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Maine Taxpayers United
Sunday morning, 19 October 2008
 
Press Release
Gray, Maine
 
Maine Taxpayers United Endorses Rich Cebra for Re-election
 
The Board of Directors of Maine Taxpayers United has endorsed Representative Rich Cebra of Naples for re-election to the State House of Representatives on November 4th. Cebra has represented House District 101, which includes the towns of Casco, Naples and part of Poland. 
 
Cebra, a two-term legislator, has been a consistent opponent of any tax increases proposed by the Baldacci administration and considered by the Democratic majorities in both Houses of the Legislature.  Most recently, Representative Cebra voted against LD 2247 - the so-called beverage tax - when this bill came to the floor of the House late on April 15th.  It's approval was along party lines: Most Democrats voting to inflict a tax increase of $75M on Maine citizens and small businesses, and most Republicans opposing.  Cebra has since worked in support of the Peoples' Veto of LD 2247, which if passed in referendum, would repeal that tax.
 
During the campaign of 2006, Rich Cebra was an enthusiastic supporter of the Maine Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), which failed in referendum by five percentage points. A new version of TABOR will be brought to referendum next year. TABOR will set limits on increases in government spending.
 
Maine Taxpayers United (www.mainetaxpayers.com ) is a state-wide,grassroots organization whose mission is to reduce the tax burden which Maine citizens have carried for many years now. The Maine tax burden has been at or near the top when compared to the other States, while Maine ranks low in personal income. As a result, the Maine economy has been flat for decades now, while the remainder of the country has prospered.  Rich Cebra has consistently worked to reduce that onerous burden.
 
 

Repealing Dirigo Tax is key Election Issue

By Rep. Rich Cebra

            With Election Day fast approaching, voters are focusing in on their choices. Besides deciding on candidates for federal and state offices, Maine voters face another important ballot issue. This year, they have a chance to repeal a big new tax passed last April by the majority party in the Legislature. This will appear on the ballot as Question One.

I don’t have to tell you that Maine’s state and local tax burden is among the highest in the country – about $5,000 for every man, woman and child in the state. This new tax of $75 million will make our situation even worse, and it comes at a time of extreme economic stress.

 

Advertising campaigns are under way on both sides of this issue – between those who want the tax abolished and those who think it’s just fine to heap another big tax on overtaxed Mainers. If you have not decided how to vote on Question One, let me provide some information that might help you make up your mind.

 

The Democrats passed this tax to prop up the governor’s pet program, Dirigo Health, so let’s start with that. To say that the state-run Dirigo is a failed program would be an understatement. After four years of operation, it has achieved less than 10 percent of its original goal, at a cost to taxpayers of more than $100 million.

 

Dirigo has been called a noble experiment. It was supposed to provide affordable coverage to every Maine resident who lacks health insurance – an estimated 130,000 people. Instead, Dirigo counts only about 11,000 members, or roughly one percent of the state’s population, and most of them had health coverage before Dirigo began. They jumped on board to receive insurance subsidies. Despite this record of abject failure, the Democrats want to pour in another $75 million a year. They are determined to keep pumping tax money into the program whether it is working or not.

 

I was not in the Legislature in 2003, when Dirigo passed, but legislators were assured that no taxes would be needed to sustain it. They also were told there would be no adverse impact on the state’s finances. But it was recently revealed that the state controller has quietly taken $20 million from Maine’s cash accounts to prop up Dirigo for a while longer. The Dirigo bureaucrats desperately want this new tax, and you can understand why. Their outrageous, six-figure incomes depend on it.

 

One of the major mistruths that Democrats are spreading around the state is that a repeal of this new tax would kill Dirigo and throw 11,000 people out of health insurance. That is flatly not true. If voters repeal the tax, Dirigo would continue with the same funding source it has used all along. This is the so-called Savings Offset Payment, a tax imposed on the few health insurance companies still operating in Maine. By maintaining that system, Dirgo’s funding would actually increase by about $10 million next year.

 

The way this Dirigo tax was created is another disturbing part of the story. Under the normal procedures of the Legislature, any bill – especially a tax increase – would be thoroughly thrashed out well in advance of a vote. There would be public hearings in committee, coverage in the media and debate among legislators.

 

What we saw instead was naked political arrogance from a party that has controlled the Maine House for 34 straight years. The bill to raise taxes was sponsored by Rep. Hannah Pingree, and the Democrats sprung it in the final hours of the legislative session, leaving no time to react. There were no public hearings and no public input. Then they rammed it through on a party line vote under the cover of darkness and scurried out of Augusta before the citizens knew what had happened.

 

The people of Maine deserve better from elected officials. The behavior of the majority party in this case was undemocratic and indefensible. They used the tactics of a bully. No one was surprised when a group called Fed Up With Taxes quickly appeared on the scene. In less than 60 days, they were able to get more than 90,000 Mainers to sign petitions to repeal the tax. Augusta’s legislative elites were stunned.

