Saving Belfast
What should residents do when the city of Belfast is robbing and destroying our properties?
Do we hold back our taxes and demand sewers and roadside drainage?
Belfast is robbing Northport Avenue District tax increment financing money. Without stormwater sewers, Seaview Terrace will be history. Save us at the Sept. 18 city hall meeting at 7 p.m.
More than $275,000 in studies, unreadable signs, thousands in this stormwater cover-up. Council feigned ignorance. In 2009 the stream overflowed, flooding Seaview, taking a car and home. In 2010, roaring rapids, sweeping away more than 600 feet of my property.
Captain Albert Stevens Elementary School’s huge stormwater holding tanks are the overload of many, forced to our private property. The city owns the road of Seaview Terrace but has no right of ways or easements to the stream. The city has moved the stream at least two times for their
illegal use.
Brad Pitt said of the flooded homeless in New Orleans that nothing makes him angrier than officials’ claims that the flooding is an act of nature, when it is, sickly, the failure of man.
Laurie Allen
Belfast
Know about the people you elect
Most of us are well aware of the miserable job our Congress is doing in Washington. It would be overly simplistic to suggest any single cause of this situation, but one factor seems hugely important.
It is the fact that most voters know very little about the people they elect. They may recognize a picture and be aware of a public image, but they most likely have only the fuzziest idea of the potential office seeker’s character, values, intelligence, knowledge and important personal relationships.
The result is a major gap between what most voters really need to know and what they actually understand. This gap is entirely incompatible with the election of effective leaders. It is potentially the fatal flaw in our system of government.
The result is that all too often the well-intentioned, qualified and hardworking person is beaten out by someone with influence, money, a compelling desire to get elected and the willingness to make the self-serving compromises needed to win. Unfortunately, this is a problem much easier to recognize than to fix.
The bottom line is that we the people have sent and keep sending the duds to Washington, and it is we the people who must be held fully and ultimately accountable for making the system work or fail.
David Spaulding
Addison
Airline discrimination
Recently, a 16-year-old boy with Down syndrome was not allowed to board an American Airlines flight from Newark to Los Angeles. The American Airlines explanation was that he was “agitated” and running around. His parents deny that the boy was running or causing any distraction warranting a negative reaction.
The airline decided to have the family booked on a later flight (being booked on a later flight does not usually help “agitated” people to calm down!). Furthermore “agitated” is a vague term, often applied to passengers awaiting a flight. Having chosen a United Airlines flight, the family was booked in the last row on the plane with two empty rows separating them from other passengers!
Being parents of a son with Down syndrome, we have had no problems with negative reactions from the many airlines we have flown with. The situations described above are, at worst, blatant discrimination. At best, they demonstrate a need for educating airline personnel to reduce fear and ignorance toward people with Down syndrome.
The facts of this incident are not yet known. Any of us might be a bit excited looking forward to flying in first class, just as this family had chosen to do. Perhaps the airline was concerned about the reaction of other first-class passengers. What a shame that they missed out on the joy and wonder this young man may have brought them!
Tom and Jean Beale
Bangor
Going to Wall Street
I am going to New York City to gather with people from Maine, and all over the country, to mark the one-year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street.
It’s been one year since Liberty Plaza was occupied by folks who were ready to make a strong, nonviolent statement concerning income inequality, moral decay, military and corporate control and environmental degradation. This encampment opened people’s eyes to the fact that, as more money rises to the top of the system, we are losing our democracy.
Occupy Wall Street said two things that ring true for me. One was, “We are the 99 percent,” which represents the terrible income inequality that exists in our country. The top 0.01 percent make an average of about $23,000,000, while 90 percent of us make an average of $30,000.
The second statement was, “Another world is possible.” We have an obligation to create a world that makes us proud, where our wealth is shared and our environment is protected. As a retired public school teacher, I have recited the pledge of allegiance with my students for the past 25 years. The last line always gets my attention: “liberty and justice for all.”
In New York, three days of gatherings are planned. The first two days involve educating ourselves as we talk about the issues and look at solutions. Nonviolent civil disobedience will take place in lower Manhattan.
I’ve reached a point in my life where I say to myself, “Get involved. Don’t be afraid to talk about important issues and to join others to take action.”
David Smith
Belfast
50th Labor Day Road Race
I watched with great joy as more than 150 men and women ran through the intersection of Hammond and West Broadway in the 50th anniversary of the Bangor Labor Day Road Race.
My father, the late Pete Furrow, along with others at the Bangor Parks and Recreation Department were the founding fathers during the summer of 1962. About seven runners took part in that first run. Happy anniversary.
