MTU Updates

The Maine Taxpayers United network extends across the State including over 200 individuals in approximately 115 different communities.  Each individual is encouraged to create his/her own network, a 2nd tier, and to forward updates along.  Through this operation we hope to keep hundreds, or even thousands, of Maine voters informed of developments in state government activities and issues.  

Maine Taxpayers United
Tuesday morning, 26 January 2010
Good morning Ladies & Gentlemen.

The Democrats are at it again! Once again, as in every session before, the leadership of the majority party in the legislature has introduced bills which will virtually rob us of our constitutional rights to citizens initiatives and peoples' vetos.

LD 1739 would repeal the requirement that school budgets be approved in referenda at the local level. I expect that the argument that will be made in support of this bill will be that repeal of the referendum process of school budgets will save printing costs. This is ridiculous, of course. What the legislature, the Maine Municipal Association, and many local governments would really like to do would be to exclude taxpayers (home owners) from any say in the local school budget process. This would mean no accountability in school spending.

LD 1730 would require groups who would collect signatures for citizens initiatives/peoples veto (CI/PV) to register with the Secretary of State Office. This would create more difficulty for people like us who try to bring initiatives to referenda.

LD 1692 (Constitutional Amendment) would require those who would sponsor CI/PV to identify the amount and source of funding their project would cost, or identify program(s) whose funding must be reduced or eliminated. Note: A constitutional amendment requires approval by two-thirds of the both houses and approval by the voters in referendum.
Neither of these approval votes have been obtained in recent amendments. The Dems routinely ignore the State Constitution.

Finally, LD 1345 would essentially remove our constitutional right to CI/PV. Here is the summary:

LD 1345, RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine To Increase the Required Number of Signatures for a Direct Initiative or a People's Veto and To Limit a Direct Initiative to One Subject, is a resolution proposing to amend the Constitution of Maine to increase the number of signatures that a petitioner must gather for a people's veto or a direct initiative from not less than 10% of the total vote for Governor cast in the last gubernatorial election to not less than 20% of the total vote for Governor cast in the last gubernatorial election. It also limits a direct initiative to one subject. http://www.mainelegislature.org/LawMakerWeb/summary.asp?ID=280032440

LD 1345 had its Public Hearing in April 09, and its final Work Session Jan. 3, 2010, It is anticipated to be sent out of committee as a divided report as ONTP (6) and OTP-A (6). The OTP-A would raise the thresh hold for CI signatures to 15% rather than the current 10%, drop the "one subject provision" wording and drop raising the Peoples Veto signature requirement.


I have posted summaries of the above bills on the auxiliary site, www.mainealliance.com, for your information. Dates for the public hearings are set for Monday, February 8th. More to follow.

I ask each of you who reads this to contact (call) both your senator and representative and make it crystal clear that you expect them to vote these bills down. And if they don't do so, then you should support their opponents in the next election. We must make our voices heard, or else we will lose the means to do so.

Best,

Jack Wibby

Maine Taxpayers United

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Good afternoon all.

The below quote, from an essay - "The State of Disunion" , by Mark Alexander - hits the old proverbial nail right on the head. Since the election of 2008 and the many foolish acts of the present administration and the corrupt Congress in 2009, I am convinced that what we do this year, which will culminate in the election in November, will be crucial to the survival of our freedom. Jack Wibby

"For too long, too many Americans have been complacent about liberty, believing it to be their birthright and the birthright of generations to come. They have enjoyed the fruit of liberty defended by others, taking rights for granted and knowing nothing of the obligations for maintaining that blessing.

Most Americans have never had to fight for liberty and, thus, have little concept of its value or any sense of gratitude for its accumulated cost -- a cost paid by generations of Patriots who have pledged their Lives, their Fortunes and their Sacred Honor.

The election of Barack Hussein Obama was an egregious affront to our legacy of Essential Liberty, and a clarion call to action for the many good citizens who honor the rights and obligations of citizenship.

As was the case with the first American Revolution, we now face a crucial battle for liberty. The upcoming elections, more than any other in recent history, are about the restoration of constitutional integrity.

Indeed, fellow Patriots, this is our time. The road to recovery is long, but the momentum is with us." Mark Alexander, Patriot Post

Read the full essay here: http://patriotpost.us/alexander/2010/01/21/state-of-disunion/

Maine Taxpayers United
Friday morning, 15 January 2010
Good morning Ladies & Gentlemen.

I would like to invite all to tune in, and perhaps call in, to "Talkin' Maine" with Kevin Crocker and Tom Zimmerman on Saturday mornings on WLOB radio from 6 Am to 9 AM, 95.5 FM/1310 AM, or streaming on the web: http://wlobradio.com . Click on LISTEN LIVE. Call in: (207) 775-1310, or toll free, 1-877-393-8255.

Tomorrow's special guest will be MTU Board Chair, Mark Turek, who will be reporting on MTU activities and current tax issues. Of special interest will be last Tuesday's huge rally in the Hall of Flags. We were there.

On another topic, I am revising both our web sites - www.mainetaxpayers.com and www.mainealliance.com . FYI I have included the Peoples' Veto of LD 1495 as the coming campaign will involve many of us in contacting local businesses and leaving push cards explaining why this law will hurt all of us with a tax increase, and will particularly hurt those who own/operate small businesses. In addition, I hope to provide info on another bill being pushed by the Democrats, LD 1663, which will require all private businesses to provide paid sick days to employees. If passed, this bill will drive many hard-working Mainers out of business.

At the risk of being redundant, boring and truly aggravating, I would like to remind all that this year, 2010, could be crucial to the survival of our democracy as many of those in power in Washington are not proud at all to be Americans, but in fact despise not only our great Nation, but those who have succeeded in many different endeavors. The real danger to our Nation, as the Founding Fathers pointed out, comes not from foreign enemies, but more so from within.


Stay tuned,

Jack Wibby,
Communications Director

"The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale."
Thomas Jefferson, 1816