“To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” – Elbert Hubbard.

Lane/Tommy: We wonder what the New Year will bring. Although we wish otherwise, it appears that our economy is at least dismal and possibly going into a recession. All of us have noticed the sharp increase in the price of fuels along with such items like food, especially products containing corn because it is being used as a source to make ethanol which is a substitute for gasoline. The price of diesel fuel has skyrocketed which is affecting the price of everything delivered by trucks. Will the government at each level cut back spending like we have to?

Lane: I am already hearing horror stories from citizens of Windham and surrounding communities that make me wonder how people will survive this winter. I am truly dismayed by the number of people that had to forego Thanksgiving dinner and giving presents at Christmas. I have a question to ask of our local government. Will we see a reduction in spending in order reduce our tax burden? The typical answer in the Town of Windham is that more money is needed to keep the status quo. The problem is that Windham has lost services like bulky waste and the transfer station while the town manager continues to hire personnel with exorbitant salaries and benefits. To me it appears that he is buying their loyalty and I am not the only person saying that.

Tommy: Looking at the state government and its pending deficit and lack of funds to support our transportation infrastructure, will the state take over funding now that the federal government is dropping funding for the DownEaster Train to and from Boston?

We already know that the state does not have sufficient money available to repair and maintain roads and bridges. So, I ask, can we afford to be taxed in order to support a train from Fryeburg to Portland while subsidizing a bus from Bridgton to Portland? I sincerely hope that in the next election we elect legislators and local officials that have the cranial strength to make intelligent decisions instead of promoting their bloated self-importance that overrides common sense and forces every taxpayer in Maine to suffer while government doesn’t. It is time for the state and local governments to make the necessary choices as to what is absolutely necessary to fund and cut the rest.

Lane: The Cumberland County commissioners recently approved a 6.6 percent increase to our county tax bill. It is obvious that these commissioners have no self-control when it comes to spending, especially since more and more Mainers are in a financial bind. Maybe it is time to take the county jails and put them under state control instead.? If Governor Baldacci’s plan doesn’t work, just like we feel his school consolidation plan will fail because of intervention by the members of the Legislature who feel their pork projects are more important, what does the governor have to worry about because he’s a lame duck anyways. I do think that the county commissioners should be recalled.

Lane/Tommy: We say again that it’s time to make choices. For a no-brainer example of poor budget choices, look at the cost ($500,000-plus) that the Director of Windham’s Parks and Recreation Department proposed for a park that would include a BMX bike track. Couldn’t Windham do better by building such a bike track the same as we did the skate park and save the taxpayers money? We also wonder if the proposal to build just a BMX bike track is being held down by the cobwebs in our town hall thus delaying the enjoyment for the children of Windham that we all care about.

Do we have any suggestions for reducing the cost of local government, especially in Windham? You can bet your booty we do. How many Public Works employees does it take to operate a pickup or dump truck? We really do appreciate workers out there at those times when traveling is hazardous making our roads and streets safer. However, we feel that leadership is the problem in the Town of Windham and not the employees. It’s a new year so let’s use new brooms to sweep clean.

Lane Hiltunen and Tommy Gleason, of Windham, wish to thank the readers that have enjoyed our column this year. By the way, our battle is just beginning.