It is more important than ever for the people of Maine to register and vote in the next election. I’m considering voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Tom Allen and Mike Michaud. These men are decent and desire the best for our country and Maine.

Some changes we need are:

• Universal health care;

• Clean, renewable energy, best for the environment and affordable;

• Affordable education for everyone;

• Bring our young soldiers home and maintain peace through good diplomacy;

• Improve our economy by avoiding war and creating more U.S. jobs

• Subsidies for small businesses (the ones that really need it), instead of for the ones that can maintain themselves;

• Creating small electric vehicles and public transportation.

We need to promote or create wind power, hydro power, solar power – renewable and non-polluting energy.

It’s not enough to elect the right individual to office; it’s also our responsibility to write our representatives and remind them of the things that we feel they should strive for. We need to be their conscience; they work for us.

If we don’t vote or let them know how we feel they should serve in office, then we don’t have the right to complain and must accept the consequences.

We have a beautiful country, but we are sliding backward at an alarming rate.

What a shame it would be to lose it all.

Let’s be willing to do our part to change things for the better for ourselves, our children, grandchildren and future generations.

Lou Giard, Turner