 

The tax will hit Mainers for $75 million a year by raising taxes on beer and wine to the highest levels in all of New England. It also will impose sharp taxes on soft drinks, sports drink, juice drinks, club soda, teas, flavored water and almost everything you drink except milk.

 

Augusta’s big tax and spenders are saying that it’s just a few more pennies for a soft drink. They conveniently forget to mention that the biggest chunk of the $75 million comes from a brand new tax on health care services. And this one is not pennies. You will pay that tax in the form of higher health insurance rates – another $210 a year for a family policy. And as you know, Mainers already pay the second-highest insurance costs in the nation, thanks to the majority party’s refusal to make common-sense reforms.

 

This tax is a bad deal for the citizens of Maine on all levels. Make no mistake – this people’s veto this is a popular revolt against Augusta’s Democratic Party elites, and it is high time that the taxpayers of Maine stood their ground.

 

State Rep. Rich Cebra (R-Naples), a second-term legislator, serves on the Transportation Committee

 

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This year, August isn’t shaping up to be quite as much fun as it usually is.

 

For most of the summer, unleaded gas has cost more than $4 per gallon. And although that’s come down a bit, it’s too late for many potential travelers. They decided to stay closer to home this summer, denying Maine many of the tourists we depend on. We won’t know for several months how bad the economic damage was, but it seems likely some businesses will end up closing their doors.

 

At least part of the blame for this year’s high gas prices lies with our political leaders in Washington. For decades, politicians have prevented American companies from exploring for oil off our coasts and in remote regions of Alaska. At least 85 percent of our coastal waters are off-limits for drilling, while billions of barrels wait to be tapped in a tiny area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

 

Putting this fuel out of reach may have made sense years ago, when the first President Bush issued an executive order against drilling and Congress backed him up. Gas then was pretty cheap, and with our booming economy we could afford to keep our reserves locked away for a rainy day.

 

But these days, gas prices are soaring. International supplies are tight, and India and China are swallowing ever-more of the oil we used to buy. As the law of supply and demand says, when supply is limited, prices will go up. Now it’s time to harvest more of our domestic reserves and increase supplies.

 

Yet even as August began, Congress abruptly adjourned without taking up a bill that would have allowed for greater oil exploration off our nations coasts. In July, President Bush finally lifted the executive order against drilling. That was a step in the right direction, but lawmakers need to do their part, too.

 

 Opinion polls show 85 percent of Republicans, 76 percent of Democrats, and 83 percent of independents favor tapping more of our domestic energy sources. It would be nearly impossible to get that sort of consensus on any other political issue.

 

In recent decades, American oil companies – which pioneered deep sea drilling – have perfected their art. Rigs exist throughout the Gulf of Mexico, and no oil spills there. Other countries also tap undersea oil. Great Britain relies on its North Sea fields, and Norway extracts 1.6 billion barrels of oil a year offshore, right next to a nature preserve.

 

With our strict environmental protection laws and the fear of potential lawsuits hanging over their heads, American oil companies would work carefully and efficiently to produce more domestic oil without damaging our planet.

 

Finally, generating more oil here at home would make us less reliant on foreign sources.

 

These days, most of the oil-producing countries are less than friendly to the U.S.

 

Venezuela comes to mind, with Hugo Chavez raving against supposed American imperialism even as he banks billions of our dollars. The Saudis too, have a history of opposing American interests. Yet our president recently flew to the Arabian peninsula to as much as beg the Saudis to sell us even more oil. This makes no sense when we could be bringing our own domestic reserves into play.

 

As Maine residents we understand the importance of a healthy ocean. We don’t want oily beaches or polluted waters. But we do need oil, and we need it now.

 

We can have both: A clean environment and offshore oil rigs if our lawmakers will get out of the way and allow it to happen. But they need to act now before Mainers suffer another lost summer.   

 

 

 

Representative Rich Cebra posts “Very Strong” Economic Record

 

Augusta- In the last week of July, The Maine Economic Research Institute posted it’s MERI Roll Call, the annual evaluation of the voting records of the Maine State Legislature and Senate on key economic development votes. Representative Rich Cebra of Naples posted a 90% rating, the fourth year in a row he scored a 90% or better in the rating. A rating of 75% or better indicates a legislator who champions economic and business legislation favored by free market and free enterprise advocates.  

“Many legislators and candidates will try and tell you that they are pro-economic development and pro-jobs, the MERI rating proves whether they really are or not.” Said Rep Cebra at a recent press conference in Augusta “My 90% MERI rating shows that I not only talk the talk on Jobs and the Economy, I walk the walk and consistently vote in the best interest of the hard working people of Maine and for a stronger Maine economy.”

The Maine Economic Research Institute Board of Directors and Advisory Committee are made up of business owners and senior managers from a broad cross section of Maine’s business sector. They are also a cross section of the political spectrum and are non-partisan as well.

