The measure, called Question 3, prompted heated debate in the months leading up to the election. Central Maine Power and Versant Power, the state’s dominant utilities, poured more than $40 million into a campaign opposing the referendum, outspending Pine Tree Power advocates 34 to 1. Political groups funded by the utilities and their parent companies mailed flyers and aired ads on TV, radio, and social media, urging Mainers to reject the measure, which would have effectively put the two companies out of business.
Reminds me of when patient ratios for nurses in I believe Vermont went to a ballot measure and after a massive ad campaign it barely failed. Not like the public really understands what it's like and what's cut when you're understaffed and the slick ads tell them that it'll make things worse so they believe it. Then you get national professional organizations celebrating the defeat because they're all ghouls and don't give a shit about the floor nurse burning out after running with an 8:1 in med surg or 24:1 at rehab where you have 20 minutes to allot each person, good luck actually giving people proper care.
there was a bill in California last year that would have required dialysis clinics to have a doctor/nurse/PA present during patient treatments, and they would have to get permission from the state's department of health before they could close clinics or reduce patient services, among other things like having to provide the state with a list of people who had more than 5% ownership interest in the clinic. Of course private health companies like DaVita spent more than $75 million buying ads that were just thinly-veiled threats like "hey you love your family members with kidney disease, right? It would be a shame if we just closed all these clinics..." and so of course the bill failed with almost 70% of people voting no.
idk how anyone can consider this country a democracy