aren’t too likely to change life-long views, one way or the other.

The initiative which deals with marijuana being used for treatment of some medical conditions would give the Department of Health and Human Services more power to control its use through patient ID cards, applications, renewal fees, the establishment of nonprofit dispensaries, etc. We’re guilty of not doing our homework on this one, because we were unaware that Maine’s current law permitting marijuana use for medical purposes was creating problems to the extent that DHHS needs to step in to control its use. We’ve got some reading to do, we guess. Maybe there’s a real need for DHHS to add new staff and expand its responsibilities; we certainly hope so, because downsizing DHHS is a lot more important than increasing its budget.

The bond issue, likewise, is pretty straightforward - $71,150,000 for highways, bridges, airports, ferries, port facilities, etc. The breakdown on where the monies would be spent, as well as a brief description of all of the referendum questions, appears elsewhere in this issue. A proposed Constitutional Amendment gives towns and cities an additional five days to review petitions to certify that the signatures are those of registered voters.

The remaining questions are the more heated ones, with vocal supporters and opponents, and are issues on which we feel voters need to be well-informed.

The proposal to cut excise taxes an average of 55 percent on motor vehicles less than six years old and exempt hybrid and other fuel-efficient vehicles from sales tax and three years of excise tax is sort of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, who doesn’t want to pay less in excise taxes on vehicles? A yes vote appears to be perfectly logical. However, it’s excise tax money that pays for maintenance of your local roads. It’s easy for the state to support this proposal as a tax-cutting measure; after all, it’s not their money! In most towns, the money lost will be made up in increased property taxes – not good, especially since it’s the owners of newer vehicles who reap the benefits. One of the intents of the proposal was to force towns to cut their budgets. That’s understandable, but in some communities (and we think here on the peninsula it’s especially true), budgets are already being carefully scrutinized to make every dollar count. Weigh your options before you vote.

The TABOR question – not identified as such – proposes state, county and local government spending increases be limited according to population growth and inflation. Those which would exceed this formula would need special voter approval. It’s easy to see that this has strong opposition from any agency that does not routinely fit into this formula. It’s strict control over public spending, no doubt about it, and it’s being heatedly debated. It behooves us all to study the issue very carefully before going to the voting booth on November 3.

The proposal to overturn the school district consolidation law and return to the old way of running schools is also going to be of major importance statewide. Locally, towns have told the state that they don’t want any part of it, despite the threat of losing subsidy money. We get very little – or none in some cases – anyway, so that threat has pretty much fallen on deaf ears. The idealistic plan to combine school systems and cut down on administrative costs has backfired in many towns, taken away local control, and has cost some of the smaller towns and schools a lot of money. We wholeheartedly supported our local towns when they voted the proposal down, and respect their decision to defy state regulations when they felt they were wrong for their town, their schools, and their students. We hope the majority of the voters in Maine agree on November 3.

Make use of the time remaining before election day to read up on the issues, sift through the propaganda in search of the truth, and vote for what you feel is best for you, your town, and your state.

Mary Brewer