LePage support
To all those who are so incensed by Gov. LePage calling state middle management corrupt; speaking from firsthand experience, I would say that Gov. LePage called it like it is.
There is a large group of us who were contracted by the state to provide care services to our most vulnerable citizens, and when advocating for those we were responsible for, we became the recipients of disrespect, bullying and egregious abuses of power from our middle-management boss.
He used his contacts with other middle managers to put liens on our homes, have us audited, provide false information and harass us in various other ways. And guess what? Gov. LePage has done something about these “corrupt middle managers” who have tainted the reputations of the honest and respecting other middle managers. With the help of his appointee Mary Mayhew, he has eliminated their positions, persuaded others into retirement, and is cleaning house as well as he can, given his restraints.
As Karl Ward stated in his OpEd, Gov. LePage walked into a mess that was polished over with political rhetoric for so long that it is almost impossible to clean up. So Gov. LePage is a little “Archie Bunker”-ish. We don’t like everything about everyone and I, for one, like a lot of what Gov. LePage is doing to make a difference in our state and can thus overlook his foot often landing in his mouth! So I know who I’ll be voting for — and I’m not even a Republican!
Alice Duston
Cherryfield
Syrian silence
Hamza al-Khatib would have been 14 this week. He disappeared from a peaceful protest, returned to his family, dead. Videos show his severely bloated and bruised body as a result of severe torture. He had broken bones and gunshot wounds — shot into his body as a method of torture. His jaw and knee caps had been smashed and he had cigarette burns all over his body. His genitals were cut off and he had been beaten with a cable and electrocuted.
The Syrian government denies that there were any signs of torture as they have with thousands of others. They claimed his body was just “naturally decomposing.” Over 14,000 men, women and children have been massacred by the government. Soccer stadiums have been transformed into prisons for torture. Today, over 100,000 brave Syrians have been detained for their call to freedom.
Bashar al-Assad and his Baath regime will only continue to kill with the complete support of China and Russia. All forms of diplomatic efforts have been exhausted, including efforts from the United Nations, Turkey and the Arab League. Syrians have asked to be allowed to stand for their right for freedom and democracy against this brutal regime. The United States must allow the allies of the Syrian people to provide logistical support and arms for the Free Syrian army before more innocent civilians are killed. The Baath regime is known for its crimes against humanity and will continue to do so unabated. Every day brave Syrians take to the streets, many with a message: “Your silence is killing us.”
Jenan Jondy
Hampden
East-west idea
I feel the east-west highway is not a good idea. I feel the most economical means would be a railway across the state. If it included passenger service, all the better. I do not believe building a road for truckers is for the trucking industry. It appears it is a means of transporting chemicals, oils, etc., in a pipeline to cross our watersheds, pristine lakes, ponds and woods.
If any product is so vital that it cannot get from one destination to another in one day of driving, then why not fly it across the state?
Gary Watson
Bangor
System in crisis
Thank you for shining light on the critical issue of waiting lists for hundreds of adults with autism and developmental disabilities across the state (April 21, 2012). It is particularly disconcerting that the lead agency for this population has to place their clients into crisis beds, with strangers, as a way of providing care. Seemingly, the system is in crisis, but clients should not need to be placed in crisis, in order to access programs that provide for their safety, well-being and personal growth.
It is appalling that hundreds of our most vulnerable residents do not have access to the supports they need to work toward their potential. Many could lead very productive lives, given proper programming. Instead, they sit at home, in front of TV or a computer, often unsupervised. They have no opportunities to practice the skills they learned in school, they become more isolated, and their behaviors become entrenched and decline to the point where their caregivers burn out.
This week (May 14, 2012) we learned that one in three young adults with autism have no paid job experience or education nearly seven years after graduation. Furthermore, approximately half a million children with autism will reach adulthood in the next decade. Gov. LePage ran on a platform of care for our society’s most vulnerable people. It is now a matter of urgency for policymakers to assist these young people and their families by providing the resources they need to be productive citizens of Maine.
David Sawyer
Brewer
Fuel addiction
We live in a world that has become addicted to fossil fuels. We seem to think we can continue to take natural resources out of the earth indefinitely without any harm. That is the real reason for the proposed east-west corridor. The big corporations with big money want more money and think the way to get it is to send natural gas which is being fracked out of the ground in Quebec to countries that are hungry for more using a short cut through Maine. It will make the development of these fracking fields more economical for Irving and others. They don’t even plan to sell it here!
