Regardless of the details of the governor’s “secret” plan to put Maine “on the right track for the next 10 years,” the public and every member of the Legislature should be outraged by the governor’s view of the Legislature as nothing more than a rubber stamp for the executive.

Under the Maine Constitution, the Legislature, not the governor, is the policy-making branch of government, and the long tradition of our state is that the Legislature makes policy decisions through a thorough, deliberative and public process.

I believe the governor has badly misjudged the people of Maine if he believes he can hand the Legislature a divisive and apparently significant “secret” plan and expect them to pass it in one day without debate or public input.

Whatever the proposal, any legislator who chooses to simply rubber-stamp it on a party-line vote during a special session without any deliberative or public process does not understand the proper role of the Legislature as an independent branch of government and does not deserve re-election in November.

Patrick Norton

Freeport 

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Gov. LePage has continued to exemplify the broken nature of our political system. Gov. LePage brags to a room full of people that he is going to make the Democrats hate him. He speaks of a secret plan but refuses to elaborate.

What’s sad about this is that the governor is a person we should look up to and respect. We may not always agree with the person holding that position, but he or she is someone we look at and think to ourselves that they are somebody we would like our kids to grow up to be like.

Sadly, our governor, like a number of politicians, is stuck on dividing us and seeks out conflict. He is a bully. It seems he would rather push people than work with them.

As a small-business owner, I don’t look toward the state government for guidance, as I would not and do not behave that way. What has become clear to me is that if we want our community to improve, we need to band together.

The clients who I provide services to and the people who work with me are from all walks of life and I suspect have a wide range of social and political beliefs. We all band together to enhance our community.

If somebody needs assistance, our clients are more than generous with their time and money and our staff goes beyond the walls of our business to help.

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We do this because we believe that if we come together, help each other and listen to all, then we can make our commnity better.

It’s too bad our governor can’t figure this out and instead gets excited when he can divide us. Good luck, Gov. LePage. We no longer need you.

Frank Billings

Falmouth 

Do we have to wait until Gov. Le-Page informs us on the details of his latest big idea before starting to collect signatures for a people’s veto?

It sounds like he needs to be reminded that Maine is controlled by the people of Maine, not the Republican Party.

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Whatever he’s in such a hurry to push through before voters get a chance to restore some sanity to Augusta can’t be good for the people if he’s in such a hurry he can’t even tell us what it is.

John Marino

Brunswick

Fans urged to send message to clueless Red Sox owners 

Our home team is 29-34 at Fenway this year. It seems clear that dysfunctional management creates chaos in Boston, which has to affect results on the field. Ownership has given us a powerless general manager and an abrasive manager who was not allowed to pick his coaches.

We can do something! In 1993, James Orthwein threatened to move our Patriots to St. Louis, home of his Budweiser money. Someone organized a Bud boycott, and Anheuser-Busch beer sales plummeted in New England, one of its best markets. James sold the team to a season ticket holder named Bob Kraft in 1994.

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What can we do? We still want to go to the games. BUT, when at Fenway, we can stop buying food and yes, even beer, at the concessions.

We can stop buying products that advertise on Sox TV and radio, and let the companies know why. We can stop buying new hats and T-shirts, although wearing old ones will always be encouraged.

Our demand of ownership? Two choices:

(1) Give the GM a budget and get out of the way. You guys think you know baseball. You don’t. Why do you think Theo left? Why do you think Papelbon is in Philly? Say goodbye to Jacoby soon. We need a public commitment that you will let Ben, or the next GM, show us what he can do.

(2) Cash out. Sell the team. Great investment. Thanks for the two World Series titles. Can you imagine how good the Sox would be in five years if the Kraft family owned them?

Until then, we will spend no more than we have to spend in support of our boys on the field. Please share this movement with all your Sox fans. Thanks for caring.

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Chris Neagle

Cumberland 

Boy Scouts shouldn’t alter stance on gay troop leaders 

I’m sure we (older than age 50) agree that America is very sick. It’s not the country we all loved and would give our life for.

I’m tired of the people writing in to your newspaper saying that the Boy Scouts should apologize because they don’t believe in the attitude on homosexuality that society is trying to jam down our throats.

The Boy Scouts I joined 60 years ago believed in God and the Bible as they do today. Thank God for that.

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It’s time America gets back on track and put God back in our lives, where he should be. This country was a better place to live back in the ’40s and ’50s when God was ever-present in our lives. Amen.

Charles E. Aaskov

Lyman 

Caregiver sets poor example by not wearing her gloves 

I was shocked by the picture on the front page of Thursday’s Portland Press Herald.

I cannot believe a medical assistant would actively be wiping blood from an injection site without having on gloves. What was she thinking?

Gail Meyer

Portland

 


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