From the Bulldog’s Desk: Democracy only works when we do; come watch the candidates debate Jan. 21

3 mins read

Unless you happened to sleep through all of 2008, you’ve undoubtedly gotten the word that the economic situation in the United States is more precarious than it has been at any time since the Great Depression. Experts tell us that there is almost no aspect of our daily lives that won’t be affected by the tough financial times we will certainly face for the foreseeable future.

Here in Maine, Governor Baldacci has just proposed a two-year budget of $6.1 billion for 2009-10 that is going to come up a little short on cash, about $838 million short, if current projections are accurate. How we handle these tough financial times and the hard choices we make over the next few years will have a lasting effect on our state for perhaps generations to come.

It is against this backdrop that two local men, Dennis Haszko and Lance Harvell, now seek to fill the open House seat in Augusta and represent the residents of Farmington and Industry. Both men are to be commended for offering their services and expending the great effort that running for any office requires.

Now, as citizens, it’s our turn to put in a little effort too. It’s our turn to make it our business to look into the issues which affect us most and to then see where these two men stand on these problems and how they believe we should deal with them.

Democracy certainly gives you the right to stay home and sit out the special election to fill Maine’s House District 89 seat on Feb. 3, but as a community that indifference makes whoever we elect less accountable and weakens us.

Similarly, we are free to cast our ballots for reasons completely unrelated to these important issues, but when we turn an election into a mere popularity contest we risk filling these important positions with people who neither appreciate the complicated problems we face nor have the slightest idea how to begin solving them.

One easy way to take the measure of these two men and to learn exactly where they stand is to join us for the debate between Mr. Harvell and Mr. Haszko next Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009 at 7 p.m. at UMF’s Lincoln Auditorium. There, for one hour, the candidates will be put on the spot by us and hopefully by each other (and even by you, if you’d like to email us a question you feel should be posed to the two of them at editor@dailybulldog.com).

At the end of that hour, all of us will have a better idea of where both men stand and how each would approach our current problems.

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