Snowe Votes with Conscience Collins May Follow Snowe S Lead Tabqron
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
STUDENT ART ID KIliE ITG ITS I ¦ ¦ ¦ mTfciste^¦ ¦¦-;*-':" Jw^^rtt^&Sfflw&^Mtmmmo&zr^^^^PCtwh W^^&-^**¥fr&ndn &*&£L-- . '¦? I¦ m^Qtort(pCW%tqpA*mwuacnrt, asiri VtoftesaanrtmrSlndani Im&mxjff ii^ ^1^ccwa / ^bnftofnV^ the £c*o, *lf*sBoardwas mo*gratefulfor the dedicatedwork of Un- dents, faculty, sta^T, patentsand trusteeson? die CCWO over the put yew; We Inistmat the Bexts»eps toward* rmpleinentation of these rec- ominendetfows"^yffl y |M3pv«e continuedopportunities ror collaboration and lookfotward "to seeingpositive results." The CollegeAflain Committee(CAC) met Monday and formed a subcommitteee> begindrafting policy language on the report's sixth andseveflmieocfnmenjdaftxis,vmfch icy on campus, according to Temune. That the Board accepted the report "does not mean these recom- mendationsare autotnatkallybecoming policy" President of me Stu- dent GovernmentAssociation Jake Fischer' 10 said, "But [the Board] acknowledge*...thatthese things should happen in somecapacity. " - By AllisonBknmvich . NewsEditor , withrtportingbyMichael Btvphy, Assistant N **>s Editor TABQRon ballot criminately. One could describe By SARAH LYON NEWS STAFF TABOR as a meat ax, when what we really need is a scalpel to cut out wasteful spending," she said. MCK lODtCE/THE COLBY ECHO Maine residents who would like However, those in favor of the Juniors in a Dana Jive-man have decorated the walls of their room with colorful grajiti art. The roommates are featured on page 12. the state to maintain funding for proposal believe that limiting gov- schools and public safety should ernment spending will allow resi- pay special attention to the Tax- dents to voice their say in state payers Bill of Rights (TABOR), spending and manage their tax dol- Snowe votes with conscience proposal when heading to the polls lars more efficiently. UnderTABOR , this fall. voters must voice their approval on Senator brings Americans reside. It's where both last of five Congressional panels Civic Engagement. "Her influence TABOR restricts state expendi- overriding spending limits. This political parties have to come to- needed to approve the legislation. on the health care reform has been tures based on population growth. means that state residents have a say health care gether to agree to solve the prob- 'The timing was pure chance— as great as any Senator's from When spending rates are lowered, in allotting money for transportation lems of this great country." and could not have been better," Maine, except for perhaps when access to government-sponsored and construction projects. debate to the Hill While her speech centered on said L. Sandy Maisel, William R. George Mitchell was majority services declines, often affecting Dustin Hickey ' U , a Maine res- the politics of her predecessors Kenan Jr. professor of govern- leader." groups such as students and senior ident, voted against TABOR via ab- and the need for political com- ment and director of the Goldfarb Following last Tuesday's vote, citizens. However, TABOR does sentee ballot this year. He believes By ELISABETH PONSOT promise, the question and an- Center for Public Affairs and not factor in aging among these the proposal gives voters too much EDITOR IN CHIEF swer period that followed her See SNOWE, Page 2 groups when allocating spending. say in routine procedures. "If some talk concentrated almost exclu- "It is important to note that the sort of institution needs to go over Just days after casting a historic sively on health care reform, a TABOR formula does not take into their spending limit, the vote goes vote on Capitol Hill to reform the national debate in which Snowe account changing levels of stu- to the people. Oil prices will go up national health care system, Sena- has been a critical participant. dents or senior citizens in the pop- in the winter and school budgets tor Olympia Snowe (R-ME) spoke Snowe voted with her Demo- ulation," Amanda Burgess '10, won't be able to cover the costs. By at the College on the senatorial tra- cratic colleagues of the Senate president of the Colby Democrats, the time the vote goes through, it dition of pragmatic voting in Finance Committee on October said. "So, as Maine's population will be too late. It's a waste of time Maine and fundamental need for 13 to support $829 billion in leg- ages, it would be difficult to fund going through the people for some- compromise in Congress. islation to reform the health care health care and meal delivery pro- thing as trivial as that," he said. Speaking to an audience in the system. She was the sole Repub- grams under TABOR." So far, Colorado is the only state Page Commons, Snowe said that lican in a 14-9 vote, and gained Maine voters already rejected the that has enacted TABOR. Oppo- we are living in a time where par- widespread media attention in