CLICKBACK ON CARS, TUITION

This week’s ClickBack focuses on college tuition, gas prices and gay rights. To share your opinions, go to the Bangor Daily News Web site and look for the ClickBack logo. You can also ask your own questions and compare the positions of many of the candidates seeking to represent Maine’s 1st District in Congress.

Tuition at University of Maine campuses is set to increase an average of 10 percent. The university system says it is passing on higher heating costs, as well as the lack of increased funding from the state. The system will cut staff, but is there more that can be done to soften the increase? Should the state devote more of the budget to higher education? Is the seven-campus system too much for a small, sparsely populated state to support?

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With gas prices already topping $4 per gallon in parts of the U.S., fuel costs are a growing concern. What would you urge the presidential candidates to do about the prices? Insist on help from OPEC? Tap the strategic reserve? Create more mass transportation?

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Because of rising gas prices, tiny vehicles are gaining in popularity. Would you consider buying one? Would you be worried about being flattened by an SUV? Will fuel economy be a factor in you next car purchase?

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The secretary of state is prepared to approve an initiative by the Christian Civic League of Maine to repeal state law protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination in employment, housing, credit and education. The group will soon begin collecting signatures to try to get the measure on the November 2009 ballot. Will you sign the petition? Why is it acceptable to treat gays and lesbians differently than other people? Will repeal of these protections make Maine a less attractive state for businesses and visitors?

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Over the past few months I have heard and read numerous references to Sen. John McCain’s comment on the U.S. being in Iraq for 100 years. Reader Gregbo asks, am I the only person who saw what he truly said? It was on television.

What the senator said was that we could still have a presence such as a base there in 100 years much like Germany and other countries. He at no time was saying that we would still be at war. Recently, Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic Party, said that Sen. McCain’s comment was not taken out of context. Why have the media perpetuated this myth?

What do you think? Go to www.

bangordailynews.com and look for the ClickBack logo to share your thoughts or ask you own questions.