Letters

Published
October 5, 2015

Letter to the editor: Welfare for politicians between lines of Question 1

In preparation for voting on Nov. 3, I have been researching Question 1. The proposed referendum appears to have good intentions. After all, who wants Big Money in politics? And who doesn’t want to require transparency and increase penalties for violations? But beware, the devil is in the details. Not only does this proposal triple […]
Published
October 4, 2015

Letter to the editor: Gun-sale background checks would save lives

Re: Judi Richardson’s recent op-ed (“Maine Voices: A daughter’s death demands gun-sales change,” Sept. 6): I was so pleased to learn that Mainers will get the chance in November 2016 to vote up or down on a background-check ballot initiative. This is an important, lifesaving effort to close deadly loopholes in our gun laws that […]
Published
October 4, 2015

Letter to the editor: Using history as a guide, Republican Party is doomed

We are witnessing a unique phenomenon in U.S. political history repeating itself, and thanks to the ignorance of the American electorate, it will play itself out with the eventual demise of the Republican Party. I refer to the 1845 founding of the Know-Nothing Party, whose platform was to purify America by eliminating immigration by Irish […]
Published
October 4, 2015

Letter to the editor: Politics and Patriots show a civilization in decline

Why, as U.S. citizens, are we bombarded? Our baseball players can assault each other with 100-mph fastballs and bats. Hockey players can assault each other with sticks and razor-sharp skates. Football stars on steroids who weigh 350 pounds can paralyze each other. Soccer stars can incite riots that kill people. NASCAR drivers can operate 6,000-pound […]
Published
October 4, 2015

Letter to the editor: Protest of op-ed essay fails to value freedom of opinion

It is sad, frightening and hypocritical that emeritus college professor Bruce L. Rockwood chose to disparage the Press Herald for publishing an op-ed piece written by a spokesperson for the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (“Another View: Paper exercised poor judgment in running pro-gun rights op-ed,” Sept. 20). In the professor’s opinion, “It […]

Published
October 4, 2015

Letter to the editor: LePage, GOP candidates are an embarrassment

As a Republican, I am embarrassed and saddened by my party. At the state level, Gov. LePage remained silent when mental health patients were tasered rather than treated at the state psychiatric hospital. The care there was so poor it lost $20 million in federal funding. As the welfare system has become dysfunctional and broken, […]
Published
October 3, 2015

Letter to the editor: Brennan deserves second term based on character, record

Mayor Michael Brennan is one of the best people I know. And I know him well. We carpooled our kids to Hall School and served on the board of Boys to Men. He’s a caring and creative man, a social worker by profession – which helps explain his active concern for the homeless, the underpaid […]
Published
October 3, 2015

Letter to the editor: There are many reasons to defeat Question 2

Question 2 is poorly written, and we should vote no. Below are just two reasons to vote against this referendum. First, the ordinance requires a new task force, appointed solely by the mayor, to take up to three years to decide what areas of Portland should have their views protected. Second, this referendum also grants […]
Published
October 3, 2015

Letter to the editor: Brennan can’t take credit for gains by city schools

In a recent email titled, “Keeping promises,” Mayor Michael Brennan writes that when he entered office, there were two failing schools in Portland. Now, four years later, he writes, there are none. It’s true that Portland has made incredible strides in our educational system in the past four years. The turnaround in some of our […]
Published
October 3, 2015

Letter to the editor: Developers, not citizens, benefit from lax oversight

As an owner of historic properties, I can’t so much as replace an entry door without first having a plan and getting approval. Why, pray tell, has the city of Portland allowed the new owners of the historic Portland Company properties to get so far down the path without plans for reuse of the site? […]

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Letters