Uncertainty of Pine Tree Power

My husband and I are thankful and excited to be at a point in our lives when we have the security to start a family. But one thing that keeps nagging at us is the possibility of Pine Tree Power’s ballot initiative passing in November. We worry that if Question 3 passes, it will create a lot of chaos at a time when we really need stable rates and reliable service from our electric utility.

No one knows what will happen if Pine Tree Power becomes law because they will have to contract a new company to run the grid. Pine Tree Power is an experiment that will end up costing us billions and billions of dollars in debt with no guarantees on reliability or rates.

This whole idea strikes me as ill-conceived and driven by a small group of people with a self-serving agenda. CMP has had some issues in the past, but I do not know if there is a utility anywhere, whether privately owned or publicly owned, that has not experienced mishaps. If it was up to me, I would choose CMP over an imaginary power company promising me everything.

Pine Tree Power is too expensive and too risky – the exact opposite of the stability and reliability we need. On Nov. 7, we’ll be voting no on Question 3.

Kady Johnsen,
Brunswick

The fear of white nationalists

The “Keep New England White” demonstrators (photo published on the front page of Tuesday’s Times Record) apparently aim to instill fear in the Maine public with their masks, banner and salute. Although I find their message repugnant, I don’t contest the right to express it.

Let’s not, however, respond with fear. They themselves are the ones who are afraid to let their faces show in public and be associated with the fringe views they espouse. Wearing masks is an act of cowardice — except when there are reasonable grounds for expecting violent retaliation, which is not the case here.

Julie de Sherbinin,
Brunswick

Death and taxes

Is this New Hampshire?

We lived in New Hampshire prior to moving to Brunswick and always complained about our high property taxes. The exception was that we paid no state or sales tax, not the case in Maine.

When I received the letter about our new assessment, I was dumbfounded as to how they came to this amount. The taxable value of our home increased by almost 80%. My taxes will now be increasing by $1,000 per year. I know there are talks about delaying this, but someone needs to get the facts out on how this was determined.

William Doehring,
Brunswick