“From the right, you get demagogues shouting about brown-skinned anchor babies and clamoring to deport the undocumented. From the left, you get advocacy for the oppressed but otherwise, when it comes to national civic identity, mainly silence.” Eric Liu, author

Just 10 years ago I would have never thought that politics as well as politicians would go to hell in a handbasket ,but that is more than true this year. Just about the time one thinks all has gone quiet, another uproar is caused by a dimwitted politician of one manner or another. The true shame is that when things like this happen, the messages of good politicians (if and when they exist) are totally lost. We have a public school system that is the most expensive in the world and yet our children or grandchildren are hardly ready for college when the time comes. We have crumbling infrastructure all over the country while politicians continue to argue which one of them is the dumbest, and that’s on one of their good days.

Personally, I hope all the political crap happening at the national and state level, especially Maine, doesn’t come to the Town of Windham or if you, the reader, live in another town, to your town as well. I think for Windham to degrade itself to that level would be a shame, but be forewarned, it has come close a couple of times. I would surmise that the hardest part of a being a town councilor is to stay out of the town manager’s way of running the town. I am happy to state that not many town councilors, past or present, are continuously seen in Windham Town Hall but I’m sad to report a few are or have been seen on a regular basis. It’s not the job of a town councilor to manage the day-to-day operation of the town as that responsibility lies with the town manager. Windham’s town manager won the prestigious award of Town Manager of Year by his peers and that is good for him and the town of Windham. However, some have already asked me what’s wrong with other towns across Maine.

At the state of Maine level, I am sick and tired of everyone using the term of racism to advance their sick political ideas for themselves and promote hate against those that they don’t like. Having worked in the Equal Opportunity Branch, which was part of the Modern Professional Army Division at the Headquarters, United States Army Europe, was quite a learning experience for me. If one doesn’t believe that this office wasn’t on the radar screen, we had many visitors from organizations like the NAACP and other civil rights groups as well as members of the United States Congress. I really hate to admit it, but the best word that I can come up with is “stupid” when it comes to the politics of not only our governor, but his detractors as well.

But if I had to make a statement about the state of politics and politicians in this present day, all I wonder is when they will finally stop doing something for us instead of to us. Could I put it any simpler? I truly doubt it. I am sick of the tired political statements how those in office have done so much for us. Our public education system needs a complete overhaul and yet when it comes to being reelected, every politician will claim how much they have done for educating our children. The same applies to tax reform. It’s true they reformed taxes, the problem is that our taxes seem to be mysteriously increasing.

But I have to give praise when necessary. I appreciate the repairs to the fencing at Windham’s cemeteries and even the entrance to Public Works. It looks great. Work has finally begun at the Windham Skate Park and although late in the year, hopefully it can finally be properly maintained and staffed. It’s high time that the users pay some kind of fee for using the facility so it is maintained regularly.

Lane Hiltunen of Windham will have some blank spots on the ballot this year.

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