“Being a pro economy legislator means that I have consistently supported those issues that Maine business leaders have identified as critical to our ability to create economic opportunity for Maine Citizens. That means jobs and a higher standard of living for all our residents.” Said Rich Cebra “Maine’s brightest days are ahead but we need more economy friendly legislators and senators so we can implement the common sense reforms that we need at the state level to lower our tax burden, fix our Health Insurance cost crisis and get State government off business back so we can unleash Maine’s economy and prosper. Many of the important issues we face as a state are linked by their pro or anti-economy effects”

For more information on the Maine Economic Research Institute and a complete explanation of their rating system can be found on their web site: www.fixmaine.com

Last week I had the opportunity to be a featured speaker at the GOPAC Summit held in Washington DC. Legislators from all around the nation were in attendance and the speakers ranged from fellow State Legislators, former US Senators, Congressmen, various former administration officials and the Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. It was a very educational, energizing and uplifting event for me and it was a great honor to be asked to speak about the future of transportation and the possibilities of Public Private Partnerships in Transportation Infrastructure. My speech can be seen on www.cspan.org , in the search box type in “GOPAC local issues”.

The real benefit of a conference like this is educational, hearing the cutting edge solutions that other legislative leaders from around the country are working on is inspiring, and in return, I was able to share some information with others who are looking for 21st century free market solutions to their infrastructure needs.

 

 

Another one of the highlights of my trip to DC was the opportunity I took with my colleague from Raymond, Representative John Robinson, to make a trip to the Capitol Building and show our support for the efforts of Republican Congressmen who are trying to start a debate on the national energy crisis we are facing. In case you are not familiar with what is happening in Washington, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi abruptly and literally turned off the lights in Congress on August 1st and sent the members on a five-week vacation. A determined group of pro-energy leaders in the House of Representatives are defying Speaker Pelosi's vacation adjournment and are staying in Washington. They are staging a revolt on the floor of the House of Representatives - away from the cameras which have been turned off by a House Speaker who refuses to even talk about solutions to our energy crisis - demanding that Congress return to Washington to provide energy price relief to the American people, by allowing the development of more American energy now. These members of Congress want a debate on all forms of energy. Drilling for more oil here in America is a part of that, they also want to talk about developing, coal, wind, bio fuels, nuclear, solar and geothermal. In their opinion, everything energy related should be considered for discussion. By sending congress home to campaign this summer, without a debate, speaker Nancy Pelosi has given the American people little hope in seeing any real relief from Washington any time soon and has clearly showed the American people that they are not her priority.

 

When it comes to an American energy strategy and for that matter a Maine energy strategy, everything should be on the table for discussion. It is vitally important for us to become independent of foreign oil by developing our own resources, being efficient where and when we can, and developing new technologies. We need to provide free market incentives for the development of those efficiencies and new technologies. We are a nation that, in the past century, was able to win 2 World Wars and send men to the moon. When we put our minds and resources behind an idea, there is nothing that we can not accomplish as a nation. If we devise a sound strategy and provide private enterprise with incentives to accomplish the goal, we will be able to provide our nation with inexpensive, domestic energy. Doing those things in a free market atmosphere by getting rid of outdated and unnecessary government regulation has worked in the past and it can work again, we just need political leaders who are willing to put America first.

 

We’re fortunate in Maine that it looks like there is a growing bi-partisan effort in State Government to help Maine people get through this winter, that’s a short term local fix, and I’m fortunate to be part of that.

However, on the national scene, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi doesn’t even want to talk about any of it, and unfortunately our Congressman Tom Allen was the deciding vote to adjourn without having that debate. Because of their politically motivated decision to go home and campaign instead of tackling this huge issue, the American People, both short term and long term, will needlessly suffer for it.

I was part of apanel of 4 legislators from around the country.
Go to www.cspan.org and in the search box enter GOPAC summit.

The name of the session is below. click on it, i'm the 3rd of the 4 speakers.

The title of my speech is: Public Private Partnerships; A 21st Century Solution to our Infrastructure Crisis


GOPAC State & Local Summit Discussion on Issues Important to Voters







Republican political action committee, GOPAC conducts its state and local summit in Arlington, VA. Republican state representatives from Arizona, Texas, Maine, and Virginia speak about issues and political strategy. Job creation, energy, infrastructure, and education were among the issues that were dicussed

http://www.myfoxmaine.com/myfox/pages/InsideFox/Detail
?contentId=7165482&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VS
TY&pageId=5.2.1

REPRESENTING MAINE PUBLIC FORUMS

 

3 State Representatives holding 3 PUBLIC FORUMS together.

Representative Rick Sykes District 98-Harrison, Bridgton, Lovell, Stow, and Sweden

Representative Ralph Sarty District 99-Denmark, Sebago, Baldwin, Cornish and Limington

Representative Rich Cebra District 101-Naples, Casco and Poland

Having received good feedback on their Lake Region Television Show "Representing Maine" Representative Sykes, Sarty and Cebra are holding a series of public forums. This is your chance to ask questions, express your concerns and opinions and hear "first hand" a summary of the 123rd Legislature offered by three of your regional State Representatives. This is a unique opportunity to have 3 area legislators, with diverse experience backgrounds, in one forum to hear your questions and comments and then take what they've heard back to Augusta to REPRESENT YOU.

