Letters

Published
January 17, 2019

Letter to the editor: Column condemns Democratic incivility, but glosses over Trump’s vitriol

In his Jan. 11 commentary, Mike Thibodeau rightly criticizes the declining level of political discourse in America. The former legislator’s one-sided description of the issue, however, greatly undercuts the impact of his argument. Thibodeau focuses on a single crude comment by newly elected U.S. House member Rashida Tlaib toward President Trump, then admonishes Speaker Nancy […]
Published
January 16, 2019

Letter to the editor: Early child education treated as magic bullet

In a recent op-ed (Maine Voices, Jan. 12), Kevin Joyce (Cumberland County sheriff and president of the Maine Sheriffs Association) and Richard LaHaye (Searsport chief of police and president of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association) make the argument that early childhood education will result in lower crime rates. As they put it: “It’s up […]
Published
January 16, 2019

Letter to the editor: Amid shutdown, mortgage industry gets help denied to federal workers

Today I learned (“Mortgage industry gets relief from the shutdown,” Jan. 12, Page A7) that the $1.3 trillion mortgage industry (2,300 mortgage companies, brokers, commercial banks and other financial institutions) is more “essential” than 800,000 federal employees, including Transportation Security Administration agents and air-traffic controllers (“TSA begins closing handful of checkpoints,” Jan. 12, Page A7). […]
Published
January 16, 2019

Letter to the editor: President Trump should foot the bill for wall

It seems silly to ask Mexico or American taxpayers for billions to fund the barrier when a billionaire resides in the Oval Office.
Published
January 16, 2019

Letter to the editor: Use Portland’s working waterfront to help form balanced economy

Let’s look at Portland’s working-waterfront development moratorium impartially. Essentially, this comes down to prioritizing maritime industry versus hospitality on our shores. But we can’t forget that our urban planning vision plays a huge part in this overall plan. The maritime community needs this space to support their livelihood, and the hospitality sector needs it for […]

Published
January 16, 2019

Letter to the editor: Sen. Collins blindly acquiesces to Mitch McConnell

I am responding to Sen. Susan Collins’ recent statements on the newest crisis, the wall and government shutdown – her responses to which remain consistent with her behavior of these past two years. In 2014, I voted for Collins, my first and last vote for a Republican. She tactfully wears the mantle of “moderate” Republican […]
Published
January 15, 2019

Letter to the editor: South Portland council should keep two public comment periods at meetings

As residents of South Portland and former South Portland city councilors, Tom Blake, Rosemarie De Angelis, Louie Maietta and I have collectively spent thousands of hours in council chambers: as residents speaking to our councilors at the lectern, and as councilors listening to residents as they shared their concerns with us. We appreciate the desire […]
Published
January 15, 2019

Letter to the editor: Listen to Gen. Patton on the wisdom of ‘fixed fortifications’ with walls

Unlike the more sane among us, I can’t help but dwell on this “wall” thing. I’ve heard all the arguments for and against. It gets complicated! Maybe it’s as simple as George Patton said over 70 years ago (he was arguably our best battlefield general). He said: “Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity […]
Published
January 15, 2019

Letter to the editor: Today’s leaders in need of some ancient wisdom on immigrants, wall

In his essay “On the Education of Children,” the 16th-century essayist and philosopher Michel de Montaigne offers insights applicable to today’s bluster and debate about immigrants and Donald Trump’s wall. First, there’s this: “Obstinacy and contentiousness are low qualities, generally to be found in the meanest minds.” And, shortly thereafter, we find the following: “When […]
Published
January 15, 2019

Letter to the editor: Time for Congress to drop political selfishness and serve country

One thing it could do to try to end the government shutdown: Pass a veto-proof budget for everything but border security, then work out a compromise on that.

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Letters