Those of us who are lucky enough to earn enough money to support our families and ourselves, are usually responsible enough to have a roof over our heads. And under that roof is usually a mattress to provide comfort and security. Those of us who are lucky enough to have extra money but lack foresight, stash it under the mattress and watch its value erode due to inflation. But those of us who are lucky and forward thinking choose to put that money to work for our futures. We invest in education, job training, healthy diets, home maintenance, means of transportation, our healthcare, and our communities. Forward thinkers build a better future for themselves and for those they care for.

Maine’s current governing bodies are not forward thinking; they are stashing our surplus dollars under the proverbial mattress instead of putting them to work for the future of Maine. We can help change this self-defeating behavior by electing state representatives with the foresight to invest in infrastructure this November. Bill Pluecker is running in House District 95 to get the money out from under the mattress and invested in the infrastructure of our future.

One of the infrastructure areas Pluecker will target is access to high-speed Internet. He approaches this subject with the lessons learned from running his family farm in Union. Over 13 years, his connection has gone from dial-up, to strained DSL, to cable. As his connection speed increased, running his farm-based business became increasingly efficient. The less time he spent trying to fill or place orders online, the more time he spent farming, being a husband and father, and being involved in the community.

Think of all the other businesses in Maine that would benefit from faster, more reliable Internet. Think of all the businesses that might relocate to Maine if the connection was better. Think of all the young people who might stay in Maine or move to Maine to work remotely, if Internet access was fast, reliable, and affordable everywhere in Maine. Think of all those businesses and young folks working to make Maine’s economy better for all Mainers. Think investing in statewide high-speed Internet is worth it?

We do, we’re voting for Maine to take the money out from under the mattress and invest it in the future.

Barbara and Rudy Karp live in Hope

We’re voting for independent thinking, forward thinking Bill Pluecker for State Representative, House District 95. We encourage you to think positive and do the same.

Barbara and Rudy Karp

Hope, Maine