Supporting Stacey Guerin
Since 1823, Maine has given its native tribes something that most other states do not: special representation in the state Legislature. In addition to being represented by traditional legislators where they live, tribal members can send a representative to Augusta from their tribe. The tribal reps cannot vote, as that would mean double representation, but they can introduce bills and sit on committees.
David Slagger, who lives in Kenduskeag but represents the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, was sworn in in January but has already soured to the system, going so far as to imply that it violates his “equal rights” under the Constitution. Slagger knew what the job entailed when he got into it, but he now seems very angry about his position.
So he has decided to run for the House seat where he lives, near Bangor. Fair enough. But what does he intend to do with that seat should he win it? He says he wants to use it to better represent the Houlton Band of Maliseets. The people of House District 22, however, which includes Kenduskeag, Glenburn, Levant and part of Corinth, need representation, too.
I live in that district and have been represented very well by Rep. Stacey Guerin, R-Glenburn. I will vote for her and not somebody who intends to represent people who live a few hours up the interstate. If Slagger wants to have a vote in the Legislature to help the Houlton Maliseets, he should move to Houlton and run for the House seat there.
Amy Millett
Levant
Pass the trash
Joe Paterno is fired and stripped of many of his records for “not doing enough” in the Jerry Sandusky scandal, but Bill Beardsley, around whom there are questions concerning the Bob Carlson child abuse case, is nominated by Gov. Paul LePage and confirmed by the Senate to sit on the Maine State Board of Education as a result of getting every Republican vote.
It is bad enough to do too little, yet far worse to do nothing. We hardly need people involved in our children’s education who willingly “pass the trash,” as the old adage goes.
Bruce Pratt
Eddington
In just four years
Former President Bill Clinton finally said what really needed to be said in this campaign. Paraphrasing, he said he often disagreed with the other party, but he never learned to hate the Republicans like the current Republican Party hates President Barack Obama.
He correctly said no one could have cleaned up the mess left to Obama in just four years, to which I would add: “Even if he had the minority party working to help instead of hurt his efforts.”
We should remember this when we cast our votes for our representatives to Congress. If the candidates are going to put Grover Norquist’s needs ahead of those of the people and even the Constitution, we need to know that. I hope the BDN will add that to the list of questions they ask all candidates.
Judy Judkins
Belfast
Canders, Nov. 6
In less than two months we will be having a very important election, and we want to say that Bangor’s District 15 voters have the opportunity to elect the finest Republican candidate available to represent them in the Maine State House: Samuel Canders. Canders’ qualifications include more accomplishments in his 35 years than many older individuals have.
He is a veteran who has 13 years of service to our country. You will have to read his list of achievements at his website, www.samcanders.com, since it is too long to present here.
Canders is a principle-based candidate who believes in the Constitution, fiscal responsibility, individual rights and individual responsibility, and he is passionate about preserving the values of our state and America. Keeping his word is a major part of his integrity, and his common sense and no-nonsense approach provide a breath of fresh air to the political realm.
Remember, Canders is the man for whom you should cast your vote on Nov. 6.
Harry and Sharon Rideout
Hermon
City council’s boldness
I am writing to commend Portland councilors for voting themselves off the taxpayer-funded dole of health insurance. I congratulate all of those who voted for the change. They understand that they are there to benefit the community, not themselves at taxpayer expense. They understand that, like most of us, we have to pay for ourselves, not look for someone else to do it for us.
The opponents claimed that it would be hard to bring in qualified people without the taxpayer-funded health insurance. I think if having free health insurance is in the debate for taking this job, then you might be the wrong person for it.
Again, congratulations to the council for a bold and selfless decision.
John Ficker
Montville
Let’s help our own, Mr. President
Isn’t it amazing that the president is saying he’s out to get this country going again?
We have thousands of families here living hand-to-mouth due to unemployment. Children are going to bed hungry, and thousands of people are living on the streets because they are homeless. But he feels it’s OK to send millions of dollars to Egypt to help its people.
Am I the only one who sees this as a tragedy? The money should stay here and help our people first. Charity begins at home.
Jane Morin
Hamlin
2012 candidates
Did you know that there is a presidential race taking place? Yes? Excellent, we’re off to a good start. Do you know that there are currently nine presidential candidates running? For a long time, neither did I.
Of course we all know about the big two, Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat Barack Obama. But what about the other seven? Seven more people who think they have what it takes to lead this great country and the great people who live in it. To give us what we want and need.
I think that we owe it not only to these men who are laying it all on the line, bearing public humiliation and ridicule, but also to ourselves to look into this. Let’s look beyond what we see everyday and give others a chance.