Furthermore, with an enormous corridor like that they can build pipelines for tar sands, which are known to be the dirtiest form of oil ever produced and which are the most toxic when spilled. Maine is a beautiful place with a quality of life that depends on its clean natural environment, its woods, rivers, streams and lakes. Our entire world must reduce its dependency on these fossil fuels and does not need more oil fields and gas fields being developed at risk to our water and wildlife. We should not be supporting this oil and gas “habit.” Building a road to make it cheaper to ship these products is simply enabling the addiction to continue.
Ellen Gray
Garland
Ellen Gray. I expect you’ll be writing your legislator advocating for the one clean, renewable, economical resource we have in abundance in Maine, hydroelectric power. Of course the Maine non-profit/government complex will (The Enviros and the Dems) will never allow us to have cheap power. It would prevent them from depopulating most of the state.
I’ll bet Ellen’s computer is using electricity made from natural gas. For shame!
Well said, Ms Gray. Sadly, our fossilized Republican Party is addicted to fossil fuels and the ready campaign cash the corporate suppliers of fossil fuels lavish upon it.
Jenan Jondy – The US could take out the evil leader in Syria. Why we don’t is beyond me. People are being tortured and massacred daily, and all we offer is warnings. Sorry, but warnings mean as much to the Syrian leadership as it does to the Iranian leadership. They only understand force, and we’re not willing to even threaten the use of force.
Of course, none of us knows what goes on behind the closed doors of our government. However, we’re looking pretty pathetic and weak in the eyes of those that are crying out for our help.
Do you want to get into another war, that would be crazy. The loss of lives, arm, legs etc. is the worst plus we never did pay for the last two, that is one of the biggest reasons for the deficit.
We wouldn’t need to get into another war to take out
Bashar al-Assad. If we cut off the head of the snake, the body will slither around blindly for a while, then die.
Easy to say. Much harder to do.
But if Obama does it, I’m sure you will give all the credit to President Bush.
If Obama does it, I’ll give credit to him and the brave men and women that dared carry out the assassination.
This is one of these rare times when you and I may agree, EJ. I believe it would be very difficult to know for certain how to get Bashir Al-Assad, but if there was a way to take him out, I would not be unhappy to have him eliminated.
At the same time, I’m a bit hesitant for us to play God. It’s a tough decision, and I’m glad I don’t have to be the one to make it.
That said, i beleive we should help the people of Syria defend themselves against this brutal dictator. He has lost all legitimacy, if he ever had any. It must be hell to live in Syria in the midst of this terrible conflict.
Mighty christian of you.
Maybe you could slither into Syria and take his head off. Good luck.
I’ll probably need slithering lessons. You wanna’ show me how?
@vhiwater:disqus no one wants to enter into another war. The people of Syria are not asking for the US to bring in soldiers or tanks; what they have asked for is for the US to allow Turkey and other countries (friends of Syria ) to permit weapons to enter to the Free Syrian Army (those who have defected from regime forces). Then, the Free Syrian Army would be well equipped and would be able to defend the people from the daily massacres we witness on the news.
Mrs. Jondy wrote an impassioned letter, and I understand her anguish. My prayers go out to the people of Syria.
As much as I hate to arm either side in this terrible conflict, it appears that we should be allowing the Turks and others to arm the rebels. Are we actually stopping Turkey from doing that? Turkey is right next door. If they smuggle arms into Syria, would we even know?
Sadly, the US did have ‘closed door’ meetings with Turkey and Qatar and has not allowed the ‘Friends of Syria’ to provide arms to allow the defected army (Free Syrian Army) to defend the people. These countries are just waiting for the green light from the US.
Across the borders of Lebanon and Turkey there are few ‘light’ arms being smuggled in at black market value (by individuals)- nothing that gives the ability to the Free Syrian Army to protect from air attacks, heavy tanks and armor that has been given to the brutal regime by Russia, China and the Iranian government. The Iranian government and Hezbollah have also provided ‘soldiers’ who are in Syria helping the regime to murder.
