The black bear referendum is a perfect example of how liberal, feel-good policies have created poverty in this state.

Every day, I see commercials on TV blaming Gov. Paul Lepage for not creating jobs. How about we wise up and stop destroying them.

Maine black bears feed many a Maine family, and does this many times over. The hunter buys a magazine subscription and dreams about the hunt, which supports our paper mills. Then he buys licenses, gas, food and lodging on the way through the state. Maybe he’ll even stop at Cabela’s or L.L. Bean and spend few hundred dollars. Then he’ll pay for a guide and maybe access to land. He then will pay someone to process his kill if he gets his bear and do the mount.

All of this to control a beast at no cost to us that our own fish and game says needs to be culled.

We are not going to stop the hunter; it’s only another hour or two to drive to Canada, where they also bait bears. Our neighbors to the north will gladly take these jobs from us as we blunder along like fools while liberals continue to destroy our economy without any thought as to how they’re doing it.

John Hopkins

Manchester