TABOR's not a solution

Jon I want our government to operate with in budget limits the same way my household does and hopefully yours does as well. Our family has X number of dollars coming in each month and there isn't anything we can do at this point to increase that short of robbing the 7eleven down the street which just is not realistic. We as a family have determined that X number of dollars of our income will go towards food whether it be homecooked from scratch hopefully with some of the ingredients home grown right up to a 5 star resteraunt meal which has not happened in years. If we did go crazy and do a resteraunt meal we would be eating a lot of beans the rest of the month because we blew the food budget on that one event, sandwiches from Subway onthe other hand or McDonalds would mean no desert for a week. You make choices. Our whole household budget works this way, we don't have evey channel on TV so we can buy or rent a movie or something else. We keep unused appliances unplugged and limit the use of lights to keep down our electric bill. At the end of the month, if we have done very well, we might find we have a $100 leftover to put in savings for a day trip, a special event, going to the Fryeburg Fair next year but we for sure did not spend one red cent more than we earned.

That is what I am telling government. I am giving you X number of dollars to spend over the next 12 monthes, you have no way of earning (taxing me) any more, spend this wisely. If I decide there is something I want done that would require you to go over what I have given you and I do not want you to take it from other areas to offset the item, I will hold an election and vote authorizing an additional amount. I know living within your means and being locked out of my wallet is totally alien to you, but you will get used to it, it will be good for you, and you will learn to live like the rest of us with limited financial resources.

Jon TABOR is no more of an "artificial and wrong mathmatical formula" than whatever was used to figure out anyone's salary or hourly wage. TABOR does not throughout our system of government, unfortunately all the politicians and bureaucrats will still show up for work on Nov 3 and they will still keep spending our money and probably figure we will give them more when the blow the budget, I just hope we dont. TABOR is a start, just a start.

I'm voting for TABOR. The Dem controlled Blaine House and Legislature have had chance after chance, through good times as well as bad, to signficantly reduce spending (either responsibly or not) and have simply refused to do it. Putting a limit on the increase in spending (which is NOT a cut, no matter how some try to portray it), while allowing additional spending IF permitted by voters, seems reasonable to me. If higher spending is critical, government can make its case and let us decide. I have faith in the citizens that they will approve what is necessary. Why do the anti-TABOR individuals have such little faith in citizens, but such great faith in State and local governments that continually fail to operate more responsibly?

D wilson, So you want to overthrow our system of government and replace it with an artificial and wrong mathematical formula. You want to replace judgement and flexibility with a bad one-size-fits-all non-solution that does not take into consideration economic growth, increasing governmental costs, new laws, or changes in revenue to a almost non-existent problem. You want to exchange the safety and education of our communities for more vacation time for billionaires (those really backing this proposal).
I think not. Vote NO on 4
Jon Albrecht Dixfield

In 2006 TABOR was brought before Maine voters as an opportunity to change our system of government from one in which the citizens turned over a blank check to politicians and bureaucrats (note most of our spenders are not elected) into a system requiring our government to live within its means as you and I do. TABOR established the means, established a system for adjustments in costs over time and allowed for merit and emergency "raises" or "bonuses" if the people writing the check felt so inclined. We just get to be the ones to decide to give you more of our money instead of having it taken as with the current system.

In 2006, politicians, bureaucrats and the like went into an understandable all out panic at the thought of losing their blank check free writing capabilities. As is typical, they blanketed the air waves. TV, newspapers and bumper of cars with doomsday predictions of schools closing, lawlessness as police failed to exist, the collapse of roads and bridges and of course "loss of local and community control" in short destruction of not only civilzation but the physical state as well. These politicians, bureaucrats and other beneficiaries of the black check system begged, pleaded and promised that they would do better, we just had to leave them in control and vote NO, AND WE DID.

Surprise of all surprises, the spending is more voracious than ever. Instead of become alarmed and contrite as a warned child not wanting to face admonission for the crime again, they are out of control rebelious teenagers with no fear of consequences for their acts. In the meantime the people of Maine are suffering and ongoing decline in their standard of living, lost jobs, no job prospects, lost industry, reversed economic and industial development in fact. Look around you at your parents, your children, your neighbors are they skipping meals, medication, turning down the thermostat to a dangerous 62 degrees, doing without a telephone for emergencies because they have to live within their means and their means are being eaten up by excessive government spending/taxes and economic downturns?

Well it is time for TABOR because it is time for change. It is time for politicians, bureaucrats and the like to live within a means set by the people and no more blank check. It is time to restore local control and that starts with controlling the availability of your wallet which every government employee has had access to 24/7. I hopw you will join me in voting yes on TABOR and yes for sensible government spending.

In 2006 TABOR was brought before Maine voters as an opportunity to change our system of government from one in which the citizens turned over a blank check to politicians and bureaucrats (note most of our spenders are not elected) into a system requiring our government to live within its means as you and I do. TABOR established the means, established a system for adjustments in costs over time and allowed for merit and emergency "raises" or "bonuses" if the people writing the check felt so inclined. We just get to be the ones to decide to give you more of our money instead of having it taken as with the current system.

In 2006, politicians, bureaucrats and the like went into an understandable all out panic at the thought of losing their blank check free writing capabilities. As is typical, they blanketed the air waves. TV, newspapers and bumper of cars with doomsday predictions of schools closing, lawlessness as police failed to exist, the collapse of roads and bridges and of course "loss of local and community control" in short destruction of not only civilzation but the physical state as well. These politicians, bureaucrats and other beneficiaries of the black check system begged, pleaded and promised that they would do better, we just had to leave them in control and vote NO, AND WE DID.

Surprise of all surprises, the spending is more voracious than ever. Instead of become alarmed and contrite as a warned child not wanting to face admonission for the crime again, they are out of control rebelious teenagers with no fear of consequences for their acts. In the meantime the people of Maine are suffering and ongoing decline in their standard of living, lost jobs, no job prospects, lost industry, reversed economic and industial development in fact. Look around you at your parents, your children, your neighbors are they skipping meals, medication, turning down the thermostat to a dangerous 62 degrees, doing without a telephone for emergencies because they have to live within their means and their means are being eaten up by excessive government spending/taxes and economic downturns?

Well it is time for TABOR because it is time for change. It is time for politicians, bureaucrats and the like to live within a means set by the people and no more blank check. It is time to restore local control and that starts with controlling the availability of your wallet which every government employee has had access to 24/7. I hopw you will join me in voting yes on TABOR and yes for sensible government spending.

I think I'm going to have to disagree. In 2006 all the same arguments were made, and I agreed with them that Tabor was too harsh. We were promised controls would be put in place and the spending would be reinged in.

It wasn't.

Programs and spending can allways be justified, as they were enacted for a reason. But thats why you prioritize, and cut the spending. And if you want the state to grow, we need to cut taxes to attract business.

TABOR is a solution without a problem. The eunuchs who cannot elect like minded people to the legislature are attempting to scare people and use phony outrage to force governing bodies to do their will. It has not been sponsored by the people, but by foreign interests like the Maine Heritage Policy Center, which is just a bunch of out of state businesses who want to control the common Mainer. Will it work? Perhaps, these people are very skillful forecasting doom and gloom, however I hope Mainers will once again see these charlatans for what they truly are, cowards.