Thanks for your reply. Although I do pay attention to what is going on, I admit that I don’t know as much about our involvement in this situation as I wish I knew. I believe we should help the people of Syria defend themselves from the Bashar Al-Assad dictatorship.
Excellent analysis of the situation, for sure.
The world is a little more complex than you suppose ” Turkey is right next door. If they smuggle arms into Syria, would we even know?” That wouldn’t happen without a minimum of a wink and a nod from the administration. That said, I agree with you.
I even hate to say it but nooppresion is correct.
Thanks, Cheesecake. I don’t suppose anything in this world to be simple, however. You don’t need to remind me of the complexities.
I do believe we should help the people of Syria defend themselves against this ruthless dictator. I think you and I are likely to agree here.
Ellen Gray – We’re not addicted to fossil fuels; our nation runs on fossil fuels. And if our anti-oil leader gets voted out in November, and he will, we’ll be able to drill for our own and won’t need to worry so much about long pipelines running through many or our states because we’ll have out own. As it should be.
He’s not necessarily anti-oil. And your analyses of our energy sources is overly simplistic (and political?).
Obama is anti-oil, anti-small business, anti-capitalism, anti-American Exceptionalism, and anti-truth. And he’s the most partisan president in history.
The supplies of oil are the highest they have been in 22 years and production is at at least the same or more than during the Bush years and we are now exporting gasoline. What is anti-oil from our leader?? If you refer to Keystone that is only in limbo, a portion has already opened and this will be approved early 2013 after all safety issues and areas are cleared for the line to be installed. This line needs to be safe as this oil and what is used to move it is very toxic, if you don’t believe me check with the people in Kalamazoo, Mi.
Obama is totally anti-oil. Our increased output is in spite of him, not because of him, even though he shamelessly will take credit for anything.
He is also anti-American. That was how he was raised.
Yes, Obama is quick to point out that oil production in the states is up. But, he completely neglects to point out that the production is up on private lands and WAY down on public lands. Funny how that works.
Republicans said that if only we would “drill baby drill” gasoline prices would go down. So we began drilling more, but gasoline prices went up — and the Republicans blamed Obama for not drilling enough. Now we’re still drilling about the same amount as we were a month ago, but prices have gone back down.
Since you blamed Obama for the high prices last month, I’m sure you’ll want to praise him for this month’s lower prices. (Funny how that works.)
I didn’t blame Obama for the high gas prices; I stated that his actions can and do effect the price of oil. Others were stating that Obama could do nothing to effect the prices, and that’s just flat wrong. But, I’m sure that if the prices continue to fall, his followers will credit him for the drop. On the other hand, if prices go back up, his followers will remind everyone that the President has no ability to do anything.
You’ve already forgotten what you said last month about the high gas prices; it’s not surprising that you have a new spin.
Nope. Haven’t forgotten.
The increase in production is not in anyway due to Obama. most of the new drilling was approved under Bush and few new applications have been approved recently even on private land. That will not impact production for 3 or 4 years when we will see a drop in domestic production.
You my friend are what is wrong with this country, he is no more anti-American than Mitt (R)money and his raping of various companies to line his and his investors pockets or G. W. Bush and his going to Iraq on false pretenses. I don’t agree with what Bush or (R)money did but they are not anti-American nor either is President Obama. Now get your head out of your behind and think a little before you write.. I feel you are more anti-American than Pres. Obama, he was elected by a majority and he is your president now respect that.
We export gasoline because we have the refineries that can refine the gasoline. However, much of the oil that we are refining has to be imported. With all of the proven resources that we have on our own land, there would be no need to import if our anti-oil president and left wing wackos would allow us to drill.
As for the Keystone, the primary purpose for this pipeline is so the Canadians can get their crude to our refineries.
How about the right wing wackos who couldn’t care less about the environment, just drill baby drill, so the fracking messes up a little water, no big deal, the oil spill screws up fishing for a few decades, no big deal, as long as the oil companies continue to get their tax breaks and the right wing politicians get money from the oil companies then we must drill baby drill.
Funny that in 2010 there were 4090 permits issued on public land yet only 1490 wells were drilled. Have you ever heard of supply and demand, oil companies are not going to drill if there is no demand or in other words they would have to sell their oil at prices less than they are now.
