Election Day is Tuesday (as everybody probably knows). We’ve weighed in with our opinions on Questions 1 through 7 on the ballot. Now, it’s time for voters to cast their voyes.
So, to refresh, here’s where we stand.
Question 1: Let the people decide.
Our preference on marriage would be the status quo; this is what we
believe about the institution. Yet we realize our opinion is one of
many, and no single entity is privileged or entitled to decide whether
same-sex marriages should be granted in Maine.
Same-sex marriage has sparked a clash of many ideals; one overrules
them: the principle of a democracy, the system in which popular sentiment
is the ultimate authority. Not the Legislature. Not the Bishop. Not the
activists. Not the faithful.
The people should decide.
Question 2: Cut is worse than the tax.
A tax shift will happen. It’s unavoidable. Cutting the excise tax will
be felt on property taxes, as municipal governments have few places to
raise revenue. Halving the excise tax does nothing to reform its underlying unfairness. What’s needed is a sensible tax, not just a lower bad one.
Yes, of course: We dislike the excise tax, and cutting it in half would feel good. But it’s not the smart thing to do.
That’s why we say vote no on Question 2.
Question 3: School law should stand.
Though the application of school consolidation has befuddled and angered certain communities and led to calls of inequality and lost local control, the long-term goals of consolidation are more valid and important today than in 2007 when Gov. John Baldacci called for it. We urge readers to vote no on Question 3.
For years, the message has been clearly sent to the State House that
what’s coming out is not commensurate with what’s going in. It’s too
much. The recession is evidence that you reap what you sow.
No more messages. No more chances. At some point, endorsing the same
process that has failed to garner results so far is fruitless. That’s
why we are favoring TABOR. It is time to do things differently in
Maine.
Question 5: Clinic plan needs work.
Since voters made medicinal marijuana legal in 1999, it has become
commonplace and accepted as a treatment for chronic disease.
Marijuana’s merits as medicine have earned scientific approval and a
public, once skeptical, seems at ease with its use.
If Question 5 were creating marijuana dispensaries that weren’t stand-alone entities, but affiliated with doctors, hospitals or pharmacies, we’d be more inclined to support it. Unfortunately, this proposed system is fraught with problems. On Nov. 3, please vote no on Question 5.
Question 6: Transportation bond.
The fiscal picture for the Department of Transportation almost
necessitates some borrowing to get some basic projects done. With
declining gasoline tax revenues and the recession’s grip, the state has
been unable to fund a fraction of what is imperative.
Now, of all times, is ripest for borrowing. Low interest rates and the lagging economy make money cheap to procure, and should make the market for projects competitive and keep costs down. Vote yes on Question 6.
Question 7: Five days for democracy.
There’s no harm in giving municipal officials five extra days to certify signatures on petitions. None. Zero. Zilch. It’s needed.
Vote yes on Question 7.
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