After reading the letter from Daniel Lalonde (May 28), I felt compelled to respond. It is people like him who reiterate my previously stated stance that the time has come to embrace the dismantling of both political parties and the introduction of a society made up of independent voters who would vote for the person who best represents their ideas, philosophies and such rather than voting for a person simply because of his political affiliation.

To think that a president is right all the time and to endorse all of his ideas is turning our democracy into a dictatorship. A president is a human being first and foremost and, therefore, capable of being wrong.

I don’t always agree with Sens. Snowe and Collins, but they have represented their constituents well and have shown that they are not afraid to vote their conscience or in the best interest of their constituents.

The majority of voters in Maine have always practiced a common sense approach to electing their representatives. Why else would we have two Republican senators and two Democratic representatives? If, as Mr. Lalonde contends, we are “democratically” controlled, how did this happen? According to him, individuals should be voting along party lines. Otherwise, we show disloyalty. Luckily, voters in Maine are independent thinkers.

Yes, the loss of Brunswick Naval Air Station and the Kittery shipyard was politically motivated. It was due to the fact that Mainers chose to vote responsibly in the last two presidential elections and not for George W. Bush.

Jacqueline P. Smith, Lewiston

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