The format is:

1- A summary of the 123rd Legislature

2-Issues likely to be facing the 124th Legislature next year

3-Remainder of the meeting open to public comments and questions

LOCATIONS AND TIMES-

MONDAY June 16th Denmark Municipal Building, Denmark  7PM

TUESDAY June 17th Lecture Hall Bridgton Academy, Bridgton 7PM

THURSDAY June 19th Songo Locks School, Naples 6 PM

Maine Drivers Licence no longer a joke

by Rep. Rich Cebra

One of the landmark achievements of the last legislative session was the enactment of a bill that tightens the requirements to get a Maine driver’s license. You will now have to show proof of residency in Maine and proof of legal status in the United States to qualify for a license. As a member of the Transportation Committee, which handled the issue, I was closely involved in guiding the bill through the legislative process.

 

One of the untold stories about this license reform bill is that it very nearly failed. On April 16, in the first roll call vote in the House, 72 Democrats voted to kill the bill outright. Those voting to defeat it included the Speaker of the House, Glenn Cummings, and the leader of the House Democrats, Hannah Pingree.

 

Republicans held firm for license security as the vast majority of Democrats battled us every step of the way. They called one roll call vote after another, hoping to see the bill go down if one of the proponents was not in his or her seat at the time of the vote. It was that close. In the final House vote, Republicans were joined by two Independents and 16 Democrats to muster the 73 votes needed to prevail. The final 73-72 outcome so shocked the Democrats that an audible gasp could be heard in the House chamber when the tally was announced.

 

This victory for common sense was a long time coming. A driver’s license is more than a plastic card that says you know how to drive. A license has become essentially a national ID card, good for everything from cashing checks and buying firearms to boarding airline flights. It bestows legitimacy. A state-issued driver’s license is so valuable, in fact, that it has been called “the key to the kingdom.”

 

For years, I and other Republicans had offered bills to tighten up Maine ’s lax and reckless licensing procedures, only to watch the majority party squash them. Maine was one of only four or five states that freely issued licenses to illegal aliens. We know that the 19 hijackers on September 11 had more than 60 valid licenses between them, from a combination of states. Nine of these vicious Islamic killers were actually registered to vote, thanks to the Motor Voter Act. Driver’s licenses enabled them to board their flights on that fateful day.

 

In the wake of that horrendous terrorist attack, almost all states giving licenses to illegal aliens stopped the practice, but not here in Maine . The Maine Civil Liberties Union, which was highly active in the license debate, favors giving Maine licenses to people who don’t even live in this state. They say it’s a matter of “human rights.”

 

The state’s cavalier policy was reinforced in 2004, when Governor John Baldacci quietly signed an executive order establishing Maine as the nation’s only “sanctuary state” for illegal aliens. The governor’s directive essentially invited in illegals not only to obtain licenses but also to receive welfare benefits.

 

Word spread quickly through the illegal alien grapevine along the East Coast that Maine was the place to go for a license. With reciprocity agreements between states, a foreigner with a Maine license could easily exchange it for a license from their “home” state. At the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), staffers were not allowed to challenge people who told obvious lies about where they lived. Licenses were issued to foreigners claiming that their Maine residence was aboard the Scotia Prince cruise ship. Others said they lived at the State House or at seasonal campgrounds. Some even had the nerve to state their residence as the BMV office where they filled out the form. One individual had 10 different Maine licenses from 10 different BMV offices, complete with 10 different fake names.

 

Nor did it matter that these same people lacked Social Security numbers. All they needed was an easily forged form from the Social Security Administration stating that they were not entitled to an SSN. From 1976 to 1997, a total of 46 Maine licenses were issued to such people, often foreign exchange students. That low rate continued from 1997 to 2004 but then exploded to 320 licenses in 2005, to 1,112 in 2006 and to 1,329 last year.

 

In short, Maine had become a kind of rogue state running a driver’s license free-for-all for illegal aliens.

 

Chances are that nothing would have changed without two things happening. First, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine, Paula Silsby, began prosecuting individuals accused of running vanloads of illegals into Maine to get licenses. That’s a felony under federal law. The governor and legislative Democrats could no longer pretend that there wasn’t a problem.

 

Next, Maine ’s “wild west” approach to dispensing licenses caught the attention of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In communications with Gov. Baldacci, DHS officials said that Maine licenses had been so deeply compromised that the federal government would no longer recognize them.

