As a taxpaying citizen of this country, I am concerned about the misinformation and bullying by corporations occurring here in Maine and across America.

The new, taxpayer-funded “smart grid” upgrade and associated “smart meter” technologies are under-studied, unproven to be safe or secure and have demonstrated safety issues in many cases (contrary to the information provided by private utility companies).

In addition, I’m not convinced CMP actually sent letters of notice — which they had publicly promised many times — to inform all customers of their individual rights to opt-out of the dangerous new technology.

Most disconcertingly, the fees they are imposing for opting out amount to nothing more than extortion.

These new “smart meters” cause fires, ruin appliances, put personal and national security at risk and pose health threats, as recently concluded by the World Health Organization and many scientists.

This country is a democracy, by and for the people, not corporations. As citizens of this free country, we have the right to be informed, and the right to choose.

We all must stand up for the rights upon which America was founded and say “no” to this unsafe technology before it’s too late.

Joanna Reese, Oxford