I've been trying to stay away from talking politics recently, but I just can't help myself. There are some things I need to interject my opinion into, so yeah, there you go. I'm sure there will be some differing of opinions, and that's fine, I would love to hear from you if you feel differently on anything I bring up today. I'll quickly touch upon one national "issue", and the rest will be confined to Maine. All that being said, let the games begin...
President Obama presented his actual birth certificate today. OK, can we finally move on? I mean, we've given Donald Trump way too much time on this issue. This country has problems, big ones. Running around making false claims that the President isn't an American citizen was not only dumb, but a distraction from the real issues facing us as a nation. I'm not sure, at this point, if anyone is actually taking Donald Trump seriously, but I hope this ends things for him. Though, now it appears that he is moving his narrative to criticize President Obama's grades in college. Dear Trump, you are a turd, go away. There, last time the "birther" movement needs to be discussed, and hopefully the last time I mention Trump too.
There are a few bills kicking around the Maine legislature right now that are getting some publicity, both good and bad. One has to do with the legalization of marijuana. Now, before you say anything, hear me out. I'm not advocating for the use of it, I just want to look at it from a realistic perspective. People are smoking pot. Adults are, kids are, lots of people are. This is a fact. Is there a statistic out there that shows the number of deaths each year that are pot related? I can't find one, because the answer is there are none. However, there are an estimated 435,000 tobacco related deaths each year. I'll give you a minute to reread that and think about it. Now, what does all this mean for Maine? Well, if we were to legalize marijuana, and regulate it similarly to tobacco and alcohol, we could then tax the sales of it and collect revenue, which the states needs badly. Also, we would spend much less on the war on drugs as well as spend less on jailing people for petty crimes that are marijuana related. Is this the answer to our budget problems? No, not at all, but I do think it is something worth looking at. Look, marijuana is still illegal federally, so it won't happen here in Maine, at least not yet. However, I have thought this would be a very beneficial thing for the feds and states to do to generate a new source of revenue that doesn't require government to raise taxes. Socially liberal and fiscally conservative, I'd say it's a pretty good compromise!
Billboards, really?! Maine is one of just 4 states that don't currently allow them, along with Hawaii, Vermont and Alaska. I'll be honest, I like that we are on that short list. The idea is that businesses would rent the billboards from the state, who would use that revenue to pay for road maintenance. In theory, sure, that makes sense. However, this is just a bad idea. Maine is known for its natural beauty. Covering that up with obnoxious, oversized signs telling me that there is a McDonald's in Waterville or Freeport is ludicrous. First of all, if we are trying to educate tourists on what businesses are out there, I hate to break it to you, but they probably already know what is out there. Most people will scour the Internet for places to visit, or have smart phones that tell them everything they need to know, so a billboard isn't going to change anything. Secondly, this is supposed to be a great benefit to Maine's small businesses, as they will be able to let travelers know they are out there. Riddle me this, how much will it cost to rent one of these fancy new billboards? $4000 a month? More? How many mom and pop stores or antique shops have that kind of advertising budget? I'm sorry, but with social media as it is, small businesses are much further ahead utilizing a free medium to get their message out to the masses. Remember, Maine is the way life should be, let's keep it that way with regards to billboards, please!
Now there is word that there are some shakeups in the LePage administration. I'd like to see him and his crew get their, well, I'd like to see them get their shit together. If and when that finally happens, maybe something positive can come out of the next four years. Until then, I guess we'll just keep hearing about bickering and silliness, with no real progress being made toward getting Mainers back to work. Hang on to your butts everyone, this is going to be a bumpy ride. I'm just saying...
About Me
- Mark
- I've always wondered if people actually read this stuff. I never do when I'm on other pages. Well, in case, for some strange reason, you find it necessary, I'll give you a little knowledge. I was born in The County. For those of you who don't konw better, that would be Aroostook County. For those of you who do, your jokes won't work on me, they are lame. I'm the son of an investment banker that squandered his every penny on tuna fish sandwiches in the late 80's, and my mother was the lead singer for the Bangles. Neither of those is true, but again, I'm convinced nobody is reading this anyways. I met my wife at a carnival, and we were married by the bearded lady in front of the entire clown brigade. I have a daughter who is training for the 2012 Olympics where she will compete in the Triple Jump and Javelin. We live in a nice little shanty in the woods and are hoping to one day have running water. Any questions?
