Announcement of Candidacy for U.S. Senate

My name is Eric Mehnert and I am announcing my candidacy as a Democrat for the United States Senate. This candidacy is about the core beliefs shared by Americans since the birth of our nation. It is about the direction that our country will take in the future. I do not believe that the current Administration shares our core beliefs. It is time for a change.

Maine People should be able to afford the basic necessities of heat for their homes and gas for their cars. I will not stand by while Wall Street Corporations and Oil Companies make obscene profits while Maine People struggle to heat their homes and drive to work. Instead of a sound Energy Policy addressing clean, environmentally friendly development policies, committing resources to renewable energy, this administration continues to reward its friends in "Big Oil" with wasteful Federal subsidies while ignoring the people of this Great Nation.

Maine People deserve an honest days wage for an honest days work. I will not stand by while their jobs are shipped overseas to boost Corporate Profits. Under the guise of "Free Trade", this Administration continues to reward its friends in "Big Business" while Maine workers suffer losses to their income and well-being.

The Maine Men and Women who serve in our Armed Forces deserve our loyalty and respect. They are prepared to give the last full measure to protect our freedoms. I will not stand by while their courage and dedication places them in harms way for a War based on false pretenses which does little to defend America but much to diminish its Stature and Prestige before our allies and the other members of the United Nations with whom we have pledged to work. We must have clearly defined military objectives for our troops and we must have an exit strategy to bring them home.

Our Mothers and Fathers who have worked all their lives and contributed to Social Security and Medicare should be secure in the knowledge that the promises they worked for in their youth will be honored in their maturity. I will not stand by while this Administration attempts to dismantle Social Security and Medicare providing for record profits to it friends in "Big HealthCare" at the same time, failing to provide necessary flu vaccinations for our most at risk citizens and limiting access to healthcare by those most in need of a "Safety Net".

I believe that the future of this nation rests on the Education of our Children. Their education must be about learning to think critically and creatively, not whether they can meet rote milestones set by politicians. I will not stand by while this Administration turns our schools into places where success is measured by the score of a standardized test overseen by Washington Bureaucrats without knowledge or appreciation for the input of our own professional Educators who have devoted their lives to the care and development of our children as modern scholars and good citizens.

I believe in Justice. I will not stand by while this Administration appoints Judges who vow that their interest is in the technical application of the law, rather than in seeing Justice done, and allows the promotion of a radical Republican agenda which is out of step with our Constitution and the will of the people.

No matter how much we admire our current Senators, the fact remains that they belong to the party which has led the Nation into our current crisis. Just last week, I listened to the Senate Majority Leader state that he expected that Ms. Miers would be confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice by all fifty-five Republican Senators. What he is saying is that no matter how much we in Maine like to believe that our Senators act independently, the fact is, they are being compelled by the current Administration to vote in a way which the Republican President dictates. The nation and this State, need, no demand, a Democratic Senator in office to critically weigh the actions of the Administration and ensure the rights of our Citizens are protected.

On Thursday, I heard Senator Snowe speak out that the Administration needed to do more to help Maine people get heat. I applaud her statement. Nonetheless, that same day she voted with Administration not to raise the minimum wage. It seems to me that if we have higher gas and heating oil prices, one of the ways to make it more affordable for the people is to raise their wages so that they can afford to pay for it rather than the Administrations current proposal to provide an additional "Massive Subsidy" to "Big Oil". It does not make a whole lot of sense to me to ask an Administration that has proven that it cannot cope with the day to day operations of our government to take care of finding some relief for the Maine people suffering from high fuel costs. Like Everyone in Maine, I have watched in dismay the feeble response of the Administration dealing with the most recent catastrophes. Maine simply can not afford to rely on this Administration and the Republican Majority in the Senate to do the right thing for our working class and small businesses.

I started by saying this is a campaign about beliefs. I am reminded of a sign you see as you cross over the bridge on I-95 coming into Maine. It says, "Maine, the way life should be." The question for the People of Maine is, as we look at our Government in Washington, is this the way things should be?

I do not believe it is and I am unwilling to stand by and ask why? We must move forward with new ideas, vision and energy to create our future. Bobby Kennedy said:
Some people see things the way they are, and ask why?
"Others see things the way they might be, and ask why not?"

The challenge for us today is to have the vision and energy to see things the way they should be and the courage and dedication to make it so.