Welcome to this Site.
Dear friends,
Election Day 2010 is now less than one year away. The time has come to gear up for a victory for working families and small business in Maine on that day, November 2nd.
Last year we ran an uphill campaign for a seat occupied by a 14-year incumbent and lost by a very small margin. This year the seat is open, due to term limits, and our chances of taking the seat and bringing our voices into the senate chamber are good.
The key to winning is in the understanding of at least two fundamental points: 1) this is not my campaign, it is ours. It is not my seat in the senate, it is ours; and 2) It will take an effort from all of us to win it.
Little has changed in the world since the last election an so the issues of last years campaign remain the same:
·Our Economy. We have all seen too many members of our families and communities lose jobs to global economics. We watched, painfully, as industry after industry closed its doors here only to open anew in lands far away. Foreign manufacturers funded with American dollars from what used to be Corporate America have seized the American market place. Corporate America, sadly, has died and multinational corporations with little, if any, allegiances to our flag or the people it represents and symbolizes have filled its place. Manufacturing plays too important a role in our social and political structure to permit its continued decay by failed global trade agreements. Our state and federal government have an obligation to us all to stand up and protect and rebuild the jobs that sustain Maine’s families and small businesses. Additionally, education is key to upward mobility and a democracy of opportunity. We must find a way to permit any Maine citizen seeking higher education to access our university system. Money is not meant to be an obstacle to the achievement of the American Dream, it is the life-blood of the dream.
·Single Payer Universal Healthcare. This is a solution to the healthcare crisis that has been adopted by many large companies in Maine and across this nation. Basically, it reduces the role of the “insurance industry” in the provision of health care and increases access to real live breathing people while making healthcare affordable. Potentially, all Mainers are brought into one single group. This, in effect brings the cost down. The plan does not have to be administered by the “state” but, instead, by a third party administrator (TPA). The only role played by the TPA is to administer the plan. Nothing more. The benefits are defined not by an insurance company but by you. The money paid into the plan goes not toward denying claims but, instead, to pay for your healthcare needs.
·Energy. 
Maine has the oldest housing stock in the nation. Too many Mainers are living in uninsulated homes with antiquated heating systems that are dependent upon foreign oil with ever escalating prices. The state and federal governments have an obligation to support the people of Maine and America in their efforts to become more energy efficient and less foreign oil dependent.
·Environment. 
The people of our state know that Maine’s environment must be protected to ensure the quality-of-life that is our promise to posterity. The quality of the environment in our state attracts tourists who support local businesses and the families who own them. Clean water, clean air, unpolluted beaches are the elements that the people of Maine and visitors expect.
During my two terms as a member of the Maine House of Representatives, my voting record is clear on the point of protecting the environment. As a private citizen, I have worked vigorously on my own time to support the protection of ground water in the state
of Maine.
The current oil field disaster in the Gulf of Mexico demonstrates the need for vigilance on the part of citizens and government working together. As a member of the Maine Senate, representing District Two, I feel I can contribute significantly to the efforts of
environmental protection.
I want your input on these issues and hope you’ll communicate them to me through this website or by phone or e-mail at the following:
207-698-1526 or
rickburnssenate2@hotmail.com