In typical liberal style, you failed to mention that the permits were for public lands and for all types of drilling, not just oil. You also forgot to mention that the number of permits granted are never the number that are actually drilled. In 2010 36 percent were used, down from previous years. The downturn, which you also forgot to mention, was due in part to additional and costly regulations from the Obama administration and the lack of the desired resource based on geological surveys. You also forgot to mention that the actual increase that is being bragged about by Obama is because of the increase of drilling on private land.
And, as usual, a conservative has to finish the job. No thanks necessary.
As usual for conservatives they put their own spin and 1/2 information when trying to correct information that doesn’t agree with their own. You forgot to mention anything about drill baby drill and disregard for any safety I guess you must agree that is what the conservatives believe should be done. Also even one of Bush’s people agreed that there are many reasons why companies don’t drill including but not limited to prices, geology, business strategy and availability of drilling rigs. Another thing per the Bush guy “No one ever drills all the permits that they get, nobody has ever done that in the history of oil and gas,”
It does amuse me that you conservatives never give the Obama adm. credit for anything, god it must be an terrible life lugging around all that hate and discontent.
And once the Canadian “crude” is refined, what happens to it? From what I’ve read, most, if not all, of it will be sent elsewhere in the world.
That’s what I’ve read also. And if this happens, and a Democrat is still in the White House, he or she will use our exporting of gasoline, even though it’s Canadian, as another reason to continue their drilling obstruction.
Exactly.
Don’t feel bad Ellen. Obama can always go run for president in his native Kenya.
And Romney can run for president on his native planet, Mongo.
Ming the Merciless expelled Mitt from Mongo.
I see you right wingers are running out of things to blame Obama for so now your going back to he is a Muslim, he wasn’t born in the U.S., maybe Trumps detectives will be getting back to us soon on that, he went to Rev. Wrights church and god only knows what other bull the right wing will try to dig up.
I guess the CPAC 2012 white supremists attendees are OK though as they certainly are good for the country. NOT
Right-wingers aren’t responsible for the “birther” controversy. It started care-of Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2008 when she brought up the topic of his electability in the DNC primaries for Arkansas. (She was trying to shut him out, but he was elected anyway…).
The real question is, why have so many people who know Obama (and Obama himself) say he was born in Kenya, and then lie about it? Michele even said at some press confrence “… his native Kenya…” when referring to her husband? And then, why put legal pressure on people who try taking the issue to court?
It certainly doesn’t help Obama’s credibility, at the very least. The worst is, it could be true and we’d have a big scandal on our hands. Though I believe that we as a nation are strong enough to get through a big scandal, if it is indeed true. But meaningful investigation is being squashed, by Obama and his lackeys.
Why?
Much more drilling has been done under Obama than scrub.
We are already drilling more than ever but we only have two percent of the world’s reserves. China and India are using much more now too which is driving up prices GLOBALLY. We can and should do much more to get off fossil fuels, which are dirty and finite, and we could do that except the ultra corrupt corporatist TeaPublicanFools Party you belong to is of, by, and for big money and could care less about our people and our planet. So good for you. Keep doing the bidding of the corporatists and to heck with the American people and morality. Jesus Christ would be sickened by the rotten horrid corrupt TeaPublican corporatists who you stand there and defend. The TeaPublicans should be called the HYPOCRITICAL ANTI CHRISTIAN PARTY because EVERYTHING they do stands in blatant contradiction to every single thing Jesus Christ preached and stood for. The devil obviously lllllllllllllllloves the Republican Party.
That’s ridiculous. Satan is the “prince of this [fallen] world” for a reason. He plays us against each other, trying to get us to look to government and the works of our own hands for our salvation. You’re being played against your fellow human being for the sake of a lie.
We’re building another tower, but it isn’t made of brick and mortar this time!
Alice, thanks for the nice insightful letter. Sometimes the truth hurts. Thankfully Gov. LePage is good siphoning out the non performers in the work force.
Maine is going through a period of fundamental change. That kind of change isn’t always pretty, but it is necessary and a very good thing. Maine is going to come out way ahead because of LePage and the Republican legislature.
It would be interesting to hear the other side of the story from some of the “non-performers” that were “siphoned out .”
You’re only hearing her side of the story. Maybe their was a reason to do what was done.
