Earlier this month, a settlement was reached by the state of Maine with our USDA, via Gov. Mills, Attorney General Frey and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. Reaching a settlement in such lawsuits is an achievement.

What if our governor and attorney general followed our state motto via their words after this settlement was reached?

According to the news report, the governor’s words were “…the USDA has backed down … and … we did see him in court, and we won.” I don’t always agree with Gov. Mills. Yet, she received my vote for governor when she last ran. She speaks about Dirigo as a way of life and a challenge to us as we live our lives in Maine and America.

What if she and Mr. Frey used words similar to these: “We don’t agree with actions and rulings by USDA Secretary Rollins, yet we offer our gratitude to her for reaching this settlement with the state of Maine, which will allow us to better serve our citizens and their families, who are also American citizens.”

What if our state leaders actively removed their sharp edges in replies to opposing political leaders? What if this started a truly more civil tone and began to “lead” (Dirigo) other politicians to see each other as fellow Americans?

Do we teach our children to bite back when someone bites first? Or do we teach them to rise above and be a better person?

Roy Smoot
Kennebunk