The great Yogi Berra once said that when you come to the fork in the road, take it. My best guess is that after 200 years in existence, that is exactly what happened to the United States of America. Unfortunately it appears that we took the road downhill as I firmly believe that we are seeing a generation of young folks that will see less income than their parents (adjusted by inflation, of course).

Our elected and appointed officials (which include President Obama and our Windham town manager) are confidently spreading the word that things are improving so let’s increase taxes because taxpayers can now afford to pay more.

There are many excuses as to which political party or belief caused the economic decline of the United States, yet no one blames themselves for sitting on their backsides and paying absolutely no attention as to what their government is doing to them instead of for them. Although there are others, I like to think of groups that rose up and fought for the right for women to vote and much better known to me and my generation, the Civil Rights Movement which began in the 1960s. Where is outcry today? There are 45 million Americans on Social Security that have not received a cost-of-living increase. Shouldn’t they be throwing eggs at the members of Congress who continually give themselves either a pay raise or benefits increase or both?

I fear that the biggest reason for the decline of America is the increasing power of the federal government over our lives in both personal and business affairs. When our great nation was formed, our Constitution included the provision of forming a Congress that had two sections, the House and the Senate. The members of the House were to be elected directly by the citizens of the states and the members of the Senate where to be elected by members of their respective legislatures. That would guarantee that members of the Senate could ensure that the Congress itself could not override state’s rights.

Then the 17th Amendment was approved which mandated the citizens of each state elected their senators. And states’ rights went right down the tubes. What is ironic about this amendment is that the reason for abolishing it is exactly the reason it was passed in the first place and it’s more about reelection and power and the voter be damned. The candidates for the Senate who didn’t have a chance to be appointed to the Senate by their state legislatures successfully fought for the passage of the 17th Amendment and now the majority of senators elected by the voters don’t want the rules changed back. It’s not about us common folk, that’s for sure. But then again, could you expect anything else from a group of yahoos who extend themselves generous paychecks and benefits and receive a retirement check even if they complete only one term in office?

I do believe that it is time for the citizens across America to reduce the power of the federal and state governments to the powers only granted by the Constitution of the United States. A great example is the towns of Trenton, Sedgwick, Blue Hill and Penobscot passing the Food Sovereignty Ordinance. They are part of a growing movement to remove invasive and unlawful interference by the federal and state governments. That is something I would have never agreed with until President Obama and Congress passed legislation forcing us to have health insurance or be fined along with the federal and state governments mandating what children can eat in schools and even worse, someday, in our homes. Before I forget, the Food Sovereignty Ordinance keeps the federal and states paws out of locally grown produce.

It’s time for state and federal government to shrink in size and return to their constitutional duties. Did you ever see a license plate on the rear-end of a horse or buggy? Of course not because there was no one intelligent enough to figure out how to tax us to death in those days. With the automobile came the driver’s license, car registration and since those in government couldn’t trust themselves or us, automobile inspections. Only 17 states require inspection stickers and in Maine the state makes more off of those stickers than the inspectors do. This, of course, has led to some dubious mechanics finding mechanical problems that don’t exist in order to make money illegally, which has created a black market for stolen or counterfeit inspection stickers. Instead of passing copious amounts of legislation that stifles our lives, it’s time our government starts eliminating laws.

Lane Hiltunen lives in Windham.