Plus there is the question of who he is, what his power was, or is this story total BS. I’m sure if it happened and was reported, the news media would have been all over it.
Alice- you paint all “middle-management” as corrupt when you ran into one power hungry jerk? I doubt he represents the vast majority of Middle management. Anyone who did what you allege should have been reported to his superiors, to the newspapers and tv stations. I don’t recall hearing about this particular situation in any form of media. If he did what you say, he is truly a creep. However, this does NOT justify the the governor accusing an entire job sector of corruption. LePage was out of line, as usual, and your blind support is saddening.
about these “corrupt middle managers” who have tainted the reputations of the honest and respecting other middle managers.
She did not paint all as corrupt… read her again.
She agreed with LePage’s outrageous statement in her first sentence, so I stand by my previous statement.
Pick and choose.
LePage didn’t pick and choose — he branded them all as corrupt (which my dictionary says means that they are taking bribes or are otherwise extorting money). So she supports LePages’s statement, and then she changes what he said. It seems she should either support what he said, or not support it. Instead, she chages what he said, and then supports the chage. That merely confuses things.
You really should read what she said. Not what you think she did in saying it.
I read what she wrote. I think she made a blanket statement. Then she went into a particular manager. Ask yourself, how does a middle manager in government put a lein on your personal property? At that point she lost her credibility if she ever had any.
Have to agree. Alice sounds out to lunch. Not long ago a study was done on the educational levels of various voter parties. To nobody’s surprise, the teaparty came in last. If Alice is any indication, they not only have low IQs, but they also hold the corner on paranoia. Quite the bunch.
I don’t know about Maine’s Laws but in some states anyone can put a lien on a property. All they have to do is pay the lien costs and the property is liened. Then it is up to the property owner to clear the lien.
Anti-government nut jobs have been doing that for years out west to government officials they do not agree with..
That being said, I think Alice is telling stories out of class.
David Sawyer: good letter.
By the way, the new drilling permits for off shore drilling approved after the BP disaster in 2010 number 129 for depths less than 500 feet and 88 for depths more than 500 feet. Even with the revised permits, the number approved after the BP oil spill number 801 for less than 500 ft and 492 for greater than 500 ft.
http://www.bsee.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Permits/Status-of-Gulf-of-Mexico-Well-Permits.aspx
Note the footnotes.
How does a middle manager put a lien on a worker’s house?
I don’t know about Maine’s Laws but in some states anyone can put a lien on a property. All they have to do is pay the lien costs and the property is liened. Then it is up to the property owner to clear the lien. Anti-government nut jobs have been doing that for years out west to government officials they do not agree with..
That being said, I think Alice is telling stories out of class.
Alice, why anyone would come anywhere near condoning LeBUFFOON’s irresponsible and unprofessional rants is beyond me. LeBUFFOON has proven himself time and again to be an arrogant bully and corporate toadie pawn of ALEC and Grover Norquist, his puppet masters, and he has very obvious anger management and psychological problems. The guy needs to be in serious mental health counseling. There are NO excuses for his disgusting and despicable behaviors. NONE ! He is a classless disgrace to the Blaine House and brings shame to our state. And come November, we will CRUSH the TeaFools at the voting booth and make LeBUFFOON the lame duck he needs to be. Bank on it. The rational Maine majority have had it with LeBUFFOON’s nonsense. He is also such a HYPOCRITE with giving cushy state jobs to his own family members. Talk about corrupt ! Finally, I suspect you are another of these “Not a Republican” types who may not be officially registered as one but always or most always VOTES for them. This is a game right wingers not officially registered as GOPers love to play.
Ellen, you are exactly right and we could get off of fossil fuels over time, sooner than later, in a big way, if the fossil fuel corporations and their lobbyists did not own so many of the politicians, especially the corporatist plutocratic Republicans. We have a corrupt corporate political system, and especially the Republicans who are merely pawns and toadies of the corporatists. Until we vote out the Republicans, get rid of the rotten corrupt Citizens United case, change the make-up of the Supreme Court, and get the government back into the hands of the people and out of the hands of rotten right wing corporations, it will be very slow-going. The Republicans are of, by, and for the corporations and their millionaire masters. They are not for the people and doing what is right for the people and the planet.