Let's put this in perspective here for a moment. The MMA, aka Maine Municipal Association, MEA aka Maine Educational Association, and the Maine State Chambers of Commerce all get their funds from.....the TAXPAYER. Yes, I said the TAXPAYER. To be more specific, the MAINE TAXPAYER. That is right, money that you pay in property taxes and income taxes gets sent to those organizations, in which was used to lobby against you, the taxpayer. So does that tell you who was against the taxpayer having a voice in where the tax money should go? So the next time you are at the polls and ready to vote to approve a budget or educational item, remember, it was those organizations that help derail your voice. It was those organizations that helped defeat all the hard work, time, and effort you spent in trying to have your voice be heard.
Now to the question of the day. Will there be another People Initiative for a Taxpayer Bill of Rights? For me personally, I hope so. I in fact helped Mary Adams and spoke for her as a municipally elected official that was in favor of limiting government spending. I'm sure I will still fight for that cause and speak on behalf of others such as Mary Adams. With the high tax burden that Maine has, one way to ensure our taxes do not get out of control is for us as citizens to have a voice. One of the best instruments in giving us a voice was the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Yes it is true, maybe the last version had a few flaws but when you consider the flaws that the Maine State Legislature has had over the past 30 plus years, it is no wonder our tax burden is so high.
I will close with the following opening line from Federalist papers No. 1 by Alexander Hamilton, aka Publius:
"After Full Experience of the insufficiency of the existing federal government, you are invited to deliberate upon a New Constitution for the United States of America" (Publius, No#1, 1787)
It is true that this passage states the federal government, however, as the first line insinuates, "insufficiency of the "existing...government". To me, that is key to our situation of today. Maine's government has been insufficient with regards at looking at the taxpayer as an equal member of what I call the "Holy Tax-Trinity". This consists of Legislature, county/local municipal government and the Taxpayer. I believe it is time for us to call upon our governmental leaders in the Maine Legislature to ensure our freedoms are not burdened by their opportunity to tax. Together we can ensure that governmental spending is curbed to only necessities that Mainers require.
Matt Schaeffer, 2007
2 comments:
A couple of years ago my town of North Yarmouth took their insurance to MMA from a a private vendor and I asked why. They told me that they saved almost $20,000/yr. I didn't believe it then and I still don't. I even called the State Bureau of Insurance to ask how MMA could provide their insurance so much cheaper and was told that the MMA insurance doesn't come under the watchful eye of the Bureau of Insurance. What kind of hank Panky is going on here.
The quicker another organization is started to work with the municipalities and taxpayers equality the better off the citizens of Maine will be.
As Matt's essay indicates, the average taxpayer has no well-funded permanent organization speaking for his interests in Augusta. In Washington there are but two or three---as against forty to fifty thousand registered lobbyists (perhaps 10,000 of which are active at a given time).
The Taxpayer Bill of Rights movement is the one vehicle available to protect the interests of the average taxpayer.
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