Right now, our legislative partisans in Augusta are divvying up the state to better reflect the findings of the 2010 Census.

You hear a lot of talk today about the need to compromise. A good example is the debt ceiling and congress. Do we raise the debt ceiling or not or do we meet somewhere in the middle?

After spending one hour and 20 minutes yesterday (8/14) stuck in bumper to bumper traffic between Patti’s Takeout Seafood and Sarah’s Café on Rt. 1 heading south, I had to comment on the recent Letter to the Editor written by Ann Adams of Jefferson. (“Totally unacceptable,” LCN, 8/11/11, Page 4)

The Fair Tax Act of 2009 would eliminate the need for the IRS. Social Security and Medicare are funded from consumption tax revenue. You will not be required to fill out any income tax forms. Wages, savings, and investments are not taxed. Taxpayers pay the same rate. All taxes are rebated on spending up to the poverty level.

With a lengthy list of events, spread out over five days Olde Bristol Days may feel like the big dog among Lincoln County local summer celebrations, but, as the Damariscotta BluesFest proved last weekend, size is no prerequisite for fun.

Planning is hard work, make no mistake. There are no shortcuts, but our quality of place is our best economic asset, both now and in the future. It is worth protecting.

On one hand, we empathize with the desire of Damariscotta town officials to revisit the SmartCode with an eye toward bringing it back for another vote. A lot of time, effort and money was spent developing the ordinance language and bringing the issue to a vote June 14, the outcome of which was a stinging defeat for the code’s supporters.

Well it turns out the odds are about 1 in 400 here in Maine. I am talking about MS. You are 10,625 times more likely to be diagnosed with MS then you are to win the Megabucks.

Bruce Bartrug’s letter about the wonderful socially responsible governments in Europe was really something. He sure put a smiley face on it all. How is it working out for Greece these days, paying people all those generous benefits he spoke of? What country was it, Mr. Bartrug, that liberated Europe twice in the last century so that with their short memories they could become the socialist utopias you’re so fond of?

This being the 27th week of the year; we are now officially on the back half of 2011. For Lincoln County’s resident summer lovers, we are about to enter the stretch run of it being about as good as it seasonally gets around these parts.

Recently the voters of Waldoboro decided to not approve some department’s budgets in an effort to trim the tax burden of homeowners. Nobody likes to pay taxes but the problem with this vote is it was up or down for each department with no compromise on the dollar figure.

Do you remember Pine Grove drive in? If you do, we, the Ward family, Pine Grove’s former owners, need your help. Our family is constantly amazed at the nostalgia surrounding Pine Grove. We still hear the longing for our fried clams, Gram’s rolls and barbeque chicken.

Middle of the day, Monday, a busy day at the Maine Coast Book Shop, some sleazy no-account idler, probably someone who frequents the place and maybe hangs out in the café, someone who probably didn’t have a job to go to or at least some good purpose to occupy himself (yes, probably a “he”), who also probably doesn’t read this newspaper much and so has me wasting my time trying to help him reform and undo his crime, has stolen a bike parked just outside our back door.

Maine cannot afford higher taxes and reckless government spending and neither can our country. Washington’s fiscal irresponsibility and poor economic policy has not worked.