 

In practical terms, that meant that Mainers could not board flights using a Maine licenses as their ID starting in mid-May. The only way to avoid such a penalty, DHS officials said, was to tighten Maine law substantially to make sure that licenses were given only to people in the country legally.

 

Envisioning turmoil at Maine airports, the governor had no choice but to react. His team scrambled quickly and presented their bill to the Legislature during its waning hours. His bill was a combination of several Republican bills that I had either sponsored, co-sponsored or testified in favor of, that had been defeated by the majority party in the recent past.

 

A Maine driver’s license is not a right. It is an earned and qualified privilege. One can earn it by passing a driving test and qualify for it by residing in Maine – and the United States – legally. That is the way it should be, and now, finally, that’s the way it is. It should have happened long ago.

 

State Rep. Rich Cebra (R-Naples), a second-term legislator, serves on the Transportation Committee and the Committee on Engrossed Bills

 

This Column appeared in today's Portland Press Herald

Republican Party Cross Road Blues

One of legendary Delta Blues singer Robert Johnson’s most famous songs was “Cross Road Blues.” The song tells the tale of a blues man going to a metaphorical crossroads to meet the devil to sell his soul in exchange for becoming a famous blues player. The Maine Republican Party is at a similar crossroads and must decide which direction it will take. In one direction, the road leads back, directly toward the recent past; the other road leads forward to the Party’s future.
The current race for the 1st Congressional District nomination provides a textbook illustration of this critical intersection. One candidate, Charlie Summers, in many ways represents the direction that the Maine Republican Party has been headed in for the past several decades – one requiring “deals with the devil” in order to gain a modicum of fame. Having run for this seat a couple of times already, Mr. Summers has the support of Party insiders normally reserved for an incumbent. The similarity to the “deal with the devil” is the willingness to compromise with Democrats in order to gain a seat at the table.
The other candidate for the Republican nomination is Dean Scontras. Scontras represents an entirely new direction for the Maine GOP, yet one with a strong connection to the founding values of Grand Ol’ Party. Exhibiting an unwillingness to compromise on matters of principle, Scontras has taken the district by storm, his campaign striking like lightening all across the southern half of Maine. He is proudly pro-life, tough on national security, and has been at the forefront of the free market throughout his career. He has unassailable conservative credentials.
Lacking the support of a long list of Republican insiders has not been an impediment to Scontras. His energetic message has been resonating with newcomers to the political arena, as well as with previously disaffected Republicans who have been disappointed with their Party’s recent tendency to take left turns when at the cross roads.
The Republican Party was founded to provide political backing to the moral arguments against slavery. On the issue of slavery, there was no room for compromise. Sadly, today’s Republican Party appears all to eager to compromise on the important issues of the day – our increasing tax burden, illegal immigration, the decline of family values – in an effort to appear more attractive to voters who do not share traditional Republican values.
The Party should not be seeking to moderate our positions to align with Democrats in an effort to win elections. With apologies to Harry Truman, when given a choice between a Democrat and a Democrat, the voter will choose the Democrat every time.
Nominating a political insider with a proven commitment to moderating on issues, saddled with the baggage of the failures of establishment politicians to solve our economic problems and endorsed by a long list of liberal Republican leaders, would be an exercise fitting Einstein’s definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results.
Mr. Summers has been a candidate for this office before. His prior effort resulted in victory in only eight of the 125 towns in the 1st District. Certainly, the environment for Republican candidates in 2008 will prove even more challenging than it was in 2004. The presumptive Democrat candidate will be very progressive, very liberal, and very well funded. We cannot expect to win this race driving last year’s model. We need to fight this fire with an equal and opposite conservative firebrand like Dean Scontras.
I encourage Republican voters to make the right choice at this cross roads; a bold, new choice, an uncompromising choice. Take the road that will lead to a future that the founders of the Republican Party would have taken, leading with uncompromising, conservative values.

The Honorable Richard M. Cebra State Representative District 101 (Casco, Naples and Poland)

Republican response to the governor’s weekly address

 

For weekend of May 3-4, 2008

 

 

Greetings, this is Rich Cebra, state representative from Naples. Governor Baldacci devoted his remarks this week to the terrible flooding in Aroostook County. We and all Mainers join him in wishing a speedy recovery for all those who have been affected by this disaster.

 

 

I’d like to talk about another disaster that has struck our state. But unlike an act of nature, this one can be stopped by the people of Maine before it can do serious damage. I’m talking about the huge tax increase that the Democrats jammed through the Legislature to bail out the failing program known as Dirigo Health.

 

 

The bill that carried this tax increase was sponsored by Representative Hannah Pingree, and a drive to repeal it is now under way. If it can collect the necessary signatures by mid-July, the taxes would be put on hold and the repeal initiative will be on the November ballot.

