The Portland Press Herald got it right on the Sept. 7 front page: “Obama: ‘I’ll get us to a better place.'” Gee, isn’t that what religious people say when someone dies? “He’s in a better place now.” And Obama’s just the person to carry out the execution.

Obama finally got something right, too — in the caption under the photo, he is quoted as saying the choice between him and Mitt Romney represents the clearest in a generation, a choice between sharply contrasting visions and political philosophies.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Russell Frank

Gorham

This is my take on the problems on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.:

The Republican-led House of Representatives has sent approximately 30 bills to the Democratic-led Senate for discussion or vote.

Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid will not bring any of them up for a “yea” or “nay” vote. If one might pass that the president didn’t like and vetoed it, it might make the Democrats look bad. This is why we need to elect Republican senators — to have control of the Senate to stop the gridlock.

It is a law that Congress must pass a budget by April 15. The House has done it, but the Senate hasn’t passed one since April 2009. So why is all of Congress to blame for gridlock on Capitol Hill?

In Maine, we need to elect Charlie Summers to the U.S. Senate. Angus King is a Democrat in disguise. His picture on the front page of the Portland Press Herald supporting President Obama tells it all.

We in Maine also need to elect Kevin Raye and Jon Courtney to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Now I have a question:

What did former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush, with a Democratic-led House and Senate, do to create their recessions?

Why is it that Democrats don’t want a balanced budget or a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution? Perhaps the tea “taxed enough already” party can help get it done. If the mainstream media were like Fox News, it would get done.

Erwin McAllister Sr.

Fryeburg

Angus King’s contention that the so-called “debt crisis” should be a “top priority” of the next U.S. Congress is similar to a physician advising a patient experiencing a serious heart attack in the ER ward that “he really should get that ulcer looked at.”

The immediate crisis — and it is ongoing and the worst since the Depression — facing the U.S. is lack of employment opportunities.

The second major crisis, connected to the employment crisis, is the startlingly high amount of people “underwater,” or nearly underwater, on their mortgages.

In both cases, the “solutions” conjured up by the Simpson-Bowles Commission will serve the same purpose as bleeding a patient in hopes of curing them did centuries ago.

That said, it must be acknowledged that rumors in the media seem to indicate a growing consensus about instituting something based, roughly, on Simpson-Bowles. How, one might ask, can we oppose a “consensus” of the top leaders in our nation? Have we forgotten so soon?

Look at the members of the commission. Look closely at their records. See how many of this group of “wise men and women” were aggressive, enthusiastic supporters of financial deregulation in the late 1990s. See how many members of the commission voted to repeal the Glass-Steagall Act.

See how many commission members voted for the Iraq war. See how many voted for the contrived budget gimmicks that put off paying for the Iraq war and the Afghan war.

See how many voted, time and time, and time again, for tax cuts at the precise moment the nation was engaged in two wars.

And as you look, recall, for the most part, these exact same elite are back to share their “wisdom” with us again. This is the group Angus King lies down with.

Molly Stanley

Cape Elizabeth

Gay people have chosen an immoral lifestyle that defies nature in every way, shape and form. They already have the same rights we have — to find a partner of the opposite sex and get married — but they choose not to. Gays want us to accept their immoral lifestyle by allowing them to marry, which is nothing more than legalized immorality

I’ll be the first to agree that there are people who are born with an abnormal attraction to the same sex. This in and of itself does not make them gay any more than someone who’s born with an attraction to setting fires is an arsonist.

It’s when that person chooses to cross the line, meaning they’ve acted on their unhealthy desire, that makes them gay — or an arsonist.

Gays try to sugar-coat their lifestyle and want people to believe it’s all about love, but I’m telling you they just want us to condone their immoral lifestyle.

We all need to come together to help preserve the sanctity of marriage. Please vote “no” on Question 1.

Alan Sturtevant

Oakland

With the elections less than two months away and political propaganda abounding, Mitt Romney and the Republicans are criticizing President Obama for the mess we are in. 

They would have us believe that they have resolutions to our problems; problems that they themselves created. They point to the deficits and our national debt.

