I just got my first look at the Maine 2016 citizen initiatives. Voters, please look at these carefully. They may sound like they are for your benefit but read carefully

In particular, Question 5: Do you want to allow voters to rank their choices of candidates in elections for U.S. Senate, Congress, Governor, State Senate, and State Representative, and to have ballots counted at the state level in multiple rounds in which last-place candidates are eliminated until a candidate wins by majority?

This has cost and confusion written all over it. It is hard enough to know if your vote is being used properly now. This will only make things more confusing.

And of course, the usual DOT bond, Question 6: Do you favor a $100,000,000 bond issue for construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of highways and bridges and for facilities, equipment and property acquisition related to ports, harbors, marine transportation, freight and passenger railroads, aviation, transit and bicycle and pedestrian

trails, to be used to match an estimated $137,000,000 in federal and other funds?

Is America doing well enough to dump money into bike and walking trails?

I think not, this is a bad priority for Maine. Ethically they should have separated this from all the other needs like roads and bridges but that would not get them their “play” money.

Mike Swanholm

Readfield

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