To the Editor; Each year, the dawn of a new year inspires us to reflect on the blessings and graces of the past twelve months and to look ahead with the good intentions of being a better person.

Every two years, the citizens of Maine get to sit back and watch a spectacle of drama and high-pitched emotion take place in Augusta.

For the uninitiated, every year I offer bold predictions for the coming year, guaranteed to be right, 87.

Sometimes when you hit a roadblock, you have to find a detour.

To the editor: I often hear people complaining about Christmas gifts they receive — ties they never wear, hand-knit sweaters that don’t fit or are awful in design, another pair of slippers they have to “ooh” over and then stuff in the closet along with last year’s, a fruitcake they’ll eventually throw away, or any number of other gifts they have to pretend they like.

The next time people try to convince you that the candidate with the most money wins the election, kindly disagree.

The recent debate (I’m being kind.

Let’s start with the good.

When I swore in the 128th Legislature [last] week, I urged them to reduce the negative impact of two referendum questions that will cause significant harm to our economy.

To the editor: On November 29 the Maine Woods Coalition held its annual meeting in Bangor.

If you listen carefully, you can hear it — a sound that gurgles about every time a major piece of legislation is passed via referendum.

It’s a word that has many different connotations.

Since 2010, average residential New England electric rates have increased by 20 percent.

This Thanksgiving, let us give thanks for one of the most brilliant inventions of the founding generation, the Electoral College.

To the Editor; To my Conservative friends.

To the Editor; Have you had problems with your well as the severe drought conditions have continued through the summer and fall? Have you heard complaints from your neighbors about their water problems? Have you had trouble going fishing in favorite streams or ponds that have dropped to very low levels or even dried up completely? Are you concerned that large scale water extraction companies might be eyeing Garland as a potential area for commercial-scale pumping activities from our deep aquifers? Are you concerned that you might lose your water supplies or see them seriously degraded especially if the drought continues or water extraction companies start tapping into town aquifers? If the answer to any of the above questions is “yes,” or if you are just interested in learning about Garland’s water resources, you are invited to a meeting of concerned citizens sponsored by the Planning Board at the Town Office on Tuesday evening, December 6, starting at 6 p.

Sometimes I like the result of referendums.

As today’s world evolves toward a more progressive education system, it seems that we are struggling to catch on in the United States, and even in Maine itself.