The end of a year is often a time of changes. We all know people in town who we have admired, who have served us well, who have other plans and will be missed.

Mankind is addicted to delusions; we cherish and defend them to the death.

My battery went dead in Waterville recently, and naturally, I didn’t have my jumper cables with me. A couple I have never seen before stopped, but they couldn’t help (no jumper cables) so they drove off.

Congratulations to Duane Wheeler of the Dairy Queen for identifying the problem and to Gary Hammond of Hammond Tractor for providing a solution to the question of how to safely dispose of unwanted guns. And congratulations to the men and women of Waterville Rotary Club for providing a venue where such a question could be brought to light.

Our form of government has changed from a federal republic to an oligarchy. An oligarchy is a form of government in which control is exercised by a group of individuals whose authority is based upon wealth or power.