Hooray for a voice of reason about the latest invasion of privacy and erosion of liberty. (Letter, May 7)

I moved to Maine four years ago to escape the “People’s Republic of Massachusetts.” I cam here for the freedom and liberty I found here at the time – no seatbelt or helmet laws, land was yours to do with as you wished, and one could even smoke in bar.

Last I checked, we were still using the Constitution. This document guarantees certain inalienable rights to everyone – even in Maine. Its central and foremost theme is to keep me from infringing your rights. The choice whether to wear a seatbelt should be mine alone. Whether or not seat belts save lives is not the issue; I’m sure they do. So would wearing a helmet while driving a car; maybe we should legislate that if we truly cared about saving lives.

This is yet another slip down that proverbial slope.

Another certainty is insurance rates will not go down; they never have. I do understand the local need for cash all around, but if the police are going to extort money from us, in the way of fines, they need to do so within the bounds of the constitution. Maybe they could come to my house at night, demand my wallet, and help themselves.

A line needs to be drawn.

I’m not sure what it’ll take, but it’s not taking the last bit of our liberty away.

Michael MacNeil, Farmington