A website that I use is findthedata.org, which allows a side-by-side comparison.
Jordan Nickerson
Clinton
Judy Judkins: Bill Clinton should not even have had the nerve to speak at the convention, having been the most disgraceful president in our history. For him to say that Republicans hate Obama is a step in causing more playing of the racist card, which he so aptly did during Hillary’s run in the primary of 2008, or perhaps your memory has “slipped.”
The ex-president was looking to shine for himself that night, according to a news clip__”Don’t you wish I was on the ticket again?” He and Barack have the same ego problem.
The mess we are in belongs to this administration and its leader, Barack Hussein Obama, not to the former president. But, as with any narcissist, the blame goes to everyone else.
schmidlap: I heard Bill Clinton state that as a mainstream station actually played his speech in a news clip. Should not be hard to believe that he said it.
Perhaps the federal coffers would have been full, if terrorists had not hit America and her people, killing over 3000 in 2001; President Bush was the one we needed in office at the time, and he has taken the insults and blame lashed at him for too long–some people today have to grow up and face reality, which includes the unethical, political agenda of the present administration.
Do you have any complaints that are actually based in reality?
tell me one person running for political office that does not have an ego problem?
We all have egos. But it’s the one with the God complex that thinks he’s the king of America that’s dangerous. And Queen Michelle is just as dangerous.
EJP, you don’t have to keep relaying the fact that you have disdain for the President and his wife. We get it.
It’s not him, it’s his policies. They are bad for America.
You’re changing your complaints. You said he thinks he’s the king of the country and now you’re saying it’s his policies you have a problem with. You’re not being honest here.
If you want to look at someone with a big ego and disdain for America, look no further that Mitt Romney. He has destroyed good paying jobs, hides his money offshore and still thinks he would be a good President.
That is one heck of a God complex.
Obama has destroyed more American jobs and sent more overseas than Bain Capital has, and they’ve been in business for a heck or a lot longer than Obama’s been President.
Obama is a failed President. And, in a way, is’t not all his fault. He didn’t have the necessary skills to do the job when he was elected, and he’s spent most of his time on the campaign trail and on the golf course while his advisers, particularly Valerie Jarrett, run the country. He’s over his head and it’s time to get him back to a place where he can function…. Community organizing in Chicago.
I don’t get the vibe that Jarrett runs the country. Our last Boy, on the other hand, definitely let his staff have an inappropriately large say.
Even accounting for the job losses of 700,000 a month that were taking place as the President was sworn in, President Obama has presided over more private sector job growth in less than four years than Bush did in eight years.
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/01/09/bush-on-jobs-the-worst-track-record-on-record/
Obama himself has recently claimed more job growth in the past 27 months than President George W. Bush created “during the entire seven years before this crisis.”
“Despite incredible odds and
united Republican opposition, our president took action, and now we’ve
seen 4.5 million new jobs,” San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro said in his
keynote address at the DNC on Tuesday night.
That statistic was echoed by
virtually all of Tuesday night’s speakers, including first lady Michelle
Obama, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel,
who previously served as Obama’s chief of staff.
However, CNN fact-checked that claim and found it to be “not the whole picture.” Instead, CNN found that there has been a net increase of just 300,000 nonfarm payroll jobs since Obama took office. And if you count government jobs, there are actually 400,000 fewer people working today than in January 2009.
When Democrats use the 4.5
million jobs number, they’re referring to jobs created after the economy
bottomed out in January 2010, one year after Obama took office. That
time frame excludes the worst job losses, which took place in 2009, and
which many Democrats argue were the result of Bush policies.
So If you can forgive Obama for his first year of job losses and to date has only created net negative 400k jobs, extend the same courtesy to George Bush who inherited a recession going into his first term… not to mention the devastation to our economy caused by September 11Th.
There was a net private sector job loss under Bush for his full eight years. Public sector employment did increase. Private sector job growth has, even given the first three months of Obama’s term in which we lost two million private sector jobs, grown.
The blow to the economy from 9/11 was far less severe than the blow to the economy from George Walker Bush and the market crash of 2008.
To you, Obama is responsible for every job lost the second he took office. That does not take into effect that he was working under Bush’s budget, with Bush appointees and some are still there because of filibustering by Republicans, the first year of his term and that it take time to change the direction of an economy the size of the US’s either for the good or bad.
EJ, talk about having a ‘god’ complex. You fit that bill very well.
EJ is God. Do not commit blasphemy by suggesting he only imagines this to be true.
