“Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold but so does a hard-boiled egg.” – Unknown author

I have a bone to pick with government. The federal government, controlled by the Democrats, is attacking private business and investment in any way that it can. It’s time for Americans to put government back in its place.

Government is supposed to serve us. In America, government is the servant and we are the master. Under the Obamanation and the Windham Town Council that has been changed and I’m not happy. I fully realize that I am not alone in how I feel, which leads me in the direction that instead of government telling us what to do, it’s time we tell government what to do or fire them. Of course, the first response from elected officials will be that we can’t do that.

Congress recently passed the financial reform bill that the majority of Democrats in Congress wanted. It puts our federal government in charge, not private enterprise. The majority of Americans already have the opinion that the members of Congress are idiots. At the same time the majority of Americans know full well that our federal government for all intents and purposes is bankrupt. OK America, do you want these idiots in charge of America’s financial future because, if you do, I know who the true idiots are. This legislation creates another government bureaucracy with powers that you and I can’t control. What is even more scary is that government regulators are free to interpret the financial bill as they wish.

As for Windham town government, I have but one question to ask: Why does it appear that the majority of councilors are for rezoning a sizeable hunk of South Windham from a farm zone to one that allows for much denser housing? This past week the Windham Planning Board had an agenda item on that subject, and not many people know what is proposed since, to the best of my knowledge, the agenda is only advertised in the Portland Press Herald and I know for a fact most citizens do not read the tiny ads in the Classified Section. As I know many citizens of South Windham, I am comfortable in stating that the majority of them do not want to see the area removed from the farm zone. They purchased their homes because they did not want to live in a congested area like Portland or South Portland.

What bothers me even more is the fact that some of the councilors appear to have a financial gain if the zoning was changed in South Windham. This perception is not mine alone but shared by many friends and acquaintances. It truly makes me wonder why the majority of councilors seem willing to shove this rezoning proposal down our throats even though most citizens seem opposed to the idea.

I use Councilor Peter Busque’s quarry at the corner of Nash Road and Route 302 as a perfect example of what I mean. He was recently criticized because of blasting done at that quarry. Busque, who is running against Mark Bryant for state representative in November, now wants a concrete and asphalt plant at that site. He wants Nash Road as the entrance and exit to the quarry. He now wants to drill below the water table and allow water to run off of the site. I now have a very serious problem with his initial statements with this quarry.

If those in government want to change the rules on where and how we live our lives, then it’s high time to change the tables on them. How in the heck can they change the rules for us and yet we can’t do the same to them? I feel it’s all over power, and absolute power corrupts, absolutely. Oh, I know full well that they will kick and scream like the little infants that they really are but you all know my opinion on why elected officials and diapers are exactly the same. At the same time Windham will soon have a town manager that has an annual salary of $100,000 and we will only be able to contact him four days a week. That’s a reduction of 20 percent. I ask all of you, isn’t it time to reduce his salary 20 percent?

Lane Hiltunen, of Windham, lives by a simple rule of life. Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things.

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