The good people of Bridgton are upset that the rather messy Cananda geese they asked state wildlife officials to remove from their town beach were knocked out with drugged feed, then hauled away and shot. The officials say the misunderstanding is due to the technical distinction between the terms “removal” and “relocation.” Makes you wonder how they “take out” the garbage.

In the belief that people who work shouldn’t live in poverty and that better-paid people make better consumers, Massachusetts lawmakers are hiking the state minimum wage by $1.50 during the next two years. Similar measures here, based upon similar arguments, have twice fallen victim to Gov. King’s veto pen lest put-upon businesses flee the state. Poor, struggling Massachusetts has much to learn from this economic powerhouse we call Maine.

In other news from the Bay State, a 4-year-old boy sent public television station WGBH a contribution to thank them for airing “Barney” and later asked mommy why he got in return a survey asking him to evaluate the Democratic Party platform. This exposed a scheme in which taxpayer-funded WGBH was swapping donor lists with the Democratic National Committee. The Republican-controlled Congress is mighty sore about it and is threatening to dismantle the country’s entire public broadcasting system. Bitten by your own purple dinosaur — that’s got to hurt.

Back in late May, Gov. King gave a nice little speech in praise of his industrious and innovative transportation commissioner, John Melrose. The centerpiece of this well-deserved paean was how, despite all odds and contrary to what the naysayers were saying, Mr. Melrose would have the new Ducktrap River bridge in Lincolnville finished by June 1 as promised. If the bridge is indeed finished, shouldn’t somebody tell all those guys still out there with jackhammers that they can go home now?

A group of Texas investors is sinking $150 million into the also sinking Maine-based American Skiing Co. The company’s head mogul says the Texans will put up the cash but keep their hands off the operations. Let’s see — you’re bleeding red ink, your stock price has collapsed and you say hard-boiled financiers are going to give you 150 mega big ones and tell you to keep up the good work? Sounds like somebody’s been schussing without a helmet.

Speaking of people doing incomprehensible things with incomprehensible sums of money, the U.S. Air Force Academy just spent $270,000 remodeling the kitchen of the school’s superintendent, part of a planned $1.4 million makeover. The Navy recently sunk $5.5 into the homes of three admirals. The Army would follow suit, but there’s only so much you can do with a tent.