Why? Because, she a true daughter of Slavery? Or maybe, because she is a strong woman?
Or maybe just all of the above?
A true daughter of slavery?!?! You must be kidding!! She’s been privileged all of her life. She’s had the world handed to her. And you come up with that.
As for being a strong woman, I’ll grant you that most of her strength comes from her privileged upbringing and her position as first lady. If it weren’t for that, she’d just be another face in the crowd.
You can do better than that.
What are you talking about? Michelle Obama grew up POOR and you know it. When did growing up in the tenements of the South side of Chicago, become privilege? She was not given a thing, she WORKED! for everything she has. Unlike Anne Romney who did Grow up in privilege. Lie EJ, you just make yourself look foolish and desperate.
LOL, yeah just another one of those Harvard Law School graduate faces in the crowd. And how privileged, her mom was a secretary and her dad worked at a water plant.
It’s ridiculous, EJP. Quit making stuff up. You don’t have to like the Obamas, but it’s pretty sick how easily you’ll lie as justification for your disdain.
This shows how out of touch you are with reality. I would suggest another news source. The one that you are using is not accurate/
I’m beginning to think EJ is a paranoid schizophrenic, and his “voices” are telling him this stuff.
As I see it …… Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan and Norquist were privileged all their lives too… all from well to do families … who continue to do well. That is the biggest issue with today’s political entries ….. there doesn’t seem to be many that grew up within the middle class or live in the middle class. They are all out of touch with the real middle class, those who make under $100K. Romney’s idea of middle class is anyone earning under $250K ….. No, he doesn’t get it. But then again, I don’t believe the majority of today’s politicians have a clue. It takes most two income families 5 years to earn what Romney considers “middle class” folks …… before taxes.
Queen Michelle? Really?
God complex? You mean like Santorum, Bachmann, and other cousins of Elmer Gantry?
“Mitt and I do recognize that we have not had a financial struggle in our lives,” Ann Romney said in an interview with Mitt Romney that aired on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday. “But I want people to believe in their hearts that we know what it is like to struggle. And our struggles have not been financial, but they’ve been with health and with difficulties in different things in life.” Oh yeah, we can identify with that, can’t we.
And they think middle class is $200,000-$240,000 income per year?
Did Clinton actually say that or are you quoting some Fox news blurb? At least Clinton left us with money in the bank, can’t say the same for Bush’s 8 years that drained it.
Whoa what world are you living in, the mess we are in is Obama’s fault? I think you better check the calendar, the mess started before he was sworn into office. But have fun in your little happy land in the mean time.
Bill Clinton left office with multi-billion dollar budget surpluses, a robust and growing economy and the lowest unemployment rate in decades.
For this the GOP impeached him.
They are the disgraceful ones.
And it didn’t take long for Bush and the GOP to throw the country into the privy.
The first thing Bush did when he entered office was to cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans – which put the US budget back in the red – then he took a loooong vacation to the Crawford pig farm.
On August 6, 2001 the CIA briefed him on an impending Al Queda attack on US soil – he ignored it.
Bush failed to protect the nation’s capital on 9/11/2001 – the ultimate disgraceful failure.
Bush used 9/11 as a pretext to invade Iraq – 4,100 GIs dead and a trillion dollars squandered – where are the WMD?
Bush, Cheney and the GOP – lying sacks all.
Never ever vote republican.
Yessah
If Bill Clinton could run for president again he would be elected.
You are clearly a plant by the Obama/Biden campaign designed to make all Republicans look delusional.
President Obama fooled the people once and is now promising to fool us again. Wake up America!
And yet Romney is failing miserably in the polls. You’re spending too much time in your right wing bubble and not enough time in reality.
You call the Bangor Daily News “reality”. What a joke. They’re so one-sided it’s pathetic. They don’t even pretend to be one-sided anymore, just like the cable news station, CNN. They have lost the ability to be objective and are now running a steady ad campaign for the Democrat Party. Of course you can’t see that for yourself since the Demo Party line has been and remains your bible.
Where did I mention the BDN? You’re obviously not operating in reality if you’re bringing up these completely irrelevant things.
I’m talking polls. So you can screech about being a victim of the liberal media or whatever other nonsense you can come up with, but the polls don’t lie. I also notice you’re given up your guise of being an independent, lol.
If I recall you’re the one who stated poster cp444 was “spending too much time in your (his or her) right wing bubble”. You certainly weren’t merely talking about polls when you made that accusatory remark intended to be personal. That said, my comment about you is just as relevant as your comment was about poster cp444, as I have no doubt you devote as much of your time reading and absorbing left wing propaganda as the poster in question does in right wing news sources.