 

 

By now you have probably heard about this tax increase that will hit the people of Maine for more than $50 million dollars a year. What makes it especially outrageous is that it comes at a time when Mainers are being squeezed hard at every pressure point – at the gas pump, at the grocery store, in the health insurance market, and perhaps worst of all, when the truck shows up to pump heating oil into your tank.

 

 

The people have had it with the Democratic regime in Augusta that seems blind and deaf to the severe financial hardship now afflicting Maine families. That explains why a grass roots uprising against this tax hike is spreading like wildfire across the state.

 

 

The whole story behind this tax increase is one that covers the Democrat-controlled Legislature in shame and disgrace. In the last few days of the session – in mid-April – Democratic leaders unveiled their plan to double the tax on beer and wine and impose a huge new tax on soft drinks and the syrup used to make them. That tax will hit every kid who goes to a fast food restaurant for a soda after a soccer game.

 

 

As bad as those taxes are, the most shocking part of the Dirigo tax package is a 1.8 percent tax on paid medical claims. In other words, it’s a tax on doctors’ bills. Maine already has the second highest health insurance premiums in the country. This new tax will push the cost of coverage to new extremes. Over the next three years, the tax on medical bills will total more than $110 million – money that will come from employers and Maine’s working families. That should make Maine’s dismal business climate even worse and further dampen job creation – just what we need.

 

 

The 270,000 people on Medicaid – the so-called Maine Care – don’t have to worry. Their free medical care is covered 100 percent by the taxpayers.

 

 

And there’s more. The Dirigo rescue scheme also includes a $3.6 million dollar “loan” from the General Fund. That will cost the taxpayers $180,000 in lost interest earnings. And naturally it will have to be paid back.

 

 

While all this is terrible news for the workers of Maine, it’s great news for the elites at the top of the Dirigo heap. The Director of Dirigo Health knocked down a cool $152,000 last year in salary and benefits. The Deputy Director was not far behind, with a compensation package last year of $140,000. Say what you will about the majority party in Augusta – when it comes to taking care of their own, they dole out the big bucks. Of course, that’s easy to do when you’re spending other people’s money.

 

 

The Democrats knew this tax increase would not be popular with the people, so they tried to hide it. They snuck it through the Legislature under the cover of darkness on April 15 – which ironically enough is the dreaded Tax Day. They obviously had been working on it in secret for days, because it emerged as a full blown bill, with all the new tax revenues already calculated.

 

 

And mind you, they did all this with total disregard for the legislative process. There was no public hearing – no public input of any kind. So desperate were the Democrats to keep Dirigo alive that they engineered a brazen, in-your-face tax scheme that they ran through the House and Senate on party-line votes.

 

 

What makes this monstrosity even more appalling is that the day before, on April 14, the House voted along party lines to kill an insurance reform bill that could have saved Maine employers and families hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance costs.Was this some radical plan to reform our broken health insurance system? Not exactly. It merely would have done what the vast majority of states are already doing.

 

 

And what of Dirigo? When the Legislature passed it in 2003, we were assured it would be self-funding. It was supposed to provide affordable coverage to Maine’s 130,000 people without insurance by 2009. Five years later, it covers just over one-tenth of that number and obviously needs vast cash infusions from taxpayers to survive.

 

 

A columnist for the Portland Press Herald summed it up nicely: “So we are left with an additional $50 million dollars in taxes to pump up a program that currently covers a mere 13,681 people, only 5,000 of whom were without previous insurance. We could pay these 5,000 a subsidy to buy other insurance and save millions in Dirigo overhead costs.”

 

 

Let’s hope that the drive to repeal this repugnant tax increase sends a message to the majority party – we’re not going to take it anymore!

 

 

Rep. Cebra Led Bipartisan Drive for Bridge Repair Fund

 

 

AUGUSTA – State Rep. Rich Cebra played a leading role in passing legislation that will provide $160 million to fund 246 bridge projects around the state, including 80 bridge replacements. When Gov. John Baldacci signed into law An Act to Keep Bridges Safe, on April 17, he singled out Rep. Cebra for his leadership in helping to deliver a strong, bipartisan vote in favor of the bill.

 

 

At the bill signing ceremony, Rep. Boyd Marley also commended Rep. Cebra. “Rich Cebra took a leadership role in getting this bill passed,” said Rep. Marley, who chairs the Legislature’s Transportation Committee. “He bridged party lines to assure that this important public safety issue became a priority in the final days of the legislative session.”

 

 

Rep. Cebra (R-Naples), a member of the Transportation Committee, said it is imperative for Maine to repair and upgrade an ageing bridge infrastructure that has been underfunded for years. He said that if the state continues to replace bridges at the current rate, the 200 spans over 80 years old will total 400 in 10 years, 600 in 20 years and 800 in 40 years.

 

 

“It is essential that we intensify and accelerate work on our bridges before the problem becomes unmanageable,” said Rep. Cebra. “Good roads and safe bridges are a primary responsibility of state government. Last summer’s bridge collapse in Minneapolis gave us an idea of what can happen when bridges are neglected. In the wake of that disaster, an inspection of Maine bridges showed we had 2,000 bridges in fair or poor condition.”

