Back Stage at the Funeral
On May 1st varied political groups gathered for a press conference/funeral on the steps of Maines great State House.
Inside, critics were sneering and rude to one of the participants who handed out copies of the endangered initiative constitutional language as a memento of the funeral; the funeral director who loaned the impressive Cadillac hearse got a call from an anti-referendum bill co-sponsor before it was borrowed; Edie Smith (Exec Dir of the state funeral association and sister of George Smith of Sportsmans Alliance of Maine) showed up because of a complaint lodged from within the State House about the parked hearse; and, although the Associated Press photographer was there taking pictures, none appeared in todays Bangor Daily News to accompany the story.
Were the pictures spiked?
These may be good signs that the Governor & Company worried that a mock funeral might spell trouble for their bad bills. With all the nastiness surrounding the Governors bill (LD 1337) which kicks petitioners out of all Maine polling places, it is important for citizens to enter the scene and call their representatives and senators, insisting that they vote against all anti-referendum bills, including LD 1337 and LD 123. Fortunately, digital pictures were smuggled out by Maines un-spikeable AsMaineGoes. Be sure and tell your friends.
The magic of the citizen initiative is that it creates a super legislative bill which can only be defeated by a vote of the people. Here, Mary holds up a framed copy of the bill created by initiative petition which resulted in repealing the Maine state property tax in a l977 referendum.
For anyone who doesnt understand what all the fuss is about, here are my remarks from yesterdays press conference/funeral for the Maine initiative process:
“My name is Mary Adams. I live in Garland, Maine. I was born and raised in Dover-Foxcroft. Ive done referendums, always as an unpaid volunteer. I believe in the power of one person to make a difference and that power is in danger of being snuffed out by pending anti-referendum legislation.
I’m here because I am irate that the Governor and his cronies are trying to rip the initiative referendum.as a practical matterfrom the grasp of ordinary citizens.
In the mid-1970s I led the signature collection effort which repealed the state property tax. I worked with selectmen statewide who called themselves Freedom Fighters. They had taken the name of the place they met to organize the Grange Hall in the town of Freedom in Waldo County.
The state property tax rebellion was over local control. When they could find no relief from the legislature which had passed the tax, nor from the court, they turned to the initiative referendum in Maines Constitution. (The wording is in the handout and on top of the casket.)
None of us knew much about the process when we began, but we were desperate to stop the state from usurping the local property tax.
Selectmen and their townspeople went to the polls in l976 and collected enough signatures in two elections to put the issue to referendum in l977. The voters of the state agreed that the tax should go and they voted to repeal it by a margin of 3 to 2.
WITHOUT THE POLLS, WE COULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN RID OF THE TAX! (New Hampshire and Vermont have recently been cursed with the same state property tax and they have no hope of getting rid of it because they dont have an initiative referendum in their constitutions.)
We were all volunteers; none of us were paid. We were just so glad to have a way of escape from state control that we worked our hearts out and finally won. Its an exhausting, near impossible process even with the polls and most drives are not successful.
How dare this Governor and this legislature try to kill this process for ordinary, unpaid volunteers as we were? Because they dont like the Jonathan Carter referendums? To quiet one man they will remove hope for over a million men and women? This reminds me of the poll tax in the south. They could say everyone had the right to vote, but the poor were disenfranchised because of the cost.
It makes me sick to hear the “sanctity of the polling place” argument used by people who want to kick out petitioners. Thats a red herring. Its just plain “spin.” The polls have their own internal policing in place. Theyre called wardens.
Today you’re in a “NO SPIN ZONE.” Im telling Maine people straight from the shoulder that they are getting ripped off and only they can stop it . This funeral today is a wake up call to Maine that the politicians are trying to take a citizens escape hatch and kill it. Theyll leave the wording in place, but by forbidding signature collection, theyll make it worthless to all but the wealthy and well connected. Its a kind of devious theft. It robs people of their ability to use something which is guaranteed to them. Angus King & Company are marching the initiative referendum to its grave with LD 1337, and it has to be stopped or Freedom Fighters of the future with a great cause will never have a chance as we did.”