Currently in the state of Maine, there is a battle to save the Dirigo Health Insurance program. This program was started a few years ago to help poor, self-employed, and small businesses obtain Health insurance for themselves and their employees. The program has encountered many obstacles in funding since its inception. Most of these roadblocks were put up, surprisingly enough, by the Health Insurance Industry.
This year, state government looked for a new source of income. It will implement a beverage tax on alcohol and soda to fill budget gaps. The beverage industry has not taken this lying down. They have started a "peoples veto" drive, a petition to let the voters of Maine decide whether or not this tax should be implemented. The Beverage companies have hired paid professional signature getters who are out in force saying whatever it takes to get people to sign to put this on the ballot. The following is an E-mail sent out by Ben Dudley of the Maine and my response.
Dear Health Coverage for Maine Volunteers,
Thanks to you we had a very successful day on primary election day
last week. We were so successful in fact that the Beverage
Corporations are making a big push to collect more signatures
tomorrow morning! (see list of locations at bottom.) Access to health
coverage for thousands of Maine kids and families is depending on our
efforts.
So, we need your help once again on fraud watch. It is essential that
we collect each of the following 2-3 pieces of data from the petition
circulators:
- The first two names off every petition we can see (no doubt there
will be multiple at each location);
- The name of the circulator for each petition;
- If possible, a picture of the circulator for each petition (or,
just as importantly, the absence of a circulator).
Our Fraud Watch Observation Form is attached to this email; it is a
good guide to what we need to look for when we see these circulators
Please email or call us at 772-0411 to let us know if you have just a
few minutes tomorrow morning to make these important observations.
Thank you,
Ben Dudley
They are going to be out in force from 6am to 10am (longer in some
places) at the following locations:
BANGOR - Bangor Wine Cheese, 88 Hammond St (9am to 9pm)
BIDDEFORD - Big Apple Mobil, 394 Elm St. at 5 points
BUXTON - Plummers Market, 235 Parker Farm Rd, in the Bonny Eagle Plaza
GARDINER - Ainslie's Market, Rt 201
LEWISTON - Simones' Hot Dog Stand, 99 Chestnut St. near city hall
NEWPORT - Valero's, Elm and Main St.
PORTLAND - Denny's Restaurant, Congress St. near the Sea Dogs ballpark
SCARBOROUGH - Xtra Mart Sunoco, 151 Rt 1, next to the Mercedes
dealership
SOUTH PARIS - Oxford County Chamber of Commerce, 4 Western Ave. next
to McLaughlin Garden 7 until noon.
TOPSHAM - Midcoast Maine Chamber of Commerce, 2 Main St. in the
Border Trust Bank Building, just before the bridge 8:30 until noon
WATERVILLE - Governor's Restaurant, 356 main St right off the interstate
WINDHAM - Cumberland Farms, Rt 302 at the intersection of rts 302 and 35
and my response:
Ben,
I have to say as a person who has always supported Maine Equal Justice
Project, I am very disappointed with your latest response to the Beverage
Corporations new initiative.
Just because we disagree with their methods, and vehemently oppose thir
goals, that does not grant us the license to stoop to their level. Your
suggestion that we get the "name of the circulator" and "if possible, a
picture of the circulator" is wrong on at least two levels. 1. It can
provoke confrontations that are sure to be used as fuel for their campaign,
and 2. It strikes right at the heart of what you stand for. Although we
know we are right in this cause. Many other people believe that they are
right in their own causes. If you take out the word fraud in the "Fraud
Watch Observation Form," you can substitute any number of choice words
instead: Gay, Immigrant, Abortion, or African-American fit just as well.
Right now, the House of Representatives is negotiating the FISA bill that
will effectively grant immunity to the Telephone Companies that released all
of our information. You are compiling your information, to give the state
government to further your own cause. While I agree with your goals, I have
to take issue with your methods. Especially, if they prove effective. If
they are effective, then there is no telling who will use them and for what
purposes. Good luck with the campaign to preserve healthcare for the state
of Maine.
Thanks.
Dave