Letters generally should be no longer than 400 words, refer to a specific article that appeared in the past month, and include the writer’s address and phone number. Letters that contain defamatory comments, open letters, third-party letters, letters sent to more than one publication, and letters that would more appropriately be advertisements, including Cards of Thanks, are unlikely to be published. One letter is allowed per writer per calendar month.

Exploited by government

To the editor:

I was very angry reading county commissioner Diane Novak’s comments about farmers. When she sits down to eat, did she produce it? Does she face all the challenges farmers face to produce food?

So she thinks that cattlemen and we farmers have our own businesses and are responsible for roads. Fine. Why, then, are we demanded to pay property tax and support all kinds of other things that don’t have anything to do with helping us be productive?

If not for us farmers, how long would any of us live? Government at all levels would have us think that it provides for us. How could it do that except at our expense?

Every man is entitled to a profit for his labor. Farming is no different. But you’re taxing us to death. As government grows, it is at our expense, causing producers to go out of business and creating more consumers. It’s all about preserving government no matter what.

Government is the real parasite, robbing us of our ability to provide for ourselves.

Was not the intent from the beginning for government to be the servant of the people, to protect their rights?

How is it that it has become our master? By separating itself from the farmer and cattleman, calling them exploiters, destroyers of roads, polluters of water, etc.

So, also, with small local businesses. They’re made out to be bad people and greedy, while all along government can’t exist without them. It makes itself the provider and security at our loss.

So who is the real exploiter and robber of the people? Now they want a county economic development corporation so they will have more to exploit and use for their own end.

The master grows, and we die. I guess that’s what we want because we keep voting for this.

If that’s the way you commissioners think, then don’t eat at our table! And don’t demand those burdensome taxes on us to pay your salaries and benefits! And don’t take it upon yourselves to give pay increases to employees while we see our profits and margins get less!

It is really sad to think our leaders would purposely mislead us to think that they, apart from the private sector, are what give us the abundance we all enjoy and need.

Jerry Plett
Lincolnville