Phoenix endorsements (continued) Statewide referenda BY PHOENIX EDITORIAL STAFF

QUESTION 1: PEOPLE’S VETO

"Do you want to reject the new law that would protect people from discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations and credit based on their sexual orientation?"

It is shameful that so much time and energy has been squandered on this question of whether we should strip away language that our Legislature and governor have added to Maine’s Civil Rights Act for a third time, here in 2005. Maine this year became the last of the New England states to add sexual orientation to the list of classes of people protected against discrimination in matters of employment, credit, education, housing, and public accommodations. We can think of no reason why Maine should employ the people’s veto and go back to being the state that doesn’t look like the others.

Arguments made by Question 1 proponents that gay men and lesbians will abuse this law, that it’s unnecessary because of a lack of evidence of discrimination, or that the discrimination described by those who’ve suffered it is actually harassment all ring incredibly hollow. Have minorities and women abused their civil rights, gained only in this past century? The question itself is ludicrous. There have been very few murders here in Portland as of late; should it then be made legal? What a farcical idea. Are we really going to split hairs over whether something is harassment or discrimination, and thus use that semantic argument to justify re-legalizing discrimination based on sexual orientation? We would hope not.

Further, the argument that we’re legislating behavior-based civil rights is offensive in the extreme. The implication that same-sex people who live together for a lifetime and raise families are somehow making a choice similar to whether to drink or not, whether to smoke or not, could not be more dehumanizing.

We have heard proponents of Question 1 say, incredulously, that it is okay to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation "in some cases," but otherwise they very much condemn the practice, and would reach out with love to those gays and lesbians discriminated against. We have heard them say, with a straight face, that they worry about being forced to have a lesbian babysit their children. We have heard them repeatedly trot out the red herring that is gay marriage, though gay marriage is expressly illegal in the state of Maine. If that is the ilk you would like to associate yourself with, by all means do so.

However, we believe that thoughtful Mainers, heterosexual and homosexual alike, know that there is no option here but to vote No on Question 1. We would hope that every thoughtful Mainer would also be thoughtful enough to get to the polls and vote their conscience, rather than leaving that burden to those who would be affected by the repeal of this law.

QUESTION 2: BOND ISSUE

"Do you favor a $33,100,000 bond issue for improvements to highways and bridges; airports; public transit improvements; state-owned ferry vessels and ferry and port facilities including port and harbor structures; and statewide bicycle trail and pedestrian improvements that makes the State eligible for over $158,000,000 in matching funds?"

This bond question is pretty much a no-brainer: $27 million of the bond would go toward highway and bridge improvements. It’s somewhat of a vicious cycle, but without reliable public transportation our highways are our economic life’s blood. Plus, our bridges are in dangerous disrepair. And the federal matching funds are too much to ignore.

The Phoenix recommends a Yes vote on Question 2.

QUESTION 3: BOND ISSUE

"Do you favor an $8,900,000 bond issue for purposes related to agriculture and the environment in anticipation of approximately $31,000,000 in federal funds to be used for sustainable water sources and irrigation system development, loans from a wastewater state revolving fund, grants from a small community grants program, support of public water system improvements and repairs and improvements to a veterinary technician facility at the University of Maine?"

This is one of those omnibus bonds, of which we’re not huge fans. We’re all for clean water, and getting clean water to citizens is a mandate for the state, but much of the money in this bond and the matching funds is more about the delivery than the cleaning. Then there is money for drought avoidance and $800,000 for the UMaine livestock facility. These are not intuitively linked. However, the amount of money is small in the grand scheme of things, and we hope this investment in water infrastructure will pay dividends down the road.

The Phoenix recommends a Yes vote on Question 3.

QUESTION 4: BOND ISSUE

"Do you favor a $20,000,000 bond issue to stimulate economic growth and job creation through investments in the Maine economy in anticipation of approximately $44,000,000 in federal and private funds for medical research and development; marine research and development; equity investments in small Maine companies with potential for high growth; the New Century Community Program for capital improvements to cultural resources; the renovation of Camden Hall on the University of Maine Bangor campus for a graduate school for biomedical science; the development of the Laboratory for Surface Science Technology; capital costs and equipment for the career center facility at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College; and the development of the Sunrise Business and Career Center in the Town of Jonesboro?"

The idea behind this bond has merit: Virtually every wonk looking at Maine’s economy agrees that high-technology fields are ones in which Maine can compete on a national and international level, as they don’t depend on cheap labor, easy access to transportation ports, or abundant natural resources. The state claims that "state funding in biomedical research and development has produced between a six-to-one and seven-to-one return on investment for the state of Maine." What we don’t like is the lack of accountability. The state says Jackson Labs is likely to apply for the money that would be made available, and "They expect to add 45 new jobs with [the expansion the money would pay for]." They expect. What happens if they don’t? Do we get our money back? We also wonder why there is $15 million in this bond for biomed investment, and just $1 million for arts investment. That’s a great disparity, considering the "creative economy" talk the governor’s been throwing about.

With the caveat that if you’re going to vote down one bond, this is the one, the Phoenix still recommends a Yes vote on Question 4.