But I ask, where were they when Vice President Dick Cheney told them not to worry about deficits? 

Where were they when we started two unfunded wars? 

Where were they during the entire Bush administration?

When President Clinton left office, he handed the Bush administration a half-trillion-dollar surplus, and our debt was $5 trillion. Enter the Bush tax cuts on the very wealthy, and the first of 12 years of deficits. 

During the primary debates, Ron Paul stated that the two unfunded wars have cost this country $4 trillion: 25 percent of our national debt. 

Who has benefited from these two wars? Certainly not the lower classes of our society.

The top tax rate after World War II was 93 percent, after the Korean War 84 percent and after Vietnam it was 74 percent — two to three times more than the current rate of 35 percent, just to pay for those wars. 

President Eisenhower warned us 60 years ago that the thing that might bring this country down is the military-industrial complex.

The Bush tax cuts have not helped the average American; they’ve only enriched the pockets of the top 1 percent and added to our credit card (China).  

Since the Bush tax cuts, the top 1 percent now take in 25 percent of all income in this country.

The Republican Party has done everything in its power to make Obama a one-term president. It has done nothing to help us out of this economic crisis. Recently, the years 2000 to 2010 were described in a Pew Research Center report as “The Lost Decade of the Middle Class.”   

Mitt Romney and the Republicans would have us continue down this same path that they started. 

We need to wake up.

Peter N. Greene

Buxton

A Republican political action committee, Maine Freedom, is spending big money to support Cynthia Dill’s U.S. Senate campaign. They only mention Cynthia Dill and Angus King in the TV ads and don’t even mention Charlie Summers, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate. Guess they don’t like Charlie either.

As usual, these PACs think Maine voters are stupid; however, we know the two-party system is not working and in November, we will send independent Angus King to Washington.

David Crockett

Augusta

I’ve known Angus King for more than 25 years. He is a successful businessman, very intelligent, one of Maine’s most popular governors and an all-around good man.

In my not-so-humble opinion, he is the best of the lot to send to Washington. If anyone can break the logjam there, it is he.

Kendall Morse

Scarborough

As I was listening to the recent senatorial debates, I was struck by both Charlie Summers’ and Angus King’s take on the problems in Washington.

King is running as a bipartisan, Summers believes that Washington is leaderless. As Summers stated, “What is needed is someone who stands for something.”

On June 14, anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist congratulated Summers for his primary victory and for making a written commitment to the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. How can a person represent his constituency and Grover Norquist?

Maine has a proud tradition of sending far-sighted, bipartisan representatives to Washington. I hope that the tradition of bipartisanship continues with the election of Angus King.

Both taxes and revenues need to be part of this country’s fiscal solution. That Summers supports the Taxpayer Protection Pledge means that he is not an independent voice for Maine or this country. This country cannot afford four more years of fiscal gridlock.

Tim Lewis

Freeport

Regarding the gay marriage referendum, as someone who grew up studying the Bible as a Southern Baptist, I would like to remind people of Jesus’ second-highest commandment (after loving God — Mark 12:28-31): “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

I would also point out that while Jesus did not say anything about homosexuality, he did have a lot to say about the religious hypocrites of his day (the self-righteous Pharisees) who did not practice this commandment — and none of it was very good!

Gay people, like other people, want to be treated fairly and with respect.

How would you feel if you were forbidden by law from marrying the person you love and want to spend the rest of your life with?

Imagine if your family had to pay thousands of dollars more in taxes than other families and if you were barred from visiting your life partner in the hospital when he is dying because the law does not recognize your relationship.

How would you feel if people who don’t even know you publicly condemned you as a bad person who should not be allowed to have a family?

Supporting such laws and beliefs is the opposite of loving thy neighbor as thyself. Such religious hypocrisy was practiced by mainstream religious groups during Jesus’ time on earth, and so it is today.

It is our choice on Nov. 6 whether we honor Jesus’ words of wisdom and compassion or we side with the Pharisees of our time who clearly do not.

Donna Senkbeil

South Portland