Letters

Published
June 19, 2015

Letter to the editor: Asylum seekers are here legally, and merit our help

Maine’s asylum seekers have found themselves in the center of a controversy about welfare reform. Asylum seekers are not illegal immigrants. They are legally in the U.S. and usually come from horrific circumstances involving rape, beatings and murder. They are in a no man’s land – they cannot go back to their home countries and […]
Published
June 19, 2015

Letter to the editor: Contact with Maine’s natural beauty could cool LePage’s rage

There are several things in this life that make me happy. For instance, last week I constructed a raised bed. Admittedly, I’m not handy; however, I derived a joyous self-satisfaction from my work. I then watched a sparrow fly by with a twig in its mouth. I thought, “Who’s happier? That bird is constructing its […]
Published
June 19, 2015

Letter to the editor: Long Creek Youth Development Center excels in another evaluation

As a longtime mentor at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, l would like you and your readers to be aware of a newsworthy event that occurred at Long Creek recently. Two weeks ago, the American Correctional Association conducted an inspection and evaluation of Long Creek, as it does every three years. […]
Published
June 19, 2015

Letter to the editor: Reminders for those who harvest their own shellfish in Maine

Summer is the season that Mainers and visitors enjoy delicious, locally harvested shellfish such as clams, oysters and mussels. Ensuring that everyone can enjoy these Maine delicacies in good health is the responsibility of the Maine Department of Marine Resources’ Public Health Bureau. Following is some important information for folks who buy or harvest Maine […]
Published
June 18, 2015

Letter to the editor: Two-way traffic seems like double-trouble for city

Even though I disagree with the resulting recommendation of the State and High Streets Public Advisory Committee (“Two-way traffic urged for Portland’s State and High streets,” June 9), I appreciate all the work they have done to ensure that it “would be feasible” to return State and High streets to two-way traffic. The advisory committee […]

Published
June 18, 2015

Letter to the editor: Out-of-towner’s input presumptuous, out of line

Cape Elizabeth resident Donald Rudalevige (“Letter to the editor: Two-way traffic plan costly, absurd,” June 13) says that closing Portland’s overflow shelter for the homeless and ending General Assistance payments for asylum seekers would be “unconscionable acts.” I am always amazed at the letter writers who do not live and pay taxes in the city, […]
Published
June 18, 2015

Letter to the editor: Repave rather than reconfigure Portland streets

Before the City Council spends one penny of the proposed $3.2 million on making it a nightmare to get from one side of the city to the other, and solving a problem that doesn’t exist, I strongly recommend that it spends money to repave the following streets: • Market from Fore to Middle. • Middle from […]
Published
June 18, 2015

Letter to the editor: Fee on carbon emissions would be bargain for world

The New York Times published an editorial June 6 announcing the “welcome development” that six large European gas and oil companies are asking for a fee to be placed on carbon emissions. The oil companies want “an efficient and predictable policy to limit greenhouse gas emissions because they realize that something must be done.” A […]
Published
June 18, 2015

Letter to the editor: Maine should not follow Kansas’ example

In 2012, Sam Brownback, the Republican governor of Kansas, and that state’s Republican-majority Legislature enacted sweeping tax cuts, following the trickle-down theory that if wealthy individuals and large corporations paid almost no taxes at all, Kansas’ economy would magically expand to replace the lost revenue. Fast forward three years to 2015: The economy and the […]
Published
June 17, 2015

Letter to the editor: Let’s vote to expand income tax if we vote to eliminate it

Gov. LePage wants the proposal to ax the income tax to be put to a public vote. Let’s do him one better. The Heritage Foundation and the American Legislative Exchange Council promote the identical tax policy. The sophomoric book “An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of States” attempts to justify their […]

Sign In:

Letters