After waking in my dorm room to a beautiful day in Daytona Beach, Florida on the morning of Nov. 8, I ran to my computer to check the election results in my good ole’ state of Maine. Surely the people of Maine, tired of being number one in the nation in taxes, skyrocketing health care costs and youth – such as myself – leaving for better opportunity, would’ve given Gov. John Baldacci the boot.

Shocked, I realized Baldacci won another term as governor. Here’s the rub: people were (and still are) dissatisfied with our economy and lack of tax relief, yet they voted for the very people who caused those massive failures. (Even people who voted against the Taxpayer Bill of Rights acknowledged we have a tax problem!)

When are people going to realize that Maine Democrats don’t have solutions to the state’s problems? Thirty-plus years of Democrat rule in Maine has left the populace broke, unemployed, and unable to pay their bills.

Even Baldacci sees this as a wake-up call. He realizes the ‘tax relief’ he touted throughout his campaign was a fantasy. In an interview after his victory speech, Baldacci said ‘tax relief’ was going to be his number one priority.

But wait, didn’t he promise that back when first elected? Has it happened? No.

Mainers could’ve chosen an alternative. Instead, they chose another four years of high taxes, excessive spending, and failed Democrat leadership.

Perhaps I should start looking for a job elsewhere.

Brent A. Bowen, Daytona Beach, Fla.