Tim Furrow
Bangor
I am sorry, but having a family member with down syndrome they can get very agitated. The Air line has a duty to keep everyone safe. If they felt the situation at hand made things unsafe for anyone inboard including the little boy with down syndrome they have a ethical duty to act. I have the feeling that if something happened to the boy these parents would be the first ones suing saying, “they should have know he was agitated and couldn’t fly.” I have never once seen discrimination with my down syndrome family member, not once. Those that see it are those that continuously look for it and try and find it. The letter states that not all the facts are know, yet people jump to the conclusion that they simply didn’t want the down syndrome boy in first class. I have a very hard time believe that is even remotely the case.
First let me state that I have known the parents of the child for 32 years and they are not the type to sue over nothing. Your inferance that this must be the case is off base and wrong. There is video showing young Mr. Vanderhorst sitting in a chair playing with his hat qwhich is certainly not agitating behavior. If American Airlines has video to the contrary they should show it but none has yet to be made public.
David Smith–Thank you for putting your neck on the line in the struggle to reclaim America from the plutocrats who care only for their own excesses, even at great cost to our national welfare.
I am with you in spirit.
David Smith,If you were fighting for equal rights that would be something many could go along with.But,how can you honestly expect the .01 % to feel anything for you,if you haven’t made an effort to rid your chains of poverty and go out and try to become wealthier?Yes,some of these people inherited their money but how many of these wealthy people started where you are and worked their way to the top.Start relying on yourself and stop expecting other people to care for you.
Lazy analysis. Much easier to just dismiss the criticisms as wanting to be taken care of and class envy than it is to craft a real response, right? The fact is, the vast majority of Americans have seen their wealth decrease, while the top percentiles have seen their wealth increase. Is that because we’re all so stupid and lazy that we harmed ourselves? Get real.
So much easier for you people too blame others.Back in 2001,I lost my source of income.Instead of crying and asking for help.I took control of my life.Worked any job I could find,no matter the wage.That was 11 years ago,I am self employed and rely on no one.I struggle daily to put food on the table,in those eleven years I never asked for any help.Every individual is unique,every one has a talent.Don’t rely on others,if you want something go for it.
It doesn’t matter, you’re not referring to reality. I referred to facts and you lazily dismissed them.
My life is real,sorry to disappoint you!
No doubt, but one example doesn’t erase the whole. The vast majority of this country has seen their wealth decrease and you can’t just dismiss that as them all being so lazy and refusing to be self-reliant.
And you carp about “Lazy analysis”??? You seem to love NO analysis. Please stop feeling things and start thinking things.
You seem to be a good person but you do allow feelings to rule you and pay little attention to thinking about things.
“Open minded”? Really?
I followed the liberal way for far too long.Tell me,plain and simple why does anyone owe anyone else anything?Charity is one thing,this is given freely not taken.
When someone tells me that money is to be divided equally to provide everyone a “fair shake”. This to me is stealing,sorry “legally stealing)..
David Spaulding – My fear is that the same group of unknowing and uncaring voters will return the present unqualified candidate to office for 4 more years, and those same politically ignorant voters will help him keep the Senate. But, ignorant is as ignorant does.
David Smith – Hope you weren’t one of the many Occupiers that got arrested. By the way, the 99 are nothing more than a tool for the politicians. You’re being used to divert and deflect. And I’ll bet you don’t even realize it.
The sad irony is that more than half of the 47% of the people who pay no income taxes will likely vote for Romney. Many are retirees who have paid federal taxes all their lives and now don’t have enough Social Security retirement income to trigger a tax liability, even considering the taxation of Social Security benefits instituted by Reagan. Those over 65 have the highest likelihood of voting for Romney, although he threatens the Social Security and Medicare benefits so necessary to their lives.
Others are middle class families with enough children and home-ownership costs to avoid paying income taxes, but who pay an effective Social Security tax (combining the employee and employer share, the latter of which is indirectly paid by the employee) that exceeds Romney’s tax rate for the one year of taxes he is willing to release. They get ginned up on social issues and vote Republican against their own economic interests.
So you are right, there are a great many “unknowing and uncaring voters” who will vote for Romney.
Those of us who see the world more clearly will vote for President Obama and gladly see the Senate kept in Democratic hands.
EJ, you need to get Ryan to really talk about his plan to voucherize Medicare so we can return the House to Democratic hands.
