By the time you read this, the result of the election will be very old news ”“ 30 hours later ”“ at least by today’s standards. That’s why I am not going over that. We covered all that yesterday. But here are some thoughts about some of it.

Like so many other people, I went to vote on Tuesday at Biddeford High School, and I shared these thoughts with some old (three months) and new (just met) friends over at Wonderbar Restaurant and Pub on Washington Street in downtown Biddeford following my voting, and apparently theirs. I was struck by how pleasant everybody was at the high school. We were greeted by nice people thanking us for exercising our constitutionally protected right to choose our representatives in the legislative and executive branches.

All the voters seemed to be in a good mood, were courteous to each other and the many volunteers involved in the process. I could not help but smile as I walked through the crowd, gave them my name and began filling out my ballot in the voting booth, because this was our democratic republic working as it was intended to. Some held up signs in a final attempt to sway voters to their way of thinking. Thousands of citizens were voting, disagreeing with each other regarding candidates, bonds and other issues, and yet we did so with respect for the process, each other and our form of government. I felt so proud. When I say “America is great,” it is not because we are wealthy or powerful, but rather because we are able to accomplish this extraordinary thing of advanced citizenship peacefully, respectfully and as mature adults, respecting the rule of law and each other.

We, the people ”“ or at least a majority of us ”“ cast our ballots and one of the very important decisions was made as a result. Gov. Paul LePage has been given a second term to lead us as our chief executive. I know many of my friends are elated by this result and many others are dismayed. But I see this as an opportunity for a new start. He is our governor, and I think we ought to wish that he does a great job over the next four years. During this campaign, he joked that even a Frenchman like himself could learn to be respectful. I certainly hope he was being honest, for that would be a positive step in the right direction for him and the state.

Let’s face it, we all have daily opportunities to mature and to grow, and no one does it all at once. I will take the governor at his word that he is done bullying his opponents. Although the Democrats have retained control of the Maine House, it seems now that the Republicans control the Maine Senate. It will be interesting to see how that might play out as the governor and the Legislature play politics with one another.

I would like to see the governor accomplish just two things in his second term: Real welfare reform and true economic recovery. In terms of the former, what I mean is I have encountered quite a few people cheating while on public assistance; that is, collecting welfare while working off the books or living with others to defray their costs ”“ or a woman with a young child choosing not to work, collecting welfare while her boyfriend with a good job lives with her and pays the bills. As I said, I have had personal experience with people beating the system in these ways. I would like to see the governor address this by perhaps employing all of us to report incidents of abuse we know of through the state website and be able to do so anonymously. I know many Democrats, even liberal ones, who hate the cheating and have been disappointed with their party looking the other way for so long on this issue. Cutting the welfare budget ”“ assistance to the poor ”“ is what the governor has done already. But frankly, this is a blunt, stupid approach. The truly needy end up losing benefits in this way. It’s like closing your eyes and trying to hit a target.

In terms of the economy, I would like to see it really recover here in Maine. The governor can use statistics to his benefit like anyone can to make things seem better than they are, but the truth is our economy stinks. The evidence for that is all around us. Businesses are closing up regularly ”“ some that have been in existence for decades. And this is not just happening here in York County, but in every region of the state, including the Midcoast, where I come from. Moreover, people with great educations and resumes cannot find work, and many of them are fleeing the state, as much as they love it here, taking with them their remaining assets so they can try to rebuild elsewhere.

This is an incredible loss for us. These people are real economic engines in their own right. They help make our existing businesses run better. They are hard working and creative thinking. We can’t afford to continue to let this happen.

However, decimating our natural environment ”“ our most precious financial as well as psychic asset ”“ by deregulating toxic chemicals and being dismissive about its profoundly adverse effects is certainly not the answer. Surely we Mainers and Gov. LePage are far smarter than that. Surely we can figure how to have a good economy without killing ourselves and our families in the process. If our governor does that, I will sing his praises.

Thanks for reading and have a wicked cool, relaxing, awesome, post-election week.

— Bruce M. Hardina is the publisher of the Journal Tribune, a singer-songwriter, a philosopher, a student of life and the human experience, a columnist, an entrepreneur and a family man. To comment on his musings, email bhardina@journaltribune.com or mail a note to Journal Tribune, Attn: Bruce Hardina, 457 Alfred St., Biddeford, ME 04005.

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