I'm really tired of people trying to gut my home state of all the things that make it a place I like to call home.

I'll be voting "no" on Nov. 3 on both Questions 2 and 4. The passage of both will have severe consequences for Maine communities, and will hurt more than help in the long run; 68 percent of Mainers drive older cars (according to the Maine Revenue Services), which means any excise tax relief will only benefit a small portion of Mainers who can afford to drive cars 6 years old or newer.

Smaller towns with few services might be forced to raise taxes to maintain their roads; larger communities will be forced to make drastic cuts to services such as police, fire, community services (i.e.. parks and recreation, library services), and other programs some proponents of Questions 2 and 4 deem "fat" needing trimming.

Cuts to services in larger communities will have a ripple effect on citizens from the rural areas who utilize these services in service centers. They travel the roads policed by local police and supported by fire and EMS in case of an emergency, buy their groceries and support other businesses in the community, borrow items from the library, and travel back home. The passage of 2 and 4 will hurt our roads, our public safety, our libraries and all Maine citizens.

Sarah Schultz-Nielsen

Randolph