“A politician is a statesman who approaches every question with an open mouth.” Adlai Stevenson, United Nations ambassador.

Isn’t our country in quite a fix after the presidential elections? Not only did many not see Donald Trump winning the election, they also didn’t foresee what would happen after he won. The demonstrations against him are still happening, but honestly I have no idea as to whether they are increasing or decreasing. One of the best letters to the editor that I have ever seen was recently in a national newspaper, and I wished I would have saved it. Basically what the letter stated is that after pampering their students with cry-ins, don’t send them out to live their lives because all they did was prepare them for preschool.

There used to be a time where everyone was given a chance at whatever they wanted to do. Nowadays America has become so politically divided that it probably will be decades before things even out so everyone is included in the decision making. Make no mistake about it, this is currently true of every political party in our country. I can just begin to imagine what difficulties our president-elect will have with Congress approving his cabinet appointments and others work that Congress must approve. The Republicans did that to President Obama, so we all know what payback means. I sincerely hope that Trump will include people from all sides just like President Lincoln did.

Here in Maine we are next to the bottom on the list of least business-friendly states. The only good news with that is that to drop from No. 49 to No. 50 is just a short drop. Only West Virginia lies beneath us on that list. But then this last election had ballot issues that just might make us No. 50 depending on what is legal and what the Maine legislators do to them. Placing an additional 3 percent income tax of those making over $200,000 will certainly be noticed by the think tanks that create these lists.

Then there’s increase in minimum wage for the whole state and that certainly will be taken into account. I am willing to bet that some who are thinking about creating a small business in Maine are taking that into account right now. All I see here is government being forced to intervene in the running of businesses, and that’s not good. The money can only come from the consumers and what this referendum item did was ensure that Maine will have continuous inflation as future wage increases will be tied to the rate of inflation. Talk about doubling down on something.

Then last, but maybe as important to some businesses who want to come here, is the legalization of marijuana for recreational uses. I have no doubt that it will create some businesses in Maine, both legal and illegal. Please remember the illegal pot business is already here, so I am sure their prices will be adjusted to keep them in business, which unfortunately is normal.

As another afterthought, I recently spoke with someone who sold their apartment complexes in Portland. It sounds just grand that the city government wants to control the housing market in that city in order to make it affordable. Then the city council adds a stormwater run-fee –a fee for each apartment that a landlord owns – and now wants to place additional burdens on landlords by increasing termination of lease agreements and such. Top that off with opposition to any large construction project and all I see is the situation getting worse. I not only wouldn’t live in Portland, I wouldn’t own any type of house, period.

So I’ll end this column with Windham where my wife and I just received the mortgage paperwork from our lender, which means the house is ours. I expect to see several property tax increases on the local ballot this year and none of them cheap. I hate to state this but I think our town councilors should have appointed at least one of two councilors just reelected by the widest margin I have seen.

Lane Hiltunen of Windham gives any elected official a chance.