How can a 17-year-old be so drawn to politics yet so repelled by the thought of running for office?

The answer? Seventeen-year-old Mike Boulette already has become disillusioned by the wheeling and dealing in a government that seems to strip ideals and convictions at an astonishing pace.

Too often, Boulette believes, elected representatives are forced to set aside their own beliefs, sacrificing honesty to themselves for the sake of winning election. Even though this Monmouth teen is one of two student delegates representing Maine at the 41st Annual United States Senate Youth Program next month, elective office is not for him.

Clearly, when young people like Mike Boulette are repelled by the growing cynicism in politics, we are all in trouble.

But what can we do?

One thing would be to do away with this mad concept of stacking amendments and attaching riders to emergency appropriations bills that get no scrutiny by committee hearings and are not subjected to floor debates. Lawmakers, unsuccessful at getting legislation passed on its own merit, have to stop inserting pork in fast-moving, must-pass appropriations packages.

This week, two anti-environmental pro-timber riders are scooting along in an appropriations bill funding the war on terrorism.

This is not a Republican trick. It crosses party lines.

In 1999, an emergency relief package to help victims of Hurricane Mitch was delayed as lawmakers argued over riders creating loan programs for the oil, gas and steel industries, leasing executive jets for the Pentagon and keeping Alabama sturgeon off the endangered species list – none of which has any relation to hurricane relief.

Attaching these riders to must-pass legislation does not honor the ideals of democracy and greatly contributes to our growing deficit.

Washington bemoans the growing political cynicism in America. It has only itself to blame.


Safe and secure


Want to let your son know you love him? Make your daughter feel like she’s really important?

Make sure they’re safely restrained in the car.

We’re a society on the move. There are more people traveling in more cars and spending greater amounts of time on the road than ever before, and our children are along for the ride. If we really love them, we must make sure they are buckled into the right size and the right kind of child safety seat.

On Jan. 1, Maine’s new booster seat law went into effect. Any child younger than 8 or weighing less than 80 pounds must be restrained in an approved child restraint system – an infant seat, a booster seat or a special harness over a traditional lap belt. If not, the penalty is $62.50 per child.

A child involved in a car crash is 3.5 times more likely to suffer significant injuries or death, even if buckled up, because so many children aren’t buckled properly.

Parents shouldn’t need to read statistics to understand the importance of safe passage or feel threatened by fines. A quick peek in the rearview mirror to look into a child’s face is all the reason we need to do everything we can to protect youngsters.

Only 7 percent of Maine children between the ages of 4 and 8 are properly restrained and, on average, two of them die every year on our roads. Who will they be this year?
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