I’ll hold back from personal remarks if you agree to do likewise. How about it?
Yes, I was talking about polls, that’s why I very clearly referenced polls in my comment. I’m glad you can creatively come up with wild connections that don’t have any real basis in reality, but that has no bearing on what I actually said. You can accuse me of all these things — have fun with that — but like I said, there is no basis in reality.
Look at the polls, they’re not on the side of Romney. Not any of them. Period. Keep accusing me of whatever, but it won’t change the polls.
might want to study the guts of those ‘polls’
Mitt Romney is certainly not the one to take his place, he has no core, I don’t know how anyone can figure out which side of any issue he is on, it seems to change from one day to the next.
Obama fooled no one.
Republicans fool themselves.
Yessah
Jordan Nickerson–Not only do we have many choices besides Obama and Romney but most of the “3rd” party candidates are superior to the status quo choices in how they view corporate control of our government and many other factors.
The fact that the “Commission on Presidential Debates” doesn’t allow any of these candidates to debate is a travesty. This exclusion diminishes the validity of the debates and of the COPD.
Judy Judkins – I’ll grant you this: Bill Clinton was one of the greatest politicians of our times. He knew how to work the system to his own advantage, and he knew what to say and when to say it. That said, he is also one of the most cunning Presidents in history in that he knows the words that will fool a lot of people and they will blindly follow his directions. Too bad that his speech at the DNC was mostly political and barely truthful. You, and many like you, fell for the silver-tongued devil.
Jane Morin – You need to have coffee with Judy. She could use some insight. By the way, we’re sending billions to countries that hate us. And Obama is supporting those hating nations.
Jordan Nickerson – True, we all have the right to vote for anyone we want to vote for. However, if you put America first and use some common sense, there’s only one man that should get our votes. And he ain’t the one in office.
I agree there many choices, but the time to vote “3rd” party isn’t in a presidential race. You know, like a new gymnast doesn’t try an Amanar vault her first day on the mat. These “3rd” parties need to work on creating a base and gaining credibility before aiming for the gold per se.
If there is no chance of winning the race, don’t waste your vote. There is no such thing as “sending a message” with your vote. Do you recall Bush or congress ever referencing the 3 million votes that went to Ralph Nader in the 2000 election? Did you see them pushing for “Green” initiatives? No. I bet that might have been different if those 3 million voters would have worked on getting in a Green Senator and a couple Green Representatives though.
A third party will have to come from the grass roots. Much in the manner of the Religious Right who have aimed at the very roots of politics. School boards, planning boards, town councils, etc. They keep building their power base from the bottom up. They picked the Republican Party as their target and seem to have infiltrated the party to the extent that any politician running for the presidency has to pass muster with them. Witness McCain in the last election. He tried in his first attempt to the nomination to be indipendent of them and failed. In his second attempt for the nomination he cowtowed to the Bible belt and gained the nomination.
wow…I am absolutely against anyone using prescription drugs unless under the direct orders of a doctor….but thier should be instances reserved for the…um…health of the democracy….and an unhealthy fear of a Republic….
Relax, your ‘religious right’ is not coming to seat some form of theocracy upon your beachhead.
Judy Judkins, Governor LePage, State Senators Nichi Farhham, Lois Snowe-Mello, Doug Thomas & David Trahan, House members Bruce Bickford David Burns, Richard M. Cebra, Mike Celli, Kathleen Chase, Dale Crafts, Dean A. Cray, Jarrod S. Crockett, Philip A. Curtis, Andre Cushing, Dana L. Dow, Peter Edgecomb, Stacy A. Fitts, Leslie Fossel, Jeffery Gifford, Peter Johnson, Dennis Keschl, L. Gary Knight, Ricky Long, Michael D. McClellan, Jonathan McKane, Susan Morissette, Robert Nutting, Beth A. O’Connor, Wayne Parry, John Picchiotti, Wesley E. Richardson, Deborah Sanderson, Ralph Sarty Jr., Heather Siroki, G. Paul Waterhouse & Frederick L. Wintle are all under contract to Grover Norquist.
Charlie Summers, Republican candidate for the US Senate is under contract to Grover Norquist.
To my knowledge all of the above are Republicans, although some of them may also have allegiences with the Tea Party.
In Washington, all but a handful of the Republicans in the Senate and the House of Representatives are under contract to Grover Norquist. In fact if Romney wins and something happens to him while in office Ryan will be the first President of the United States who has signed a contact to do as Grover Norquist wants.
