I'll be voting "no." The real issue is the maniopulation of language-- the referendum question is not about taxes, but whether and how to help people in poverty get access to healthcare. It would serve the public to have that discussion on the table rather than this misleading campaign which is a manipulative appeal to the least in us, tapping people's fear and anger

I will vote NO. As begging for a fix as Dirigo is it's what is available to some of our neighbors. I really think that the small business "shills" that the Maine Chamber rounded up for the TV ads could use Dirigo themselves. With the recent quote of family coverage on average costing $13010.00 in Maine most self employed folks should be able to see the value in Dirigo (if they weren't brainwashed by the Maine Chamber and their suppliers). Please join me in voting NO on this issue.

I'll be voting no because the high fructose corn syrup sweetening most soft drinks has been implicated in many of the health problems found in our population. There is a reason soda has been kept out of schools. The advertising claiming that HFCS is "natural" is the fault of the Food and Drug Administration having no official definition of the term. But the trade association of HFCS makers describe the process: "soaking corn in sulfur dioxide, separating the corn starch using high speed centrifuges, adding enzymes to separate out sugar molecules, adding magnesium and using a series of filters and separation procedures." "YUM"

Obesity, diabetes, increased triglycerides and LDL cholesterol are Maine's health concerns. Perhaps we should think twice before buying these products.

The Organic Consumers website warns."Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar, and, because most fructose is consumed in liquid form, its negative metabolic effects are significantly magnified."

Enough already! Has no one heard of moderation? That goes for taxes and beverages! Yes, everyone should have access to health care but this not the way to acquire funds. When I am guaranteed that the clients who use Dirigo AND have State (taxpayer funded) "debit cards" with which to buy soda are restricted from buying soda, maybe I will rethink my position. As it stands now, I will pay a tax to enjoy my soda vice and I will also be paying the tax again as the State funded "debit cards" are used to buy soda by some Dirigo clients . We in Maine pay out disproportionate amount of our income taxes. YES I am certainly fed up with taxes!

I'm voting YES. First of all there is the false idea that the tax is being applied against the distributor. A tax is a business expense which is always passed on to the consumer. I really wouldn't mind paying an extra penny for a can of soda, but we have to send a message to Augusta. Remember the last political campaign? It was "NO NEW TAXES OR FEES". Well, they lied, here's a new tax along with the increased motor vehicle fees. Enough is Enough.

This whole state is about taxing to collect a few pennies here and there. The middle class in this state has had enough with tax after tax. Don't forget vote democrat on election day though. Change you can believe in.

I will be voting yes because the Government will never get enough of our money to solve all the world's problems, but that won't keep them from trying to tax us into the poor house, all for a good cause of course. Maine taxpayer's are at the low rung of the income ladder but at the top in taxes and don't buy the old saw that it's only a few pennies. It may be a few pennies now but they will come back year after year for more as we have seen with every tax the State has ever passed. Gasoline only went up a few pennies at a time but those pennies added up over time, didn't they? It would be exactly the same with a beverage tax. I don't drink beer or wine and rarely soda but I understand they will even be taxing bottled water? About the only thing left to tax is the air we breathe, OOPS! If they want a healthcare program then they need to be upfront about the costs and how it will be funded, Dirigo is not free healthcare for people who can't afford it, someone has to pay for it and it ends up being people who are already being taxed to death. Maybe that's the ultimate goal, to tax everyone to the point they too have to be dependent on the State for their healthcare and their other needs.

I'm voting YES. If it doesn't pass it just gives me one more thing to buy in New Hampshire when I drive through it.