One of the great things about Maine government is the citizen’s petition, which allows private citizens to bypass the legislature and present a question directly to the voters at large.
We hold that whenever an issue is important enough, whenever it portends a dramatic cultural change, like school consolidation, or same-sex marriage, it should be considered by the entire state and not just our elected partisans doing legislative battle in Augusta.
However, we take the news that yet another group is planning to petition for a referendum to revive the casino question in 2010 with some resentment. We thought we settled this issue, again, just last year. It says something about the money at stake that supporters are apparently willing to gnaw on this issue like a dog on a bone until they get a vote they like.
The current backers acknowledge that the previous bill was seriously flawed and heavily tilted in the casino operator’s favor and it was, but that doesn’t change the fact Maine has rejected three separate casino initiatives since 2003.
How many times do we have to say ‘no’ to this idea?
This latest effort, just now getting underway publicly, raises the unsettling thought that some sort of limit on this citizen’s petition process might not be a bad idea. Maybe after a deciding vote we should instill some sort of mandatory waiting period before the same question can be brought forward again.
Consider this: After the Nov. 3 vote settles the same-sex marriage issue, one way or the other, what’s to stop the losing side from circulating a petition to bring the issue back to life next year?
Regarding casinos, former state senator Chris Hall was right when he called gambling a stupidity tax. Don’t be fooled by the backers saying they will chip off a little money for the state. Whatever they throw the state’s way will be a drop in the bucket compared to the profits they hope to rake in.
For those who are really so eager to contribute to the state, we advise cutting out the middleman and sending your extra tax money straight to Augusta.
Now, who likes that idea?
