AUGUSTA (Nov 5): A new tax adopted in April by the Legislature was repealed by a vote of the people Tuesday, Nov. 4, leaving the Dirigo Health insurance program to rely on its former funding method.

Gov. John Baldacci is urging Mainers to vote against repealing the new taxes on beer, wine and soda, saying the revenues are needed if Maine is to ever provide universal health coverage.

No one would argue the need for affordable, high-quality health care for Maine. Unfortunately, voting no on Question 1 does nothing to further that goal, which is why I am voting yes to reject the proposed new taxes on health care claims and beverages.

As Maine goes, so goes the nation? The state's former reputation as a national bellwether is no doubt on the minds of those who both support and oppose Question 1 on the November ballot.

This era finds our citizenry sometimes feeling like a butterfly in a hurricane in the midst of this crashing economy, seesaw gas prices, a punchdrunk housing market, and so on. Then comes a group of Mainers launching what amounts to a 21st century version

ORONO � Maine�s new beverage taxes, at the heart of Question 1 on this November�s ballot, will cost Maine businesses and households as much as $40.7 million annually in higher taxes on beer, wine an

The pending tax on soda, beer and wine that is the subject of Question 1 on the November ballot won't cause businesses to fail or taxpayers to go bankrupt. For all the worries and claims about its potential impact, a few extra pennies on a can of soda or

Maine voters in November will consider a ballot question seeking to overturn a newly-minted state law that changes the funding method for the Dirigo Health Program.

FED UP WITH TAXES LAUNCHES FIRST TELEVISION AD AUGUSTA, Maine - The Fed Up With Taxes/YES on 1 coalition aired its first television ad last night during the Democratic National Convention.