Dear Readers,

I guess the long winter is getting to all of us. Snow upon snow, freezing cold followed by bitter cold. Soiled boots sit at the door awaiting snug, wool-clad feet. The once bright L.L. Bean jackets hanging over the chair have dulled, their zippers now a bit recalcitrant. Long johns are the uniform of the day.

Peeking outside, it is evident the windows could use a bit of elbow grease, although I did sneak outside and mop off the deposit a seagull left near the bird feeder.

We are all fed up with this year's winter of our discontent.

I expect that is why one town is complaining about the school's budget while another town's budget committee is complaining about the proposed spending habits of the ambulance service. In the harbor, a church renovation project has evolved into a public squabble.

At a recent selectman's meeting, a citizen stated that the town leaders pulled a fast one on him when they sold him a lot they acquired for non-payment of taxes.

Meanwhile, up in Disneyland North (Augusta), our governor, and soon to be neighbor, is yelling at the legislature because they have not signed onto his plan to slash the state's income tax and replace it with revenues generated by squashing the property tax exemptions for nonprofits.

That idea was branded as, to be kind, idiotic, by the major nonprofits (surprise), like the state's hospitals, private universities, and not to mention museums and other community groups who stand to pony up millions to the tax collector.

The governor also wants to get rid of the state practice of sharing their tax money with local governments and schools, called (duh) revenue sharing.

Part of the his pet tax package includes a sales tax hike that is strangely similar to one proposed by the former Democratic governor. That proposal was opposed by the Republicans and special interests who defeated the measure in a statewide referendum.

In other state news, the governor is at odds with Portland over the city's welfare spending. He is also at odds with the Attorney General because she won't do his bidding.

For the record, the governor is going round the state pledging to campaign against any Democrat or Republican who dares to oppose his pet projects.

He even crossed swords with Stephen King, accusing him of fleeing the state for Florida, which has no income tax. King, a master wordsmith, suggested the governor was full of the “stuff that makes the grass grow green” and said he was happy to pay over a million in taxes so he could live in the Great State of Maine.

I choose to blame all these squabbles on Old Man Winter.

Will everything be all better when the sun melts the snow pile at the foot of the driveway? Probably not, but it ought to.

But as the days get longer, and tempers cool a bit, I expect our state leaders will at least try to work together.

Here at home, I believe warm spring winds will remind us we are all neighbors.

In any event, I think we all need a time out.