Politics is much like driving Route 8 in Norridgewock and Smithfield for the last couple years.

Proceed with caution at a conservative pace while obeying the duly established rules of the road and you can dodge those foot-deep caverns referred to as potholes, avoid being bounced off the street entirely by frost heaves and won’t have to pay costly repairs.

However, if you’re liberal with gas consumption and progressively increase speed, you simply cannot foresee the rough road or control your vehicle and predictable consequences occur like broken struts, flat tires or driving your vehicle straight into the ditch.

Rachel Paquet

Smithfield