Saturday’s education budget meeting in Windsor set a budget that many will not be able to afford. The end result for each of the eight member towns in the RSU will be a 17.75 percent increase ($2,225,130) in the funds they need to raise in property taxes to pay for the increase in the budget.

In response to Paul’s [Marseglia of Dresden] letter last week about gas and cigarette taxes. I know what you’re saying Paul, but what’s the alternative?

I hear a lot of complaints about taxes but seldom do folks offer solutions. We have to raise money somewhere to keep roads, state parks, schools, etc. operating.

I would like to commend the Transfer station in Nobleboro for now having a place to dispose of ‘flashlight’ batteries; small batteries that used to go in the general garbage and get burned, thereby putting a lot of cadmium and other chemicals into the atmosphere (see http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1525/is_n6_v78/ai_14263165/).

You can tell by the way people talk about him today that R.H. “Bob” Reny was a special kind of man.

He connected with people in a special way. He was a salesman sure, but he was a man who would look you in the eye, firmly shake your hand, inquire after the health of your mother and recall the names of your children.

A truly great man has passed and there are many grieving hearts of those who loved him. There will never be another Robert H. Reny. For those of us who worked for him and with him, he became part of our lives and we would like to think that we became a part of his.

Along the road of life, we meet people who leave lasting impressions. Bob Reny is one of them.

In addition to the disastrous school consolidation, state take-over of county jails, LD 1 and Dirigo legislation, now we also have LD 1495. LD 1495 is touted by the state as “tax relief” for Maine families and businesses and that the tourists will bear the brunt of the “exported” taxes: not so!

Last week, we said goodbye to one of our most enduring and entertaining columnists, Chris Cooper and his beloved column, “In the Garden Wet With Rain. We can safely say beloved because we have had no end of responses from fans in house and out all expressing some sort of regret about Mr. Cooper’s farewell.

I would like to report a random act of kindness.

Many years ago my husband and I placed a stone bench at the end of our driveway as a way of preventing those leaving our house from “cutting the corner.”

I feel so sorry for our veterans who gave their lives for people like Michael Jackson. He received so much glory when he died. I guess being a drug addict and some of the other things he was accused of doing made him more important than the brave men and women who have given their lives in the defense of our country.

Harold Benner will be missed.

On Thurs., June 4, a tragic, yet totally avoidable accident claimed the life of Harold Benner within a short distance of his home. He was driving responsibly, as he always did, and fell victim to someone driving on the wrong side of the Rt. 235, most likely at excessive speed.

The battle has been joined. Already we hear that the health insurance industry is investing massively in a public relations campaign to defeat inclusion of any government sponsored component in upcoming health care legislation. Even the “Swift Boat” team is resurrecting itself to join the fight.

The story goes that legendary Lakota Sioux war chief Crazy Horse would ride into battle encouraging his warriors with the war cry “Hoka hey” which, in the context of battle, translates into the cheerful slogan: “This is a good day to die.”

It used to be you could go on an errand and leave your door unlocked. Or, perhaps, the wheelbarrow could sit in the front yard for days, before you got back to completing the chore.

Not anymore.