I am NOT a politician!


I am not a public speaker. I usually sit and listen to others who are a lot wiser than I - I am not a politician. I am, I guess a different kind of candidate. I am a real person with real feelings such as yours. As you, I feel the pain at the gas pumps, as you, I feel the anxiety every waking moment, wondering, how are we going to stay warm this coming winter and we haven't even begun to enjoy summer. Some are lucky enough to get a jump start with a weekly stipend going towards oil for this coming winter, but others can't even afford to do that so what type of anxiety are they feeling right now? We need to become one and raise our voices on high volume, but as we are all too sadly aware, our voices fall on deaf ears but we can make them feel the pinch of anxiety if we keep our voices strong.

Many of us people out here don't get to see our children, our grandchildren but once a year because they can't afford the gas - so not only are we suffering in our pockets, but we are suffering emotionally as well. It is a tough thing to swallow not to be able to be with your families on the holidays because financially it is not feasible. It is hard to only hear their voices on the phone and glance at a picture sitting on the mantle and not hug and kiss them physically. All the joy is just a remembrance. When will it be enough?

Many of our elderly are going to have to close there homes (that they worked hard to own) and co-exist with others because they cannot afford to pay the oil prices, food prices, medicine prices. I spoke with an elderly gentleman who told me a story of his endurance of this past winter, how his furnace broke down and he almost froze to death because no one came to help him, even though he made all the correct telephone calls to the correct people within the correct organizations. NO ONE CAME - I felt a great deal of pain and sadness and thought how did this happen? We have become too structured and rely on government to take care of these issues and they never are there. The choice of freezing to death, starving or dying because you can't afford healthcare or medications required to sustain life are becoming too great a reality for our most frail citizens.

Our freedoms are being taken away - our rights are slowly receding and we sit and sadly allow this to happen. Our political arena needs to be held accountable for what they have done and continue to do to the people. Please help yourself by trusting in a person like you, who lives in the trenches and feels all the same feelings of mistrust. Give me the opportunity with my voice to be your voice in Augusta.

I will not make empty promises and speeches, as that is not my style. With your support I will do my best to listen to your needs and represent your views. I will not get down in the dirt and mudsling with my opponent - we've had enough of that and we should be working together to keep the state of Maine the way life should be. Thank you for listening to me and now I want to listen to you.