Your fear of Norquist is interesting. He’s not even an elected official and you’re scared to death of him. You want to know who scares me? Valerie Jarrett. Now that’s a woman to be scared of. And she’s the one that Obama goes to for EVERY decision.
No one is scared of Norquist. Quit lying in order to derail the discussion.
The truth is that there are those who have pledge to Grover Norquist, an un elected official, and that pledge runs contrary to the oath of office. You can’t serve these two competing interests at once — it isn’t possible.
Also, when you’re wrong, quit pointing to someone else so you can shift the blame. That’s pathetic. Have some personal responsibility.
I don’t fear Norquist. The Republican Party fears him. If one of his puppets has the temerity to go contrary to his or his masters wishes they will have a hard time gaining re-election.
I think R-candidates are afraid of Norquist…and THAT I have a gripe with.
The voters are the ones that the so-called Norquist no new tax pledge was made to.
Of course. But not signing it only becomes a problem with the voters thanks to Norquist and his organization. They have a done a great job of making people think that the ship should sink before we have to pass the hat to maintain it, let alone give the other Party any credit for ANY of the repairs.
Liberal playbook 101..accuse your opponent of doing something that your side is definatly engaged in and act shocked and create outrage.
What is wrong with an elected representative to agree not to raise taxes? That is the platform for the man you speak about. He leads Americans for Tax reform since 1985….he is not some unknown manchurian figure, he doesn’t like excessive taxes….how can anyone be for excessive taxes. All the people you have listed above are AGAINST EXCESSIVE TAXES…if this is you view and you live in thier district, vote for them. If you like a bloated, arrogant government that steals your hard earned pay from your family, vote for the democrats in these districts. Seems pretty simple with no hollywood style theatrics.
There is nothing wrong with an elected official to be against raising taxes unneccessarily. However when they are threatened with the rug being pulled out from under them if they vote to raise taxes when the situation warrants it.
Nobody should have the kind of power that Grover Norquist has at the moment.
grover norquist?!?!…Would you be upset id Grover Norquist was hired as a personal, close aide to President Bush and he was directing policy for Pres Bush?…well, he is not, nor will he for Mitt Romney, nor will he for any republican candidate….but Valarie jarrett does for President Obama…..you might want to direct some of your concerns there, as Grover Norquist is a private citizen
Does Valarie Jarrett have pledges from President Obama, half the Democratic Governors, all of the Democrats in Congress, A huge percentage of state legislators?
Ann Millet, I’ll be voting for Ms Guerin she has done very well reresenting us.
Harry and Sharon Rideout – I’m sure your support is appreciated.
So will I! Rep Guerin has shown good governance is still in style.
And so do I, Rep Guerin works very hard for us and
represents her constituents as family. That is what you get when the folks
elect the hometown girl that grew up, when to school and lives in her district!
Ms. Guerin’s got quite the campaign vehicle:
http://www.bangorbytes.com/2012/09/what-campaign-vehicle-looks-like-in.html
Judy Judkins, it could just be that Obama is clueless and lacks leadership to get this country headed in the right direction. He could be president for 100 years and still blame his problems, like you do, on George Bush.
Stating FACTS, is not blame. It’s funny how nothing that happen during the Bush years, is his fault. Whilst everything good that has happen on Obama’s watch the R’s give Bush the credit.
Buch deficit at the end of the 2007 budget cycle approx 500 million….this was Bush’s last budget…He owns that…Obama owns the remaining 15.5 trillion…pretty simple math….you spend it you own it…..Bush does not own the economic slowdown or any collapse in a certain sector due to incompetance or criminal activity. All presidents accept whatever comes into office during upon thier election. All have done this with respect, but not the current president.
If you say a complete lie more often to more people for a longer amount of time maybe some will start believing it….better keep working, its this presidents only hope…
I was there when the housing market went under, I was there when the stock market tanked. We lost our house and most of our 401k. We picked ourselves up, sold everything, we could and moved back to my home area. So are we better off then we were 4 years ago?
YES! and so is this country, we are not bleeding jobs anymore, are we getting them back as fast as I’d like to see? No. Do I think the failed economy is all Bushes fault? NO. My point is that for once I’d like to see someone on the R’s side say yes we did mess up.
“2012 candidates” is woefully incomplete, Jordan Nickerson. The choices are not all men.
I would question the accuracy of a website that cannot even get a library’s address correct (a matter of long-time, public knowledge–my childhood library, for example). Warning: use “findthedata.org” with many grains of salt!
That said, do go to jillstein.org to see a real alternative choice for president, other than the usual tweedly-dum and tweedly-dee: Dr. Jill Stein.