 

 

The $160 million in revenue bonds in this new package is targeted  for so-called “extraordinary” bridge projects, which means bridges that are currently either posted for weight  restrictions or closed and are not on the Maine Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) two-year work plan.

 

 

Maria Fuentes, executive director of the Maine Better Transportation Association, said the state is flirting with disaster by underfunding bridge and road reconstruction. She told the Associated Press that the recent replacement of the Waldo-Hancock Bridge between Prospect and Verona Island is an example of what can happen when bridge maintenance slips. After corroded suspension cables were discovered in 2003, the state had to detour heavier trucks 40 miles until new cables could be strung. The bridge has since been replaced.

 

 

Under the new law, the state will raise $40 million a year for four years to boost the $70 million the state now spends annually on bridge repairs and replacements. The funding will come from a $10 increase in vehicle registrations (to $35), vanity plates (to $25) and title fees (to $33).

 

 

“I have a reputation in the Legislature as a fiscal conservative who dislikes tax and fee increases,” Rep. Cebra said. “However, in this case we have no choice. We cannot allow our infrastructure to crumble because our economy would crumble with it. Not long ago, a fourth of the state budget went to highways and bridges, but that money has been squeezed out by huge expansions in social services and Medicaid. Now we have a situation verging on a crisis.”

 

 

Transportation Commissioner David Cole said that MDOT projects a $2.2 billion shortfall between needs and funding in the next 10 years.

 

 

If nothing else, the sharp increase in bridge work should increase employment in the state. Estimates show that 34 jobs are created for every $1 million spent on transportation projects.

 

 

Chairman Damon, Chairman Marley and fellow members of the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation, I stand before you today to testify, not only in favor of, but as a fierce advocate for, L.D. 2313 An Act to Keep Bridges Safe.

 

 

Fellow committee members, how did we get to this critical place, how is it we find our self in such a horrendous crisis when it comes to our important bridge infrastructure throughout the state.

 

 

First, I would like to say how thrilled I am that our Governor has put forward this piece of legislation for our consideration at your requesting. I welcome him into this fight for our future bridge safety and I am equally thrilled to read through the absolutely non-partisan list of twenty nine co-sponsors, who have decided to stand with us in the gap for the good people of this state.

 

 

I am going to briefly outline how we got here and what this committee has attempted to do to stop the impending tragedy, the heinous calamity that will fall upon the good citizens of our great state unless the legislative branch of this state government comes to it’s senses, and turns the tide in favor of our transportation infrastructure AND MAKES IT A PRIORITY NOW!!

 

 

 

I want to outline the efforts that were made in this Legislature to strengthen the financial position of the Highway Fund:

 

 

 

First, we attempted to Set aside a portion of the sales tax on vehicles and transportation related items (4% the first year, 8% the second year, 12% the third year, 16% the fourth year and 20% thereafter).  This schedule was offered since it was consistent with the growth in the sales tax within this category, and would have meant that there would not be a loss to the general fund below prior year revenues. IT FAILED TO RECEIVE SUFFICIENT SUPPORT FOR PASSAGE!

 

 

 

We also attempted to Set aside a portion of the motor vehicle excise tax (4% first year, 8% second year, 12% third year, 16% fourth year and 20% thereafter).  This schedule was offered since it was consistent with the growth in the excise tax, and would mean there would not be a loss to municipal general funds below prior year revenues. IT FAILED TO RECEIVE SUFFICIENT SUPPORT FOR PASSAGE.

 

 

 

We attempted to Change the cost sharing formula for the State Police to conform to the findings of the OPEGA report.  The formula today remains at 60% Highway Fund and 40% General Fund even though the Appropriations Committee continues to control the head count for the State Police. IT FAILED TO RECEIVE SUFFICIENT SUPPORT FOR PASSAGE!

 

 

 

We attempted to pass Motor vehicle fee increases not unlike those now being proposed. . IT FAILED TO RECEIVE SUFFICIENT SUPPORT FOR PASSAGE.

 

 

 

 

We discussed and attempted a proposed restructuring of the State- Aid Highway and URIP programs. . IT FAILED TO RECEIVE SUFFICIENT SUPPORT FOR PASSAGE.

 

 

 

 

We looked at a study of the feasibility of tolling I-295 for the purpose of funding the modernization of that highway. . IT FAILED TO RECEIVE SUFFICIENT SUPPORT FOR PASSAGE.

 

 

 

 

We attempted a proposed conversion of a portion of the motor fuels excise tax to a sales tax. . IT FAILED TO RECEIVE SUFFICIENT SUPPORT FOR PASSAGE.