You’re right! As soon as Ryan wants to talk about actual reform, Ds will scare everyone into thinking grandma–whose Medicare will not be affected at all–will be thrown off a cliff. That’s much better than a real conversation about a big, real problem.
This is a problem only in the fevered minds of the right wing. Repealing the ACA actually accelerates Medicare’s funding problem from 2024 to 2016 per the study performed by the highly respected Kaiser Family Foundation. Ryan now wants to repeal the 716 billion in Medicare savings built into the ACA
A small change in the tax structure supporting Medicare will solve the funding problem. We could subject all capital gains income to the Medicare tax, for instance.
Ryan, in contrast, wants to voucherize Medicare, leaving those born after 1957 with the daunting task of paying $6,000 or more in addition to their vouchers to buy a private insurance plan. This is not cost effective, shifts the excess costs to those least able to pay them, and lines the pockets of insurance company executives.
The repeal of the ACA will affect seniors right away as they must return to paying for prescription drugs once they reach the “donut hole,” must again pay for preventive care visits, and now have their future Medicare benefits guaranteed only until 2016.
We had a real conversation about controlling Medicare costs when the ACA was enacted. The response of the right wing was to talk about “death panels.”
Get real. We have talked about specific problems with the Ryan “solution.” The right demonized the ACA.
They do demonize the ACA, and not for the reasons it should be criticized. It’s a big part of the “no wins for Obama” narrative, so I tune much of it out.
Medicare will not exist as we know it for people in their 50’s and younger…it simply won’t. I am actually for a form of vouchers, because part of the problem with Medicare is the deliberate lack of insight into the costs of care. I think people would make better choices when they have some control and responsibility for that cost. But it only works if those vouchers successfully cover the cost of insurance (or whatever you get). And no matter how many times you say it, free market forces will not guarantee that.
Ryan’s plan was supposed to start a conversation, not provide the final solution (no pun intended). And today, talking like adults is harder than actually solving a problem.
Saying it won’t exist doesn’t make it so. Medicare is much more cost effective than private insurance, with an overhead of less than 5% compared to the roughly 20% overhead of private insurance. The Dutch and Swiss experiments with health insurance by regulated private insurers are beginning to convince both countries that it is more cost effective to go with a government insurance plan.
Getting away from the fee for service model and taking a hard look at ways to avoid re-hospitalization is part of the reason that the ACA may lower Medicare costs. Allowing the negotiation by the government of prescription drug costs would also lower the cost of Medicare Part D programs. There are cost savings to be effected in Medicare; we simply need the political will to push through plans that make economic sense. We will also have to slightly increase the Medicare tax or expand the income classes on which it is levied.
I know too many people who have struggled with paying for private insurance until they reach 65 to think that Vouchercare is anything but a windfall for private insurers.
The market is not the answer to every problem. Demand for health care is very inelastic. People don’t shop around for the lowest cost orthopedic physician when they have a broken leg. The market may produce more inexpensive cars, but it has not produced more inexpensive health care.
I didn’t say it won’t exist. There will be a Medicare-like program, and until we have national single-payer, it will probably be called Medicare. But it will be different than it is right now, and I’ve heard that from both sides.
Ryan is a complete sham. I can assure you that he has absolutely no interest in a single payer system.
David Spaulding–you are correct you should know much about the one you vote for–following is a perfect example as the one who said this is running for President
Quote-[M]y job is is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they
should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.
This was Mitt Romney referring to a previous statement concerning Obama supporters–following is the statement “[T]here are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who
believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility
to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to
housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should
give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are
people who pay no income tax.”
I am thinking Mitt got his silver foot way down his throat this time. God what a hypocrite.
Oh my god I am one of the 47% as I am getting SS, damn you Mitt.
I guess if Brad Pitt is angry, we all better get out there with shovels and sandbags.
anarchists gather in protest. Most people who want to bring about change make thier case in a sane and respectful way to his or her elected officials.
Write the below on a sticky note and put it on the side of your tv, that way when you watch the evening news, you’ll have a better idea of what change “occupy” people are trying to create
1. a state of society without government or law.
2. political and social disorder due to the absence of governmental control: 3. lawlessness, disruption, turmoil4. lack of obedience to an authority; insubordination
3. lawlessness, disruption, turmoil4. lack of obedience to an authority; insubordination4. lack of obedience to an authority; insubordination5. confusion and disorder:
Hmmm, someone on another thread was trying to convince us that OWS wants an authoritarian government. So which is it?
Beals: good letter.
What is this “other World” you speak of David. Come on say it! Say it! You know you want to,,,,,Communism. There, I said it for you.