TABOR proposal once in 2006. nents to the proposal blame tisan polarization has become the the days that followed for break- Local opponents believe that, given TABOR for the state's high spend- norm in our political system, re- ing with her party's line. the nation's current economic ing rates in public schools since sulting in vast barriers to consen- According to the New York downturn, TABOR will only 1992, and a decrease in job growth, sus among politicians and, Times, the proposed legislation ap- worsen the situation in Maine, cit- delaying economic recovery. ultimately, legislative gridlock. propriates $345 billion to expand ing that it will result in more cut- TABOR also affects college stu- "We're seeing a slow, steady Medicaid and S461 billion to sub- backs in schools, health care and dents attending state-sponsored erosion of the political center," sidize insurance costs for under- other industries in the years to come. universities, Burgess said. Snowe said. "That is not good for privileged Americans. Burgess also disapproves of "TABOR would have a lesser ef- Maine, and it 's not good for The vote was a monumental TABOR's spending system. fect on Colby students than our America, because the sensible step toward health care reform, as CHRIS HOOEH/THE COLBY ECHO "One main problem with peers in the University of Maine center is where the majority of the Finance Committee was the Maine Senator Olympia Snowe spoke at a dinner in Page. TABOR is that it limits spending system," she said. "Looking to to the rate of inflation while the Colorado is important in this case. POLITICAL PROFILE costs of higher education and Colorado ranks 49th in state sup- health care increase at a rate higher port of higher education and ranks than the rate of inflation. So, pro- last in sending disadvantaged and Collins may follow Snowe s lead grams will have to get cut indis- low-income kids to college." Maine Senator Susan Collins has voiced support f or health reform THIS WEEK'S ECHO I www.TheColbyEcho.com j Maine Senator Susan Collins. By SAM SELUB Collins is one of only two Re- NEWS STAFF publicans to voice support for Last week, the U.S. Senate Fi- health care reform. As a Republi- nance Committee (SFC) approved can Senator from New England, Max Baucus's health care bill Collins has resisted her party's aimed at reforming the health in- shift toward a more combative and surance industry and reducing the narrow-minded ideology siding number of uninsured Americans. with the Democrats on issues The bill, an $829 billion initia- ranging from financial reform to tive, was passed by a 14-9 margin gay marriage. with only one Republican, Collins has voted with her party Olympia Snowe (R-ME), voting in 58.3 percent of the time, while favor of the measure. With the pas- more conservative members of sage of this bill, the Finance Com- Congress, like Tom Coburn (R- mittee became the last of the five OH), sided with the G.O.P. 86.9 congressional committees to pass a percent of the time. She was one version of health care reform. The of only three Republicans to vote Democrats now face the complex for Obama's stimulus package task of forging a bill that satisfies during the economic collapse ear- liberal and centrist members of the lier this year. COLLINS SENATE GOV party,while still attracting self-pro- , has engaged in bi- Maine Senator Susan Collins, a Republican fessed moderate Republicans like partisan talks on health care reform. See COLLINS, Page 3 College holds senators conference echo . - Fiftyyears of 'influencing the nation:' Maine senators celebrated news briefs Due to the state's small geo- thetics of that image," Callaghan up-to-date on her activities. U.S. By RACHEL GOFF 1 ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR graphic size and population, its said, citing a personal experience Senator Susan Collins staff, on No on One: Slightedge in campaign politics have always been con- with a politician who went to the the other hand, has always main- With the November ballot fast ducted on a "retail, one-to-one bathroom and brushed his teeth tained an open relationship with approaching, journalists, profes- basis," Gratz said. Pat Callaghan. before introducing himself. Im- the press, and is very good at As the November 3 election approaches, the issue of same- sors and students gathered in Os- from WCSH-TV News, reiterated ages are often based on "one or keeping the media informed. sex marriage in Maine is getting more attention than ever. In a trove Auditorium on Friday, this point. Maine's small size two defining moments" in a per- "Collins has made great use of recent poll conducted by the Pan Atlantic SMS Group of Port- October 16, to attend an all-day "ends up altering many facts of son 's career that are projected by new media," Harkavy added, land, participants showed a slight edge in those who favored conference entitled "United States life," he said.