As much as we hate change, Maine citizens walked into the polls last November and flushed. After decades of Democratic dominance in this great state, it had become painfully clear to the majority that fiscal and social incompetence could no longer be tolerated.

Last in this, last in that, we’d become the little engine that couldn’t. Like the kid who’s been given everything he ever wanted, we knew in our gut that Maine’s potential was being stunted.

So we took a deep breath and elected a no-nonsense working man who believed in collective self-reliance, fiscal responsibility and standing firm in the face of those who would guard the status quo.

Now we’re hearing alarms from those who live and die with the expectation of government largesse. They are the ones who would have you believe we’re now marching the masses right off the cliff. The ones who think that without a well-funded program, a Maine citizen is incapable of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Those who voted for change should find this kind of hysteria comforting, because of what it means. It means the change is real.

It means we’re not going to get everything we point to as we walk through the mall. It means there’s someone saying, “Not now. Maybe if you work hard, we’ll think about it.”

After three decades of irresponsibility, tantrums are to be expected.

We have a governor who got elected for what he said he’d do, and he’s proceeding to do just that. In the years to come, we’ll be better for it. Then like the kid who disliked the discipline growing up, Maine can look back and appreciate a man who had our best interest at heart and like many last November, wasn’t afraid to flush.

Brian Heath

Hallowell