Elections, holidays loom large on the horizon

Yet another month on the 2009 calendar is coming to a close. October is here, bringing with it pumpkins and Halloween, some of the most magnificent reds, oranges and yellows as the Piscataquis woods change colors, and the two things no one wants to truly think about quite yet.
Elections and Christmas.
Yep, that’s right. I just linked the birth of Christ with something most Americans tend to avoid more often than bill collectors and root canals. That is, unless it’s a presidential or gubernatorial election, and luckily 2009 is not one of those years.
I may have just managed to get my name inked on two lists you don’t want to be on.
It’s true though. Election Day 2009 is coming up, and with it is a whole host of decisions that need to be made on a local and statewide level. Locally, residents in SAD 4 need to determine whether to close their final two elementary schools and consolidate resources into just Piscataquis Community Middle and High schools.
Come to think about it, the way the state’s running out of money and the way small, rural districts are getting hammered in this economic storm, how long will it be before one-room school houses become chic again?
Statewide, there’s a whole host of issues that are already polluting the airwaves. There are seven ballot measures for voters to choose from this year, from the repeal of gay marriage to the legalization of marijuana, from repealing the school consolidation law and to the reduction of automotive excise taxes, and there’s also the promotion of tax relief. All five of these topics The Piscataquis Observer will tackle in the coming weeks.
There are also two questions seeking approval for $71 million in bonds and for more time in seeking signatures on direct initiative petitions. Again, more to come in the coming weeks.
No matter how November 3 turns out, there will still be the two camps in our state that will have widely different takes on the outcome. The backlash and back and forth will carry us straight to Thanksgiving, and from there it’s a snowball’s throw to Christmas.
Speaking of November 3, that is Election Day. Even with this non-gubernatorial or -presidential election, go out and exercise your right to vote. It’s not just here to pick governors and presidents that we’ll all debate and scream about for the four years that follow. It’s about selecting town council members and selectmen, about deciding local issues and doing your part in this republic. OK, I’ll step off the ledge I call my soapbox now.
Now after the winds of school consolidation, gay marriage and taxes blow through and get people all wound up like that first cold October breeze, we can all get ready for Christmas, with all the stress and headaches that go along with it. Christmas is supposed to be about family, being together and enjoying each other’s company.
Oh yeah, and our Lord Baby Jesus being born. I can’t forget that or I will definitely be left off that list.
So here’s hoping for the best from now until New Year’s. We all deserve a peaceful and productive final quarter of 2009.
That way we can get ready for the gubernatorial race in 2010. There are 21 people currently listed as candidates vying for our state’s top spot, according to WMTW-TV 8 in Portland. That’ll surely be coupled with a half-dozen citizen initiatives on who knows what else.
Somehow I get the sense that Santa just put my name in permanent marker on his list for saying that. Well, at least the coal’ll be good for heating the home this winter.