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There is a great deal of important work that is being done in the state of Maine by The League in both the social and political arena of voting. Maine is an exciting place to live because, as voters, we have the ability to create a great deal of positive change. To educate voters, the Maine State League will be distributing 10,000 voter guides this fall in the words of the candidates so that constituents choose based upon who they think will best represent them. Additionally, there are two key social issues that the Maine League is working on. If you want to get involved, visit our website.
There is currently a referendum posed for a vote in November 2006 that threatens Maine’s social programs, education system, and health care system in addition to being dangerous to women’s rights, senior citizen care, and the environment. TABOR will also directly perpetuate Maine’s brain drain and lead to budget cuts that will hinder Maine’s prosperity. TABOR would impose a rigid, arbitrary formula on the state budget that will not grow proportionally with inflation and lead to large budget cuts. This program had to be suspended in Colorado because it was such a detriment to the functioning of the state. The Maine State League has joined a coalition called Student Voices Against TABOR that will be leading the state-wide campaign to defeat this tax bill and save Maine’s social programs.
Through the Opportunity Maine Campaign, The League is helping to coordinate signature gathering for a 2007 ballot initiative that would create greater opportunities for Mainers to attain higher forms of education. Through an increase in sales tax by 1%, the state could offer a program by which student loans would be forgiven in proportion to the amount of time that a student stays in Maine after their graduation. Not only will this help students, but it will also aid the state of Maine in its battle against brain drain.