There is just something about Maine that makes them different. Maybe it is the fact that there are basically no roads on the northwestern part of the State. Maybe it is the fact that they are really more Canadian than American? I don’t understand how we stole that land from Canada in the first place?
I have been in Maine a couple of time in the past decade or so. The last time was returning home from Nova Scotia and PEI. By the way, I love Prince Edward Island especially the mussels! If it weren’t so cold up there I would consider moving there on a pretty permanent basis. But, I am getting off topic here.
There is something different about Maine that maybe the rest of the country needs to follow and that is that neither Republicans nor Democrats have a majority in their State government or federal representation. They now have a centrist group of independents that control what legislation will pass. Here is a little about that from the Centrist Project.
Casas, who has been active in organizing the centrist coalition in the state says that one of the largest benefits of serving as independent is the ability to work exclusively for the people he represents, instead of working for partisan interests and his constituency.
A small group of independents can have a lot influence by denying both sides a majority. This forces both sides to make compromises to get legislation passed, and prevents either side from imposing their most radical ideas along partisan line votes.
Sources: Independents Shake up Maine State Legislature – Centrist Project
Wouldn’t that be something, to have representatives in government who are only beholden to the people who put them in office! That is a radical concept that needs to become contagious if we are ever again to flourish as a country. No, you can’t make America great again by telling lie after lie after lie. It seems that every piece of legislation that comes up now has 99% of the people of each party voting the same. How can that even be considered representing your constituents?
I know I talk about RedAmerica and BlueAmerica as if the people in those States are much different. But in reality, most States have about a 60% – 40% (or 40 – 60) split between conservatives and progressives, so in some ways each State had both RedAmerica and BlueAmerica within their borders. The exception to that might be the Deep South who has still never forgiven the Democrats for civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Closing out this rambling post, I think Maine has it right when it comes to their politics. I have to spend more time in the State to get to know them better.
I love to visit historic sites that have reenactors that is people who play roles of the historic event or site. Fort William in Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada is one of my top ten in that category. Yes Canada is very much in my search for America….
I hear all the latest rumbling (as in ready to explode in a bout of diarrhea) about how the peace accord worked out with Iran is so worthless. Some seem to think that our only solution to conflicts around the world is war. “Blow the bad guys away” is their mantra. Of course the loudest of these critics are the Republican presidential contenders and those in Congress. I got an idea to turn that around.
How about we send all the kids and grandkids of those folks off as the first line in the battle. Let’s make them put their loved ones lives on the line. I bet if that were a requirement the opposition to trying peace this time would quickly die out. There is nothing like “skin in the game” to change people’s attitudes.
In the same light there are all those senior citizens out there that are so opposed to allowing our citizens to obtain reasonably cost healthcare. How about taking all those folks off Medicare and let them fend for themselves in the cutthroat business pre-ADA. I bring this idea up frequently when I get into it with them and have yet to have any of them accept my proposition.
