Brunswick Residents Denied Voice

I’m very concerned and deeply disappointed that Council leadership made the unfortunate and unfair decision not to allow public comment at the Train Workshop on November 14.

Denying Brunswick citizens the opportunity speak on this longstanding issue in “the interest of time” was just wrong. Many Council meetings run until 11 pm with time for public comment and packed agendas. It’s ironic that in this instance, those impacted by train activity, not just noise, were only permitted to submit written questions to the Town Manager. These folks have waited since May to be heard. Since when does time take precedent over a fair process?

I’m sure took some planning to convene the impressive panel of rail road officials who had all the time they needed to share information regarding rules and regulations, which I understand are often in the interest of public safety. But the people who live with the day to day impact of railroad activity, were denied the right to speak. This is an affront to the democratic process.

I admire and respect Councilors Millett and Brayman for representing their constituents and asking questions on their behalf. They were clear and strong and did their best, but there is nothing that substitutes for an honest exchange between parties that represent different points of view; where questions can be asked and answers provided and responded to.

I would think the Council would have been up to the task of seeing that this was the process that took place on Tuesday evening. One has to wonder why not?

Mary Heath,
Brunswick

Tax Bill a Disaster for Mainers

The tax bill currently snaking its way through the House and Senate is a disaster in the making for Maine. It will benefit only the very richest Mainers, and will hurt most the poorest and least fortunate among us. It will only accelerate the widening gap between rich and poor.

According to the non-partisan Tax Policy Center, over the next decade, nearly 80 percent of the benefits will go to the top 1 percent of all households, and 40 percent to the top one-tenth of 1 percent. To pay for these windfalls to the ultra-wealthy, the many cuts that will hurt Maine’s youth, seniors, and the poor include:

• $1 trillion from Medicaid;

• $473 billion from Medicare;

• $100 billion from Pell Grants and student financial assistance programs;

• $6.5 billion from the Women, Infants, and Children program;

• $4 billion from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Other changes that will harm Mainers include the elimination of:

• Deduction for state and local taxes;

• Medical expenses deduction, which is used mostly by middle and lower income taxpayers with catastrophic health care costs;

• Mandatory participation in insurance markets under the Affordable Care Act, which will result in higher health insurance premiums and the collapse of the individual health insurance market.

It includes a tax bracket indexing to a standard that grows less quickly than inflation, thus pushing people over time into higher brackets, even if their wages do not rise.

The provision to make the tax breaks for individuals temporary is a gimmick to keep the bill within “budget reconciliation” guidelines. Taxpayers will be devastated when they are faced with a sudden, sharp increase to their federal taxes in 2025 to pay for permanent cuts for wealthy business owners.

This tax bill is a scam whose real purpose is to reward Republican party donors through a huge gift (to “passive” business owners such as president Trump and several members of his cabinet), elimination of the Alternative Minimum Tax and the estate tax, and, laughably, lower taxes on storing and staffing private jets. Senators King and Collins should vote against it.

Peter Simmons, Brunswick