Cutler’s dead zone and mileage tax proposals

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    We haven’t heard much from Eliot Cutler lately.
    At first, I thought it might be due to another shakeup in his campaign staff. But it now appears that he’s been trying to find solutions to some of Maine’s most pressing problems.

    Unfortunately, his two latest proposals aren’t going over too well with his target audience: middle-of-the-road voters who aren’t as far left as Mike Michaud or as conservative as Gov. Paul LePage.
    Cutler’s latest brainstorm is to replace much of Maine’s gasoline tax with a mileage levy.
    And while you’re at it, let’s force cell phone companies to eliminate dead zones.
    So let’s take this one step at a time.
    The only state I’m aware of that’s imposing a mileage tax is Oregon, and that’s only for a 5,000 volunteer drivers. In lieu of paying part of the state’s 30 cents-per-gallon gasoline tax, the experimental pool will pay 1.5 cents per mile.
    However, in addition to questions over fairness, there are also concerns over privacy. Since the state will undoubtedly have to attach some electronic gadget to your vehicle, won’t they be able to track where you drive and how long you stay at a destination?
    Some say the concerns are overblown. Others are naturally suspicious of government’s continued encroachment on privacy.
    I recently wrote about the closing of the UTC plant in Pittsfield. Next year, 300 people will have to find new jobs.
    If you’ve spend half your adult life working in a factory, chances are you’ll wind up commuting to Bangor or Waterville to find similar work. So your daily commute now expands from 10 miles per day to 50 or 60. Mathematically, Cutler’s proposal makes little sense in a rural state.
    For the cynics who say “Why don’t you move?” the answer is simple: Try selling a house in today’s economy. Besides, uprooting your family is never a pleasant task — been there, done that a few times.
    Cutler also wants improved cell phone coverage in Maine. So do I. I get a one-bar signal at home, but reception quality triples two miles up the road.
    I learn to live with it, advising folks to call the home phone number first and my wife will tell you where I am. Chances are it’s in an area with better reception.
    Piscataquis County has plenty of dead zones. I was in Bowerbank last week and had no reception. So I waited until I got back to Sebec to make a phone call.
    Cell phone towers aren’t cheap. So if more go up, somebody has to pay for them. That’s you and I, whether we live in the dropped-call center of Maine or downtown Dexter with five-bar reception.
    In all fairness to the other major candidates for governor, I don’t know where they stand on mileage taxes or cell phone coverage.
    But I’d be willing to bet that they’re smart enough to know a bad idea when they hear one.
    Advice for Eliot Cutler: Go back to the drawing board and come up with some better ideas to improve our quality of life.
    Otherwise, If I shake your hand during a meet-the-candidates’ night, I’ll have the other one on my wallet.
    Mike Lange is a staff writer with the Piscataquis Observer. His opinions are his own and don’t necessarily reflect those of this newspaper.