“Even a fish could stay out of trouble if it would just learn to keep its mouth shut.” Author unknown

I somewhat watched with interest the testimony of Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former attorney/fixer, in front of the House Oversight Community last week, and I came to the conclusion one side or the other in that room is a joke. Actually, both sides are probably a joke because Cohen is a convicted liar, lying once to Congress, and now he’s in front of Congress once again. If that doesn’t show the sad state of affairs in our nation’s capital, what will? I have to wonder if something just as nasty is happening in the chambers of the Windham Town Council.

The sad part is that every move anyone makes in Congress is nothing more than hearsay and another attempt at posturing for the next big election in 2020. Didn’t someone once say that the problem with jokes is that they get elected? At this  particular point in my life I believe a barrel of monkeys has more intelligence than both the U.S. House and Senate. It’s no wonder the majority of Americans consider themselves independents, unenrolled and more than likely no longer interested in politics.

Obviously, it has come to the point where the health and welfare of our nation is less important than destroying political opponents. I have a sense this has now arrived in Windham and by the sounds of it, it may just come to a head in our next local election. It sounds to me that Windham has a town councilor who is more interested in his or her own views than the town’s as a whole, and that’s not the first time it’s happened here. As far as I am concerned, there should be no “old” Windham or “new” Windham, because it is all one town. I certainly know all of us will never agree, but the level of political threats has definitely increased in the Windham Town Council discussions. Surely some of it evolves around personalities, and I certainly hope that citizens who vote will take notice.

Perhaps what we need in Windham is a better system of disclosure about one’s background, including both state and federal tax returns. Isn’t that a proposal in various state legislatures at this time, including Maine? Heck, if Maine wants to do it for presidential candidates doesn’t it make sense for every candidate at every level to do the same? It just might add an interesting twist to local elections. I will also suggesting adding background checks as well. Shouldn’t every voter be informed in order to make a better choice? It’s a shame when voters find out after the fact that there might have been something in a candidate’s background that would have changed their mind.

Lane Hiltunen of Windham remembers a sign that his father had on an entry way wall. Fish and relatives stink after three days. Let us now include politicians.