Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

December 13, 2012

Letters to the Editor: Letter dismisses humanity of the poor

(Continued from page 1)

I looked him straight in the eye and said, "Before Obama, your $100,000 CD returned $5,000-plus. Now you're lucky to receive $1,000. That looks like an 80 percent tax to me."

This is not George W. Bush's fault. I needed to say no more.

Nick Pappas

Cape Elizabeth 

As part of fiscal cliff deal, lawmakers must sacrifice 

Our old Congress is making one last gasp to attempt a compromise that will avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff."

Will the Bush tax cuts expire and taxes be raised and loopholes eliminated for those earning more than $250,000 per year?

Or will Congress try to balance the budget by cutting entitlements, such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare, etc., designed to benefit the middle and lower economic strata in our country?

Some sort of compromise must surely evolve, but in any case, taxes will increase for virtually all segments of our society as we dig out of this astronomical debt that confronts us.

The compromise is going to be painful for every segment of our society.

But to show the country that our elected representatives "feel our pain" and share our burden, wouldn't it be a stunning example of leadership to the country if this Congress, which so far has the worst reputation of any Congress in history, voluntarily agreed to reduce their own salaries and their own entitlements -- pensions, retirement benefits, medical plans and annual salary increases -- to indicate that Congress, too, is willing to sacrifice in the national interest?

Just this once, Congress should share the burden it imposes on others.

James Leamon

Casco 

Complaints by Gov. LePage echo those made about him 

Bill Nemitz's column ("Smile Guv! You're in public office!" Dec. 7) about Gov. LePage's grousing about being video-recorded at public events had a quote from the current governor that, quite ironically, had three words that seem to exemplify perfectly how Maine's chief executive himself frequently seems to come across:

" 'I think it's vulgar, I think it's vicious and I think it's vile to me and my family,' LePage snarled to a packed (and generally shocked) audience."

Maybe Gov. LePage will do the right thing, in view of his chances for re-election in 2014, and soon resign to spend some quality time at home, explore other interests, seek new opportunities, take on different challenges, etc. We can hope, anyway.

Robert Barter

Berwick 

Where there are ashes, there could be bucket fire 

Please pass on to the husband of the writer of the column "The bucket list -- not just for drywall anymore" (Maine Observer, Dec. 2) that placing ashes from a fireplace into a plastic bucket is an extremely dangerous practice. It wouldn't take much for a hole to be burnt through the bucket and ignite whatever is nearby.

Dan Page

South Portland 

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