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Professional Politicians... Governor Baldacci's Dirigo Disaster ... 11,000 more people now lack healthcare after millions spent.  source
Senator Chandler Woodcock won't say what he truly believes but would deny women the right to choose.  source
And Representative Barbara Merrill was slapped with a huge ethics fine.  source
There is an alternative. Pat LaMarche's plan for lower taxes and universal healthcare encourages small business and jobs.  source
Pat LaMarche for Governor, Common sense for Maine

Professional Politicians

Governor John Baldacci, State Senator Chandler Woodcock and State Representative Barbara Merrill are all elected officials, working in the state of Maine are receiving a paycheck from Maine taxpayers. By definition, that makes them professional politicians.

"Dirigo Disaster"

The intent of the Dirigo Health Program was to add 130,000 Mainers to the roles of the insured, essentially providing 100% health insurance in the Pine Tree State. The plan was supposedly designed to not increase taxes. It has failed miserably on all counts. It has cost taxpayers millions, it has arguably increased the cost of health insurance for people not in the program, and it has fallen so far short of its goal to include everyone that there are actually fewer people with health insurance in Maine now.

By any measure, that is a public policy disaster.

11,000 more people now lack healthcare after millions spent.

This refers to the Dirigo Healthcare Program. According to state budget figures, tens of millions of dollars have been spent on Dirigo, and the U.S. Census report from August, 2006, concluded that 141,000 people in Maine lacked healthcare in 2005, up from 130,000 in 2004.

Maine's population increased during that time, so the statistical percentage of uninsured remained roughly the same, but the actual number of people in Maine without health insurance increased by 11,000. (Of course, if you lack health insurance, you don't really care that the percentages are the same, you only care that you don't have health insurance.)

This information was widely reported on August 30th by David Farmer of the Lewiston Sun Journal Newspaper.

Chandler Woodcock won't say what he truly believes, but he would deny a woman the right to choose.

It has been widely reported during this campaign that Sen. Woodcock has been reluctant to state his position on important social issues, such as choice. He has consistently missed opportunities to speak with women's groups about these important issues. Sen. Woodcock is well known as strongly opposing reproductive rights in women.

Barbara Merrill was slapped with a huge ethics fine

The Maine Ethics commission fined Rep. Merrill $10,000 for reporting errors. That is a huge fine in Maine and the largest in this campaign.

There is an alternative

Pat LaMarche's plan for lower taxes and universal healthcare encourages small business and jobs.

The LaMarche healthcare plan would provide healthcare (not health insurance) for all Maine citizens. It would lower taxes by reducing the cost of municipal government, thereby allowing for lower property taxes. It encourages jobs and small business by dramatically reducing the cost of doing business allowing companies to expand and create jobs.

Pat LaMarche for Governor, Common Sense for Maine

That says it all.