Palin a prudent choice
Interesting how quickly the tide in America can change. Unfortunately, we are seeing continued doubled standards with the left and the mainstream media, which are increasingly more like one.
The attacks were not long in the making: “Gov. Palin lacks experience. She lacks Washington experience. Can she handle a family and the duties of vice president? What about her foreign policy and the vetting process?” She has more executive experience than the Democratic nominee for president. She is not running for that job. What does a community organizer know about foreign policy? Congress has the lowest-ever approval rating at 18 percent. Why would we want more people from there?
Democrats are scared, and they should be. McCain made a very prudent choice in his selection of a running mate. Not because she is a woman, but because she is a hardworking, blue-collar woman, who believes in fundamental Christian values. The same Christian values this country was founded on, a fact that some would like you to forget.
The candidate of “change,” who has the shortest resume of any serious presidential candidate in the history of the United States, just found out what real change looks like. “Change” is wearing high heels and looks like a pit bull wearing lipstick, and she just energized the Republican Party in a big way. Quite frankly, she made me proud to be a Republican for the first time in many years.
Joel West
Dedham
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Looting U.S. Treasury
It is interesting to note that two Maine airports, Augusta and Hancock County, received federal grants through the airport trust fund to improve commuter service. The airport trust fund is designed to improve air transport with dollars from airplane fuel taxes.
It is also noteworthy that two similar airports, Hyannis and Nantucket, also got $5 million each for tower improvements. This was 10 times the Maine grant, but was obtained by Sens. Kerry and Kennedy through earmarks.
Earmarks are one of the many things terribly wrong with Washington today. They are means through which politicians can give money to their favorite contributors, of course getting PAC money in return. Both Republicans and Democrats participate in this looting of the federal treasury. This ensures incumbents an easy way to raise money and perpetuate their tenure.
A few congressmen like Jeff Flake of Arizona have tried to end this practice but to no avail. The Democrats in their last campaign to unseat the GOP also promised this, but Nancy Pelosi and Tom Bonior put an effective end to that attempt.
John McCain has come out firmly against this budget-busting habit, but don’t expect anything of the kind from Barack Obama if he is elected. He refuses to change this practice. He may be campaigning for change in Washington, but don’t rely on him to reform greed and politics as usual.
Owen Sear
East Machias
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Four more years
Four more years
According to the BDN’s bold headline on the Sept. 5 front page, John McCain told an enthusiastic Republican convention that “change is coming.” How fickle he is. For 26 years Sen. McCain has been a Washington insider. For the last eight he has been a loyal supporter of the current administration.
And if those convention delegates are so interested in change, where were they and where was Susan Collins when Bush-Cheney led the attack on our Constitution, on women’s rights, on the poor? Where were they when the rich were rewarded with enormous tax cuts? When other countries began to come to grips with global warming? When scientists were ignored? When torture became acceptable? When returning soldiers were unable to get appropriate care for their physical and emotional wounds?
Instead of “change is coming,” a more honest caption would have warned us of the danger of “four more years.”
Jerome Nadelhaft
Bangor
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Collins cares
I am a physician who interprets images from X-rays, mammograms, CAT scans, MRIs, plus other imaging modalities. What does this have to do with Susan Collins?
Maine continues to experience a severe shortage in radiology technologists whose job is to obtain these images for diagnostic uses. Susan responded to the crisis by obtaining federal seed money for Kennebec Valley Community College to launch a two-year training program required to work as a certified and licensed radiology technologist.
Sen. Collins’ fine work has helped ease the shortage. I want to thank her on behalf of Maine physicians who specialize in medical imaging and anyone who has needed outpatient imaging or care in our hospitals.
I hope she can continue to improve the health of all Mainers through her diligence and attention to important health care issues. She has my vote in November.
Bob Walker
Lincolnville
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Won’t get fooled again
Tom Oliphant of the Boston Globe once said the American electorate is a fool in the sense that it can readily be hoodwinked. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
Are we, the American electorate, on the verge of being duped again by the Republican Party? If so, the sham promulgated by the GOP would certainly reflect badly on the voters and make us the laughing stock of the world.
The Republicans would have us believe that they are now the agents of change. Isn’t this a cynical usurpation of the central theme of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign? At least they tacitly acknowledge that the past eight years, with their party in charge of all branches of government, have been a disaster.
If John McCain had really wanted to change things in Washington, he had everything set up for altering our federal government: Republican president, Republican control of the Congress from 2006 to 2008, and a Republican Supreme Court.
However, except for a few token collaborations with Democratic senators, McCain has carried the water for George W. Bush, voting with him 90 percent of the time. He has supported the totally unnecessary war on Iraq from the beginning, favors tax cuts for the rich, and opposes anything similar to universal health care.
Would you put the fox in charge of protecting the chicken coop?
That’s exactly what we would be doing if we elect the McCain-Palin ticket.
Ross Paradis
Frenchville
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Republicans sneer
John McCain can’t remember how many houses he owns and thinks that anyone making less than $5 million a year is not rich. No wonder he and his running mate don’t know what a community organizer is; They’ve probably never met one.
We heard a lot about the Vietnam War and Sept. 11 during the Republican convention, but precious little about the issues currently challenging ordinary Americans, like employment, health care, housing and heat for the winter. These are the things that community organizers concern themselves with. How sad that the Republicans think citizen initiative is something to be sneered at.
Susan Guare
Bangor