Readers talkin’ about revolution, $4 gas

Editorial page readers this week responded to a question submitted by “richard” about the need for a revolution, and to the BDN’s questions about how $4 per gallon gasoline changes driving habits and Hillary Clinton’s concession-endorsement speech.

Gas is $4 per gallon – time to sell the Hummer?

My major problem is that most of my driving is necessary. I travel 60 miles to and from work every day. I live in Ellsworth, and yes there are jobs in Ellsworth, but I am an entry-level high school graduate. Nowhere in Ellsworth will I find a Monday-Friday, 40-hour a week job that pays what my job in Bar Harbor does. Even if I did, the health benefits at my current employment are absolutely amazing. It’s not every day you stumble onto a job such as mine. I am considering quitting my job and losing my health benefits because if the gas goes much higher I would be better off standing at the cash register of a fast food restaurant than trying to afford to travel to make a real living. This is outrageous and I know there are many, many people in my situation or worse but what is one to do.

– dazakavok

When gas hit $3 per gallon my family started changing our habits. We carefully plan trips for shopping, entertainment and visiting. No more impulse driving because we just want to get out for a while.

– classylassie

What we need is some kind of energy methadone treatment to get us over our addiction to gasoline. You see the pale, wan, resigned looking faces as they compulsively swipe their kids’ new sneaker money into the debit card reader to shoot up just one more time on regular unleaded while our government plans to mug yet another oil rich nation to protect the dealers’ supply. Viva fuel cells!

– takei

Is it time for another revolution?

Augusta politicians are out of control. We have legislators passing new taxes without any public input. We have engineered political opposition created by legislators such as Hannah Pingree and others to oppose any public involvement in state tax policy. We have the BDN signing on to this. We have the Land Use Regulation Commission, which controls every aspect of personal real estate making rules without legislative or the people’s involvement. We have the most powerful group in the state, the Department of Health and Human Services, making rules and invading our personal lives in the same manner. We have educators who believe they know better what’s best for your child than we do. However, we voted for these people, we applauded their speeches at civic events. We beseeched them to solve our woes for us. But before we grab the iron rakes and storm the Blaine House, call your legislator, e-mail the governor with your views, support other candidates even if it looks like they can’t win. Write opposing pieces in the newspapers. Stand and speak at town meetings. As long as we can muster opposition and we have vehicles to do it such as the BDN, all is not lost.

– Vichet

I indeed believe it is time for a revolution, but how could that ever happen with a country and its people so divided? There are just too many of us who don’t believe in the same things, or if we do believe in the same things we can never figure out how to work together and compromise on one idea to make anything a success.

– dazakavok

Yes and it starts at the ballot box by voting for those who will be responsive to their constituents first, last and always rather than toeing the party line and being beholden to lobbyists.

– classylassie

I have been saying for years that it is time to clean out the crocks starting in Augusta. It does not take a big number to do this. In the American revolution there was somewhere around 8 percent that did it all, while the rest of the people just sat around waiting to see what was going to happen.

– cywigikos

Hillary Clinton has endorsed Barack Obama – too little, too late?

Even though Sen. Obama’s supporters seemed to think that Hillary should have done the womanly thing and just rolled over so she didn’t get in the way, Hillary fought valiantly on behalf of all of us who supported her right up to the final count. She is being quite gracious in fully supporting Sen. Obama’s bid to be the next president now.

– takei

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