Stick with Collins
As a resident of Maine’s Second Congressional District, I have not paid much attention to the activities of Tom Allen in the southern part of the state. But now that he wants to be my senator, I have checked out his web site.
He goes to great length describing the actions of the committees to which he has been assigned. But it is interesting that there are precious few bills that he has authored and none that have become law.
I think we should stick with Susan Collins who has a proven record of independence and accomplishment.
Nathaniel Bond
Glenburn
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Palin no redneck
Before anyone hangs the derogatory name “redneck” on Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, remember we all live in a PC world with social rules that even Democrats are not exempt from.
According to Wikipedia, rednecks are poor southern whites who did most of the fighting and dying on both sides of the Civil War. Poor southern whites stood to gain little from secession from the Union and were usually ambivalent about slavery. Although slaves fared far worse, many poor whites suffered a similar plight. African-Americans as well as whites found themselves living in severely impoverished conditions during and after the Civil War.
Rednecks, Wikipedia continues, have borne their share of this stereotype of lower-class southern whites, who share poverty status with immigrants, blacks and other minorities.
Daniel Haynes
East Machias
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Real family values
What a risky choice John McCain made in choosing Sarah Palin for vice president. Only minutes into her first speech to the nation she lied twice.
She told us that she said, “Thanks, but no thanks” to the $230 million for the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere.” Actually she was all for the pork until Congress killed the project. Then she said she was a reformer and would fight Washington lobbyists. Wrong! As mayor of Wasilla, a tiny town of 6,500, she hired her own Washington lobbyists to get $23 million worth of pork. That’s $3,538 worth of bacon per resident.
Before becoming the nominee she told a reporter that she didn’t know what the vice president did. Well, I know. Do you want the 18-month governor of the 48th least populated state breaking a tie vote in the Senate deciding to go to war with Russia or Iran? Do you want a far right conservative deciding to abolish a woman’s right to choose or whether sex education is taught in public schools?
Palin is currently embroiled in an ethics investigation in Alaska. And what kind of parent, wanting so badly her own 15 minutes of fame, exposes her 17-year-old child to the embarrassment of worldwide coverage of a very private and difficult time in her life? Instead of blaming the media, Sarah Palin should have said, “Thanks, but no thanks” to John McCain’s offer of vice president. That would have been real family values.
Vic Kraft
Bangor
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Collins collusion
It’s no surprise that Sen. Susan Collins’ television ads misrepresent Congressman Tom Allen’s record on workers’ rights. Collins has misled Mainers throughout her Senate tenure.
Collins continuously distorts her voting record, supporting President Bush 85 percent of the time, while her propaganda machine portrays her as moderate, centrist and independent — blatantly false contentions.
She has supported Bush’s disastrous war, voting repeatedly to fund that tragic, misadventure. She voted to confirm Bush appellate court nominees with long records of opposing Roe v. Wade while claiming to be pro-choice.
She voted to confirm Justices Alito and Roberts, proponents of radical right wing agendas, including the erosion of reproductive freedom and evisceration of the Bill of Rights. She consistently opposes the interests of the middle class, turning her back on citizens of Maine while pandering to her corporate supporters.
We desperately need to turn the page on the horrific failures of the Bush administration, to move towards our goal of peace and justice, not the continued erosion of civil liberties, trashing the Constitution, illegally detaining and torturing prisoners, tapping the phones of U.S. citizens and bankrupting our economy, which have taken place on Susan Collins’ watch with her collusion.
Government for the benefit of corporate interests and sustained by the politics of fear and deceit, must be replaced with one of integrity, representing and honoring ordinary hard working citizens. Defeating Susan Collins and electing Tom Allen to the Senate is crucial to achieving that goal.
Dan Lourie
Bar Harbor
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Rocks and hard places
Electioneering, as manifested in the campaign promises of the candidates, brings out the disingenuousness of professional politicians. One hopes that Maine voters aren’t really seduced by their propaganda. For example:
Collins wants us to believe that while she will reach across the aisle in a spirit of bipartisanship, she will nevertheless “fight” for lower gas prices, affordable health, secret ballots for union workers, etc. She doesn’t use the words “compromise,” “negotiate” or “argue” to describe the usual tactics used by a legislator. Instead, she promises to assume a pugilistic stance on those matters and then decries gridlock and polarized politics in Washington.
Allen offers a plan for solving our energy situation. Its elements reflect a government- centered approach which intimidates oil producers by removing tax incentives and forcing them to drill on existing leased land and provides heating oil subsidies to low income users. Apparently, he was unwilling to share his petroleum panacea with his House colleagues who were in the best position to help him implement his ideas. Instead, per the dictates of his Speaker, he voted to adjourn. Perhaps he believes that the mere act of electing him will bring his energy plan and all his other plans to fruition.
There are 535 members of Congress who collectively enjoy an approval rating of between 10 and 20 percent. Paradoxically, this lowly esteemed body re-elects over 95 percent of its incumbents. Seems like we Mainers are between the rock and the hard place in choosing a senator.
Ron Goldstone
Dexter
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Hillary, Palin ticket
Sarah Palin is a breath of fresh air and just what people have been asking for, for a long, long time. Now we will see if those who have been complaining will vote accordingly.
Sarah seems authentic because she is a product of the best of America, i.e. small town, down to earth, gutsy lady who has her head screwed on right!
Politics for her has been an avocation rather than a vocation which (contrary to Pat LaMarche), makes her different from Hillary but what they share in common is a love of country, a willingness to serve and a strength that comes from within.
My dream team is Hillary for president and Sarah for vice president.
Glennice Cline
Greenbush