I am somewhere between flummoxed and dumbfounded by the recent authorized increase in the speed limit to 70 mph on some of Maine’s thoroughfares.

My puzzlement stems from the publicized statement by the Maine state trooper who explained the increase as the need for the posted (legal) speed limit to match what the majority of drivers already drive. He also stated that would be a way to make slower drivers speed up.

What happened to the motto so often promoted around Maine’s excessive highway accidents and senseless deaths: “Speed Kills”?

What kind of reverse logic is that? And what changes in the laws will people next be subjected to? Who has determined that the laws and regulations should match irresponsible behaviors?

I fear that in my lifetime it will become a crime not to own an automatic rifle. Widespread littering on the streets and sidewalks will be rewarded rather than fined, if caught. Perpetrators of domestic violence will automatically be acquitted, rather than punished. And youth who fail to attend school or demonstrate competency in required subjects will be given diplomas — the same as those who work hard and actually gain an education. And so on.

If that logic spreads, will people have the opportunity to veto any bill that taxpayers will pay when all the posted 30- or 35-mph speed limit signs on city streets are replaced by 45–50 mph signs to match the speed of the majority of drivers?

The absence of logic and common sense is mighty costly.

Speed kills.

Annie Dorey, Lewiston