The other day I was discussing with a colleague about the much viewed picture of Sen. John McCain being real chummy with Gov. Mitt Romney on the campaign trail. Obviously the topic came up of whether McCain should indeed pick Romney to be his VP running mate. At this point, what would be the best scenario for the Republicans to maintain the White House?
I argued that maybe it would be more beneficial for McCain to pick Condoleezza Rice over Romney. Before anyone blows a gasket on my radical thought, think about what is going on in the world of politics. The Democrats are bickering all the time about Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama being their nominee. Both camps are fighting for gender votes, minority votes and white male votes. My thought is, if you put McCain-Rice ticket up against Obama-Clinton, You hit the ultimate extreme in political cat and mouse game. The race card should not be played at that point because each party would have a minority involved in the campaign. Second, the gender issue would be out of the question because of both Rice and Clinton. That leaves one major factor of differences left to distinguish the candidates. Experience!
Experience has always been a factor in political campaigns. McCain has decades of service to his country as both a military war hero and a Senator. Obama has limited experience at best and lack of leadership at the international level as well as no military experience. Condoleezza Rice has a wealth of experience on foreign relations as well as national security. Hillary Clinton has experience as a First Lady, but International diplomacy? No! National security? No!
To me, the choice is simple. You go with the best ticket that represents the most experience versus the other ticket. McCain-Rice is a far superior ticket on all national election items versus an Obama-Clinton ticket. Sometimes, experience has to count for something. In this case, it should count for moving the country forward and protecting it from radical extremists. I hope others see my point.
God Bless America!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Maine's 1st day of Fishing Season is coming: Take a Child Fishing!
In just over a week, Maine's Open Water Fishing Season for 2008 will begin. If you are an avid fisherman like myself, you understand what the fresh air and cool water can bring to a person that has been cooped inside all winter, than you are ready to tackle the elements and head fishing. What also is important to many anglers is to try and share those outdoor moments with someone by bringing with a child along. It is one way we can pass on the heritage of the great outdoors to future generations of outdoor conservationists.
I have taken my daughter Vanessa fishing on or near the Opening Day for the last few years. It is something that I truly enjoy, maybe not so much the fishing part but the spending time with her showing her the Great Outdoors of Maine and buying hot dogs, candy bars and soda at the local stores that rely so much on the sportsmen in the area. I like to go to the small family run stores that have a sign out front that says "Welcome Fisherman". This to me, means that they understand the importance that we sportsmen have on our local economy.
Going back to why it is good to take kids fishing, or hunting for that matter. The outdoor lessons taught by adults, whether a parent, uncle, aunt or family friend to our children is the last link of pure heritage and tradition with the outdoors. In today's world, the educational elites and union mentality believe that they are the best source for educating our children on the environmental impacts that man has had on the earth. Additionally, they find it suits their interests best by indicating that the natural taking of wild game and fish is morally wrong and unjustified. However, those individuals that push those environmental viewpoints seem to forget our wonderful history in the United States. I'm talking about how early Americans had to survive by killing their own food, growing their own vegetables and doing whatever it took to survive. They practiced sustainable farming and only took what wild game they needed to survive. They knew that hunting provided the necessary tools that was needed in order to make it through another harsh winter. Fishing at the same point provided some of the same type of satisfaction knowing that an abundance of healthy fish was within their reaches.
Just remember, if you are going to go fishing in Maine and other states, know your fishing laws. There are some new changes to Maine's Open Water Fishing Laws. Also, know where you are going and be sure to tell someone where you are going. Additionally, if you want more information on taking kids fishing and being involved, visit the Hooked on Fishing - Not Drugs website through the State of Maine. It doesn't take much to bring a child to the outdoors, just a desire to pass on tradition and be involved.
God Bless America!
I have taken my daughter Vanessa fishing on or near the Opening Day for the last few years. It is something that I truly enjoy, maybe not so much the fishing part but the spending time with her showing her the Great Outdoors of Maine and buying hot dogs, candy bars and soda at the local stores that rely so much on the sportsmen in the area. I like to go to the small family run stores that have a sign out front that says "Welcome Fisherman". This to me, means that they understand the importance that we sportsmen have on our local economy.
Going back to why it is good to take kids fishing, or hunting for that matter. The outdoor lessons taught by adults, whether a parent, uncle, aunt or family friend to our children is the last link of pure heritage and tradition with the outdoors. In today's world, the educational elites and union mentality believe that they are the best source for educating our children on the environmental impacts that man has had on the earth. Additionally, they find it suits their interests best by indicating that the natural taking of wild game and fish is morally wrong and unjustified. However, those individuals that push those environmental viewpoints seem to forget our wonderful history in the United States. I'm talking about how early Americans had to survive by killing their own food, growing their own vegetables and doing whatever it took to survive. They practiced sustainable farming and only took what wild game they needed to survive. They knew that hunting provided the necessary tools that was needed in order to make it through another harsh winter. Fishing at the same point provided some of the same type of satisfaction knowing that an abundance of healthy fish was within their reaches.
