South Portland's effort to sway the TABOR vote is a blatant conflict of interest. It would be described as corruption by those who oppose corruption. Those who use corruption to their own ends would think this is good politicking.

Taxpayers should be alarmed when those who benefit from your tax dollars start telling you how they deserve greater protection than your friends and family who have had to suffer with job losses and cutbacks. Are public employees not subject to the same fates as you?

Just like you, governments too can figure out how to balance their budgets. Government does know, like you, where the least painful cuts can be made. Like yourselves, they know which expenses could wait. Surprisingly, your government keeps telling you that they are too incompetent to figure out the right balance. If that is true, then let's replace the incompetents with people, like you, who do have the skills to improve the efficiency of government.

It is up to you, and no one else, to reject corruption and incompetence in your government.

Kenneth A. Capron

Portland