Recent polls indicate strong support for incumbent Sen. Olympia Snowe, even though these same polls indicate people are – rightly so – not happy with the way things are going in Washington, D.C. People justify their support of Snowe by saying that she’s a “moderate” or an “independent thinker.”

It’s time for civics class.

In both the House and Senate, all power goes to the majority party. The work of Congress is done by committees, and the chair of these committees is chosen by the majority party, as well as the majority of members of these committees. They are the ones who set the agenda.

Nothing goes out of committee unless they say so.

The committees have been taken over by the extremists in the Republican party who refuse to consider raising the minimum wage. They lie us into wars. They torture and imprison people for years without trial.

They’ve shown no oversight of the Bush administration. They’ve run up record deficits and they throw out issues like abortion and gay rights to distract from the real issues like millions without healthcare, good jobs going overseas and being replaces with low-wage, no benefit jobs.

A vote for Snowe, no matter how moderate or independent she might be, is a vote to continue in the direction we’re going. The problems we face will not be solved by the people who created them. The Republicans have had the majority of government for several years.

They have failed us.

Jean Hay Bright is for good jobs and health care for all. She is against the occupation of Iraq and against torture.

I urge you to do your own thinking about the upcoming elections, and not be swayed by massive advertising campaigns.

Republicans have represented the ultra-rich. We desperately need someone to represent we the People.

Steve Dunn

Bangor