Just remember, if you are going to go fishing in Maine and other states, know your fishing laws. There are some new changes to Maine's Open Water Fishing Laws. Also, know where you are going and be sure to tell someone where you are going. Additionally, if you want more information on taking kids fishing and being involved, visit the Hooked on Fishing - Not Drugs website through the State of Maine. It doesn't take much to bring a child to the outdoors, just a desire to pass on tradition and be involved.
God Bless America!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Thank You Town of Norridgewock and Fonzo's Pizza
Yesterday at the Norridgewock Town Meeting and elections, I got re-elected to the Board of Selectmen along with Ron Frederick, Dick Holt, Rick Pomerleau and Victor Jepson. I want to thank the citizens of Norridgewock in allowing me to serve the community again in this capacity. Many of you know that I hold the position very seriously and every decision that I make on that board is with the best interests if the town in mind.
I personally would like to thank a few businesses and individuals for believing in my abilities to do the job of Selectman. They start off of course with my beautiful wife Erin. She knows how much this town means to me as well as how hard I work to ensure that things are done correctly with regards to town policies. Also I would like to thank Ron Frederick and Lisa Frederick, Kay and Alan Laney, Gloria Frederick, Jim Lyman, Winston Ford, Town Manager John Doucette, Rep. Phil Curtis and County Commissioner Phil Roy. Many of you I sought support and / or advice from regarding various issues in the town and I appreciate your help immensely. Lastly I would like to thank Buster and Al Dixon at Fonzo's Pizza on Route 8 in Norridgewock (Call for Great pizza: 207-634-2112) for giving me the encouragement and support to serve as a Selectman for the town. My compliments to the Chef boys.
On another note, in a recent Morning Sentinel article regarding the Town Meeting and elections, we as a Select Board put to the towns people some various articles. One particular article was to see if the Town would be in favor of moving the Town Treasurer and Town Clerk positions to appointed instead of elected. Last night, the Town voted 39-28 NOT to allow those positions to be appointed. I personally did feel that those positions need to be appointed, but the will of the people at this time was to have the freedom to chose who they wanted in those positions. In my eyes, I felt that by appointing those positions by the Town Manager, it allowed for more accountability to the position, thus providing a way to handle a situation if there happened to be mistakes found that needed to be addressed more quickly. In the current form, accountability is left to the people to determine if there is a problem with the positions. In listening to the towns people last night at the Town Meeting, many did not understand what those jobs entailed and the fact that certain critical items were not being done correctly, thus possibly putting Towns best interest in jeopardy. At the end of the day, the people wanted the freedom to chose the Town Clerk and Town Treasurer, however, at this point I believe many got the point that in order to hold those positions accountable, people need to take things into their own hands and look at what is being done. I hope for the Towns sake, that the people that came last night will continue to be involved and put pressure on ALL the elected officials in town to do what is supposed to be done.
Again, I want to thank those individuals that have continued to support me as a Town Selectman. Thank you Norridgewock. Go get some pizza at Fonzo's
God Bless America!
I personally would like to thank a few businesses and individuals for believing in my abilities to do the job of Selectman. They start off of course with my beautiful wife Erin. She knows how much this town means to me as well as how hard I work to ensure that things are done correctly with regards to town policies. Also I would like to thank Ron Frederick and Lisa Frederick, Kay and Alan Laney, Gloria Frederick, Jim Lyman, Winston Ford, Town Manager John Doucette, Rep. Phil Curtis and County Commissioner Phil Roy. Many of you I sought support and / or advice from regarding various issues in the town and I appreciate your help immensely. Lastly I would like to thank Buster and Al Dixon at Fonzo's Pizza on Route 8 in Norridgewock (Call for Great pizza: 207-634-2112) for giving me the encouragement and support to serve as a Selectman for the town. My compliments to the Chef boys.
On another note, in a recent Morning Sentinel article regarding the Town Meeting and elections, we as a Select Board put to the towns people some various articles. One particular article was to see if the Town would be in favor of moving the Town Treasurer and Town Clerk positions to appointed instead of elected. Last night, the Town voted 39-28 NOT to allow those positions to be appointed. I personally did feel that those positions need to be appointed, but the will of the people at this time was to have the freedom to chose who they wanted in those positions. In my eyes, I felt that by appointing those positions by the Town Manager, it allowed for more accountability to the position, thus providing a way to handle a situation if there happened to be mistakes found that needed to be addressed more quickly. In the current form, accountability is left to the people to determine if there is a problem with the positions. In listening to the towns people last night at the Town Meeting, many did not understand what those jobs entailed and the fact that certain critical items were not being done correctly, thus possibly putting Towns best interest in jeopardy. At the end of the day, the people wanted the freedom to chose the Town Clerk and Town Treasurer, however, at this point I believe many got the point that in order to hold those positions accountable, people need to take things into their own hands and look at what is being done. I hope for the Towns sake, that the people that came last night will continue to be involved and put pressure on ALL the elected officials in town to do what is supposed to be done.
Again, I want to thank those individuals that have continued to support me as a Town Selectman. Thank you Norridgewock. Go get some pizza at Fonzo's
God Bless America!
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