 

 

 

 

In addition, in prior years the Legislature REJECTED "Tax at the Rack"  which would have enhanced compliance on collections under the motor fuel excise tax . THEY ALSO increased the liability of the Highway Fund by transferring the operational cost of the Maine State Ferry Service from the General Fund to the Highway fund.  To my knowledge, these actions happened through bipartisan actions.

 

 

 

Please note that most of the ideas that have been presented did not involve tax or fee increases.  BUT STILL THEY FAILED TO RECEIVE SUFFICIENT SUPPORT FOR PASSAGE.

 

 

WHY? I’ll tell you why, it’s not a complicated answer but I’ll just hit the highlights.

 

First I believe until recently, there was very little or no support for our actions from the second floor, although this committee has chosen to lead the charge in this battle there has been little or no supporting cover from the second floor. I am thrilled that that may be changing This bill is encouraging to say the least.

 

Second, There is a pervasive attitude among our non transportation committee colleagues in both houses that either transportation is not a priority and the growth of other social departments is, or that somehow our transportation infrastructure will magically fix itself.

 

And Thirdly, there is way too much disinformation and outright distortion of the facts being spread surrounding the highway fund. Too many people have heard the lies that there is a constant stealing from the highway fund to shore up the general fund, I have yet to see real supporting facts to back up those claims and have seen the evidence to the contrary, rather they are nothing more that anecdotal nonsense spread on web sites and hyperbolic radio talk shows and they undermine our efforts to fix our crumbling infrastructure.

 

 

It is time for this committee to stand once again for the people of Maine, for our businesses and for our future and give this bill a strong vote of support out of committee.

 

 

This bill is reasonable, it is important for our economic future, it will add greatly needed dollars to a thinly stretched bridge program, the fee increases are minor and keep the fees within New England averages,  and it will go a long way towards our goal of KEEPING OUR BRIDGES SAFE not just for today but for tomorrow, it is the right bill at the right time.

 

 

I ask my fellow Transportation committee members to unanimously support LD 2313.

 

Thank you and good day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(NOTE)- Chuck Colson is the former Nixon Administration official who did time for his involvement in Watergate and went on to found Prison Fellowship Ministries and airs a daily Radio commentary called Breakpoint which is aired coast to coast. Charlton Heston was one of  my three personal heros. Charlton Heston, Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater. -rmc

A Tribute To Charlton Heston- by Chuck Colson

In modern America, film and television are powerful shapers of culture. They provide shared experiences; they influence the way people think about the world around them.

They can even help establish powerful cultural traditions. Especially before the age of movie rentals and DVDs, there were a few things you could always count on happening every year: that is, families gathering around the TV to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas or It’s a Wonderful Life or The Wizard of Oz.

 

 

But for my money, the greatest TV tradition took place at Easter: sitting down to watch Charlton Heston play Moses in The Ten Commandments and the title role in Ben Hur . The excellent production values and storytelling of these films, and in particular the powerful, dignified acting of Heston, brought the Bible and its characters into homes everywhere, many of which might have had no other experience with or knowledge of Christianity.

 

 

So, I am sure that when many heard of Heston’s death, they felt a part of their own lives had passed along as well. He was, as many have written, a cultural icon.

 

 

And if you had to pick a cultural icon worthy of the status, you could not do much better than Charlton Heston. If you have been reading the tributes, you have seen why: Married to his wife, Lydia, for 64 years, a beloved father and grandfather, a staunch supporter of civil rights who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and stood nearby as King delivered the immortal “I Have a Dream” speech.

 

 

Yet there are those who deride Heston for the causes that he devoted himself to later in his life, such as Second Amendment rights and protecting kids from an increasingly coarse culture. I think these people are missing something. It is not the man who goes easily along with the prevailing winds of the culture who most deserves our respect and admiration. It is the man who stands up for his beliefs, against the popular trends of the day—even when he has something to lose.

 

 

If Charlton Heston had not been such a man, he never would have supported civil rights when he did—that was a time when much of Hollywood, and much of America , just did not care. By the same token, if he had not been such a man, he would not have stood up years later in a Time-Warner shareholders’ meeting and read aloud the complete lyrics of rapper Ice-T’s “Cop Killer” CD that Time-Warner had just released.

 

 

Later, Heston recalled, “When I read the lyrics to the waiting press corps, one of them said ‘We can’t print that.’ ‘I know,’ I replied, ‘but Time-Warner’s selling it.’ Two months later, Time-Warner terminated Ice-T’s contract.” Heston said, “I’ll never be offered another film by Warner, or get a good review from Time magazine.” But much more important to Heston than any career opportunity, was doing what he knew was right.

 

 

That is what made him such a great and rare figure. He was not content just to be celebrated as a cultural icon for playing roles like Moses, Ben-Hur, Michelangelo, and others. He was willing to risk scorn and ridicule to be a countercultural icon as well. And he was as courageous in his life as the characters he portrayed on film. May his example inspire many others to take such a stand, to help shape, heal, and transform our culture.