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Good for you, Tim!! More people should not only vote to make their voices heard, but do as you did and write their representatives. I love that maineah spirit!!!! Keep it up!
Unfortunately I fully believe the correspondence amounts to an in one ear and out the other type of scenario.
I think it's very very very sad that any state would have to impose laws that enforce things that should be COMMON SENSE, HELLO. I mean really; why would you NOT wear a seat belt? Why would you NOT turn your lights on when the weather's crappy? Is there some altruistic reason, religion, allergic reaction? Why?
Additionally, laws like the proposed novelty lighter one wouldn't be necessary if people actually paid attention to their kids once in a while. Or perhaps, TALKED to them and TAUGHT them that lighters are bad. Too much to ask? I mean really, a little responsibility and education would go a long way towards being able to make these types of laws a thing of the past.
I feel that helmets should be used on motorcycles too; another one of those common-sense things, but obviously the feel of the wind in their hair is apparently more interesting to them than the potential feel of their face-skin being scraped across the pavement. I don't know, heh.
I have no problem with taxing the heck out of things like cigarrettes and alcohol; I don't do either so it wouldn't affect me. I empty my pockets when I fill my tank with gas, so even if I wanted to I couldn't afford it!
Gah, I've got to stop now; I get kind of fired up with topics like this. No pun intended.
I had the opportunity to corner both Snow and Collins a couple of years ago at a media event. After getting past their entourage of weenies, spent a few minutes trying to talk issues. Their responses were typical politico-speak and pandering.
Our legislator is one of the few moderates, among an ocean of libs in Augusta. We need to cut the legislature by 3/4. Maybe just one senator per county and two reps. That way, there is no way in hell they can propose thousands of pieces of worthless legislation in one session.
For that matter, Maine does not need a full time legislative body. Vermont and New Hampshire get along nicely with a part time one. Granted, they have screwed up Vermont as much as Maine, but in NH, they still put up the good fight.
I had the opportunity to corner both Snow and Collins a couple of years ago at a media event. After getting past their entourage of weenies, spent a few minutes trying to talk issues. Their responses were typical politico-speak and pandering.
Our legislator is one of the few moderates, among an ocean of libs in Augusta. We need to cut the legislature by 3/4. Maybe just one senator per county and two reps. That way, there is no way in hell they can propose thousands of pieces of worthless legislation in one session.
For that matter, Maine does not need a full time legislative body. Vermont and New Hampshire get along nicely with a part time one. Granted, they have screwed up Vermont as much as Maine, but in NH, they still put up the good fight.
Well Put. If you have a plan to weed out these clowns please share it! I'm all for it!
Here is a correspondence and response on this subject I have had with my State representative. I believe it shows the depth of these people in government.....none. I just sent him my opening statement in this thread and was surprised he even responded.....must be an election year for him.
Dear Representative Webster,
Will you people please take a break from smoking bans in cars and novelty lighter bans and do some legitimate governing for a change?
Let me be up front about the subject right from the start I HATE SMOKING! I don't like being around smoking at all. I think it is a seriously stupid habit which has caused untold misery through nicotine addiction and accumulation of carcinogenic chemicals eventually causing various deadly cancers. Smoking directly or indirectly killed my Mother,Grandfather,and by second hand inhalation most likely my Grandmother who sat in the same room with my Grandfather and inhaled the remnants of his 3 pack a day habit for 35 years.
So do you think I might be biased in my opinion on smoking? Rest assured I am. That said I am not in favor of the State legislature passing a bill to ban smoking in private automobiles when children under 16 are present.
It's none of the Legislatures' business and they have no right to tell people they can't smoke in a car. Another idiotic feel good law not unlike the recent novelty lighter ban. I was not for banning smoking sections in restaurants as I felt if there was a choice and I could go to a non smoking section. I heard the justification being the health of the servers but no one has much concern about house painters who are exposed to 20 times the contaminates with daily exposure to volatile organic compounds. It amounts to just more nanny state babysitting from the State. What's next smoking bans in your own home? It's coming.
I believe that anything we can do to stop people from smoking is a good thing unless it trumps privacy rights. Raising the price from 35 cents in the 60's to nearly $6.00 a pack hasn't stopped people from smoking ....telling them they can't smoke in a car won't stop them either. If the government really wanted to do something about smoking they would close down big tobacco once and for all and ban the manufacture of smoking materials in all forms across the country. They won't though as money does the talking in this country.
The roads are bad, the state has the highest tax burden in the country, fuel costs are bankrupting truckers, school consolidation has towns on the verge of feuding and you people spend time on novelty lighters and smoking in cars???? What is wrong with you people?
Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Freeport
Response:
Tim,
Thank you for your note.
I read you comments with interest because even when I disagree I feel I can learn something from everyone.
Unfortunately, in the Legislature as in life, we never have a time when we can only deal with one issue.
In the legislature we deal with hundreds of issues at one time – there are 151 representatives who are divided into many committees of jurisdiction which take the time to address the specific concerns such as smoking, novelty lighters, roads and bridges, etc. Each committee is required to report back the facts as they see them when we meet as a full legislature.
Because roads are bad, does not mean we need to ignore the fact that babies are picking up toys they think are harmless, which are burning them instead.
Should we ignore the fact that given second hand smoke is directly related to cancer, children in a car inhale second hand smoke that is many times higher than second hand smoke in a house? No. I don’t think so.
