Re: Donna Williams’ March 29 letter to the editor (“Maine’s elected federal officials should help refugees in our state”):

Why should the federal government assume any responsibility for the refugees in our state? On the other hand, l don’t believe the State of Maine should pay for these people either.

Before our state accepts any more refugees who end up taking a check from Maine taxpayers (whether that check originates at the federal level or the state level – it’s all Maine citizens’ tax money), perhaps no one should enter our country without a sponsor to help him/her get started without asking Maine citizens to pay.

Maybe Ms. Williams would care to be one of those sponsors.

How is it that we just open the doors and allow people in without first figuring out how all of this is to be paid?

Regardless of what people think about our governor, Paul LePage, and his seemingly hard-nosed stance on certain issues, we sent him to Augusta to accomplish specific goals. One of those goals was to clean up the Department of Health and Human Services so that the cheats are removed to free up the money for those who are in real need.

That is not an easy task to accomplish without offending some people or groups.

Unfortunately, had the DHHS been run properly all along, none of this bitterness toward LePage would be necessary.

Carmine Castaldo

North Waterboro