There has been a spate of letters to the editor recently on General Assistance in Portland.

Some deride Gov. LePage for the rule changes he wants to make with General Assistance (“Let’s keep America’s arms open to all,” March 16; “Immigrants of any faith not welcome under LePage,” March 25; “Harsh cuts to services reflect poorly on Maine,” March 30).

This criticism is misguided. The governor is attempting to correct an unfair situation where Portland, with only 5 percent of Maine’s population, receives 63 percent of General Assistance reimbursements (“Portland officials defend aid for homeless, vow to address concerns,” Feb. 27).

As a Bridgton resident, I bitterly resent supporting such profligacy through my tax payments. We have our own needs here in Bridgton.

Some sanity has recently been brought to the discussion by a letter writer asking why our congressional delegation has not been heard from (“Maine’s elected federal officials should help refugees in our state,” March 29).

Between the preening, posturing and posing for photo ops, you might think our delegation could make time to help on this issue, as it is a federal program; one more example of the incompetent neglect of the Washington, D.C., cabal of politicians, advocates and corporate lobbyists.

Bob Casimiro

Bridgton

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