I think that I learned in 8th grade social studies class back in 1964 that the first thing you do as a politician or political group when you don’t have a clue, is form a study group to address the issues. Maine’s Governor John Baldacci has used executive order to create yet another task force to deal with issues involving land use.

According to the Portland Press Herald, this task force will have the honor of inventorying public lands and those in protected easements and figure out how we should use them ( kind of like how we’ve figured out how to use the Allagash Wilderness Waterway). The report also gives us an indication as to who will comprise this 16-member task force. Don’t hold your breath hoping this task force will be made up of any different players than we have all seen day after day.

The group’s 16 members will include recreational users, landowners and the heads of the Department of Conservation, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Land for Maine’s Future Program.

Yawn!! I know, I’m such a downer but please give me reason to believe that this task force made up of all the same players who can’t accomplish anything now, will accomplish anything tomorrow? I wish they could. What’s sad is that we need this task force at all. We have evolved into a society of special interest groups all fighting for our own interests while trampling on those of others.

I think Baldacci doesn’t know how to deal with any of this. He’s tried the secret negotiations while giving away half of Maine and so now he wants to be more transparent by forming a task force. If Baldacci is lucky, this newly formed task force will last longer than the Allagash Working Group and he can escape office in 2010 before he gets lynched.

But, I guess we can hold out hope that some good will come out of this order. Maybe some of the land preservationists will get involved and announce that they have decided to open their lands back up for public access and recreation.

I crack myself up sometimes.

Tom Remington