I am hearing about the recent Republican Caucus in Maine. It makes me very uncomfortable.

The Damariscotta Fish Ladder Restoration Project is progressing well. This winter, the concrete pools in the midsection of the ladder are being faced with rock. Currently we have a shortage of flat weir rocks and rounded facing rocks. Any rocks we do not have to purchase allow other work to be completed.

By far the leading cause of domestic violence is an abusive personality that seeks control and power over the victim. Regardless of the cause, domestic violence and abuse are not acceptable for any reason.

On the night of Dec. 13, 2011, our sister-in-law, Nancy Hanna was in a horrible car accident on Rt. 32 in Round Pond. We would like to thank the bystanders who helped before rescue crews arrived, the First Responders and Ambulance Crew that took her to Miles where she was sent by Life Flight to Maine Medical Center and the Maine Medical doctors and staff who have cared for her since then.

We don’t know the whole story and we most likely never will.

I was appalled to read several postings by the Walter Hilton family on Facebook this weekend concerning their grandson’s having to be transferred from Great Salt Bay School due to bullying and assault.

Almost half our crew was in Boston last Thursday night preparing for the winter New England Newspaper and Press Assn. convention when Mike McLain lost his life in a tragic car accident in Bristol.

On January 28, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Midcoast Maine held its annual Program Celebration. This is always a magical event that celebrates the special relationships of Bigs and Littles in our program.

Usually I write you about national and local politics, but for this letter I need to switch subjects slightly.

What happens when ideas are mutually exclusive, and what do we do in our form of government when we snag up against irreconcilable ways of doing things? We decide which gets its way by majority rule.

Wow! What a morale booster for Nancy Hanna! Bremen “terminated” her position as town clerk? What’s wrong with a temporary leave of absence? Way to go, Bremen!

Did the legislature fix the DHHS budget? I do not think so. When you borrow money from the 2013 budget to make the 2012 budget work what did we gain? I think we kicked the can down the road again.

One thing about Lincoln County, we are all for helping our neighbors. Scarcely a week goes by where we don’t have a bean supper, a silent auction, or some other type of fundraiser for someone or something. Sometime it’s a school or local group fundraiser. Like as not, it is for a family recently burned out of their home, or worse.

We have often thought one of the best testaments to the effectiveness of a politician is when voters from the other party adopt them. Locally, former state Sen. David Trahan had that kind of cache. Former state Sen. Marge Kilkelly had it before him.