I was surprised to learn that after a disastrous 3 years as our governor, John Baldacci decided to seek another term. And he is running on his record. Unbelievable.

Clearly he will vote for himself. I can even accept the possibility that his wife might vote for him. Other than those two votes, who else will vote for him?

Consider:

• The very serious computer problems at the Department of Health and Human services. After allocating $22 million or so to fix the problems, he requested an additional $24 million.

• He apparently transferred some $54 million from the Department of Transportation, and then suggested Maine residents borrow millions to repair/improve Maine’s roads, stating how important good transportation is to the state’s economy.

• The claim that Dirigo saved some $43 million is bogus. The governor should tell the rest of the story. A local small business CEO, whose company provides health insurance coverage, told me they paid an additional $10,000 in premiums last year. Obviously, he is very unhappy with Dirigo and Baldacci.

On one issue alone, however, Baldacci doesn’t deserve re-election. Under our Maine Constitution, the state’s budget must be balanced. That’s the law. Balancing the budget means that operating expenses must be covered by income, not income plus borrowed money.

Perhaps my comment on who else would vote for him is a little ambitious. I recently re-read an old saying: If you take from Peter to pay Paul, you can always depend on Paul’s support.

Marcel R. Morin, Lewiston