Raising the price of taxes on cigarettes has a direct impact on those who choose to quit smoking. As the cost goes up, more quit smoking: young smokers quit at about twice the rate of adult smokers. Since those who smoke for a lifetime cause greater costs for state government in health care costs it seems helping people quit smoking makes financial sense.
No question, we have to strike a balance between personal freedom and good public policy. I think about this every time I am called upon to choose how to spend tax dollars. I am trying to make choices that balance personal freedom with the cost to taxpayers.
Tim, again, thank you for your note
David Webster
Rep. David Webster
State Representative District 106
Freeport and part of Pownal
P.O. Box 124
Freeport, ME 04032
(207) 865-4311 - home office
(207) 287-1400 - Maine House of Representatives
(207) 287-1316 – Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs
My response to his email:
Dear Rep. Webster,
Thank you for replying to my rant on the legitimacy of the legislation you folks in Augusta seem to be passing these days.
My take on recent feel good legislation coming from Augusta is election year “see what we’ve done to save your kids” hogwash.
You people lack the fortitude to attack any real issues. Your diatribe on the second hand smoke in cars proves to me you are more than willing to stand up against those who cannot or will not oppose you, namely lower income or intellect parents who would expose their children to smoke in the first place.
This legislation does nothing to address the root causes of smoking in the long term, namely the fact that nicotine is as addictive as heroine, and the carcinogens in smoke do cause cancer.
Yet with all of the proof presented to lawmakers you again take the easy road out by passing toothless, feel good, sound bite oriented, idiotic laws that do absolutely nothing to stop smoking and all of the horrendous problems associated with it. Your law will not prevent parents from smoking around their kids. In a car??? Who cares? These people will still sit in the kitchen of their trailer with their children at their feet and a half dozen other smokers in the same room and continue poisoning the children present. How often does one have their kids in a car anyway? It’s a stupid law that does nothing but make the legislature FEEL GOOD for doing at least something.
Why don’t you do something like ban the sale of all tobacco related products throughout the entire State?
Then you won’t need the toothless little laws banning lighters and smoking in cars.
I’ll tell you why it’s because you do not have the fortitude to stand up to the special interests.
That’s why Maine has no Motorcycle helmet law. The legislature is too afraid to tell the United Bikers of Maine to put on a crash helmet.
You have umpteen seat belt laws but no crash helmet law. And don’t try to tell me there are not enough statistics to justify a helmet law. If that were the case then all of the other states with helmet laws would be doing away with them not making them tougher.
I’m just real tired of seeing this State go broke at the hands of lawmakers who feel they have no responsibility to curb spending and do away with the handouts to anyone and everyone who comes knocking while saving their ire for the defenseless who through no fault of their own have neither the will nor finances to tell the legislature where to go with the smoking in a car law.
Regardless of how good you all feel about the great success you have had passing these stupid pandering laws you still do next to nothing as the State dips further and further into disrepair, more and more people collect a check of some sort from the “Nanny State” coffers, business pull out of this State in record numbers and our taxes continue to be the highest per capita in the Nation.
You should all be proud of the incredible work you do! You continue to fiddle as Rome burns down around you.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXXX
Freeport
Maineah, you wrote almost the same exact letters that I wrote when our local representative was attempting to ban energy drinks to anybody 18 years old or younger. I feel like you know me and know exactly how I feel about these same subjects. I really wish that people like you would run for a seat in the legislature and be willing to risk the punishment of not being liked by thier peers. Thank you!!! I couldn't give you more rep points since I already give you too many!!! LOL!!!
I have no problem with taxing the heck out of things like cigarettes and alcohol; I don't do either so it wouldn't affect me.
Well, I could say that I don't drive, so why should I care if your gas goes up to $4 a gallon? Land lord pays for my heat, so why should I care if the price of heating oil is what ever it is? Who cares about genocide in Darfur? It's not my country. Neither one affects me.
See how that line of logic is flawed?
I don't smoke myself, but I believe that the tax on cigarettes is high enough. In my opinion the raising costs of cigarettes is not a deterrent. Most teenagers do not understand the value of a dollar so if a pack of smokes is four bucks or eight is not going to matter to them until they start paying their own way through life. By then they are probably already addicted.
Instead of using tax money to enforce common sense laws, the cigarette tax should go to anti-smoking campaigns (preferably non-profits, not legislative).
Maineah, you wrote almost the same exact letters that I wrote when our local representative was attempting to ban energy drinks to anybody 18 years old or younger. I feel like you know me and know exactly how I feel about these same subjects. I really wish that people like you would run for a seat in the legislature and be willing to risk the punishment of not being liked by thier peers. Thank you!!! I couldn't give you more rep points since I already give you too many!!! LOL!!!
Thanks for the vote of confidence though I'm afraid I'm far too conservative to run for office in this state! Plus my honesty(big mouth as some would call it) would get me into a lot of trouble I'm sure.
LOL!
Well it looks like the the deep thinkers of the Legislature passed the "No smoking in a car when there is anyone under sixteen present" law Yesterday. Establishing a $50.00 fine for violators. Now it only has to go get an "X" from Governor Elmer Fudd and in 90 days the police will have some more babysitting to do! That's ok though because no one will be able to afford gas for their cars pretty soon so they'll have to pass the no smoking while you're walking near a kid law next year.
Aren't you proud of these people?
There is so much more to do in this state to save infants and children from harm and dysfunction, it ain't funny. This place is burnout land, in more ways than one.
There is so much more to do in this state to save infants and children from harm and dysfunction, it ain't funny. This place is burnout land, in more ways than one.
You got that right!
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