Am I missing something here? While gasoline prices affect all of us in one way or another, what I find shameless is the gall of our governor.

Maine’s gas tax is the 16th-highest in the country, bringing in $230 million a year. That’s a billion dollars in a four-year period. Our infrastructure and roads stink. Shameless.

We spend $1.8 billion on educating 170,000 K-12 students, yet we have to tutor fourth-graders to pass a state test. Shameless.

L.D. 1 is a joke. My taxes went up $187. Shameless.

Gov. Baldacci sought to sell lottery receipts for 10 years, made selling state liquor stores a priority and tried to borrow almost a half-billion dollars without voters consent. Shameless.

“Sin” taxes were raised just to help balance the budget (cigarettes up to $2 a pack). Shameless.

Legislation supported by the governor on discrimination was passed without voter approval. The issue had been twice defeated in voting. Shameless.

I could go on.

The only thing that separates the looters in the Big Easy from the looters in Augusta is that the Augusta types didn’t have to wade through the water to do it.

Shameless.

Bruce Hufnagel, Sweden