About Nichi Farnham
While Republican Sen. Nichi Farnham presents herself as a reasonable, moderate soccer mom, her economic, social and environmental philosophy and policies mirror those of the tea party-controlled State House and Senate.
Similarly, her voting record is a carbon copy of Gov. Paul LePage. It requires little imagination to conclude she is a supporter of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan’s corporate, 1 percent political agenda.
James McDonald
Bangor
Senate candidate
Although I am still undecided about my vote for several candidates this November, there is one vote I know I will be happy to make. Ever since I heard that Democrat Geoff Gratwick was running for State Senate to represent Bangor and Hermon, I knew he had my vote. As a Bangor City Councilor, Gratwick has proved himself as someone who listens and does his homework.
I believe his goal has always been to come up with the best solution for Bangor, based on his values of compassion, justice, sustainability and fiscal responsibility.
In order to accomplish his goals, he has been willing to compromise, think outside the box and has often succeeded in getting opposing sides to work together to achieve effective solutions. I believe that Bangor, Hermon and the state of Maine need more people like Gratwick in the Maine Senate.
Libby Norton
Bangor
Let’s vote for that
Rep. Ray Wallace, R-Dexter, has not been very public about the proposed east-west highway, and he has good reason. He was a co-sponsor of the feasibility study to allow at least $300,000 to be spent on looking into this private project.
In contrast Democrat Dave Pearson, Wallace’s challenger in this year’s election, has stated he opposes the corridor. He cites among many reasons the lack of transparency from our leadership and the likelihood that eminent domain will be used should this project become a reality. We need representation that acts in our best interests in Augusta. Let’s vote for that.
Alan Clemence
Charleston
About the Legislature
In a recent Op-Ed, the Maine Center for Economic Policy claimed that income-tax reductions primarily benefited the wealthy and hurt property taxpayers. Rep. Kathy Chase, R-Wells, responded in another Op-Ed and chastised the center for ignoring inconvenient facts and erroneously concluding that income tax cuts lead to property-tax increases.
Prospective effects are hard to predict. On the municipal side, our hands are full trying to get the Legislature to honor its financial commitments to local government in real time. That said, here is some additional information.
Chase correctly points out that school funding was increased by $62 million over the most recent biennium but neglects to mention that during the same biennium the Legislature raided the municipal revenue sharing program, a program created in 1972 specifically for property tax relief purposes, to the tune of $85 million. The Legislature giveth, and the Legislature taketh away.
Also, Chase could have pointed out that the $62 million increase in school funding over the two-year period only kept the state’s contribution to the total cost at the 45-percent level rather than the 55-percent level as directed by Maine’s voters in 2004. That spread of 10 percentage points represents an additional $180 million a year on the property tax side of the equation.
We can only think that the voters, when they issued that directive to the Legislature, expected it to be honored.
Geoff Herman
Maine Municipal Association
Electoral College
An advertisement by the president attacking Mitt Romney has excerpts from a speech Romney gave detailing that he cannot win the votes of 47 percent of the public because they receive some sort of government benefit, are dependent on the government and effectively would not vote against their best interests.
Able-bodied citizens tell me they receive disability payments because of some ailment — mental or physical — yet they can spend time on Facebook, walk, talk and sit still for hours. They can’t hold a job as a telemarketer, customer service representative, burger flipper, eBay entrepreneur or any other position? Why is that? I believe it’s because they don’t want to.
I’m a retired major and hold a license as a registered nurse. My latest Social Security statement said I qualified for disability benefits of about $1,200 per month. Half my salary to sit at home and spend time on Facebook? If the president is re-elected I think I will become a taker and let those of you who work and support the president take care of me for awhile.
Albert Dow
Augusta
Debate history
The first presidential debate illustrates President Barack Obama’s usual strong desire to reach a compromise with his Republican adversaries, in spite of their clear objective of never giving him an inch.
His conciliatory approach is reminiscent of that of Britain’s Neville Chamberlain in 1939, who failed to realize that it would not work against an implacable enemy. Let us hope that for the rest of the campaign Obama uses the example of a defiant Winston Churchill, or that of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936, who referred to powerful corporations and moneyed interests as the “captains of industry,” and proclaimed “they are unanimous in their hatred for me, and I welcome their hatred.”
Obama must boldly confront Republican Mitt Romney for his many lies, distortions and frequent flip-flopping on a host of issues. This underlines the many occasions when Republican intransigence has cynically blocked legislation that could have provided much needed relief to the economic train wreck engineered under the George W. Bush administration.
Gene Clifford
Southwest Harbor
Yes, the 47%… Dont forget the 1%……
Some are in both groups. In 2009 there were 1,470 tax families making more than $1 million that paid no federal income tax.
BS…. Total lie buddy….Good one though..
Just google “1470 rich don’t pay taxes” and you will find many articles verifying Billy Fiske’s post.
Don’t overtax Stevey_Dee’s brain. Facts only confuse him.
Seems you accuse people of lying simply when they say something you don’t like. Why don’t you look into the claim before launching accusations?
Not paying federal income tax does not mean that no taxes were paid on a $1,000,000 of adjusted gross income. If your income is flowing from foreign investmets and you paid taxes to the foreign government where you have your investment you are entitled to a Foreign Tax Credit. There is nothing nefarious about this; I own shares of a Canadian Company and Nestle’s (a Swiss Company) in my very modest retirement portfolio. Each year on my U.S. tax return I have an entry for the Foreign Tax Credit.
I was just pointing out that the 47% is not just made up of low income people as some on both sides have claimed. You point out one of the many reasons one with higher income would not pay federal income tax.
Albert, my dad is a disabled vet. He would love to go out and work but is stuck at home. If he wants to sit on FB in between multiple doc visits and physical therapy appointments than who am I to judge. Your letter is ridiculous. If you want to collect your SS than go ahead. Most of those who do not pay Fed income tax are baby boomers who are collecting their SS that they paid into. God Bless.
Your diatribe is like so many of those on the left, defensive when it is not necessary.
The letter was not about disabled veterans or those physically disabled by illness or accident but about those able bodied individuals that are perfectly able to work but refuse to do so.
Thank you to your dad for his service, from one vet unable to work to another.
Your diatribe is just as predictable. You do not know about disabilities.
They do affect people’s ability to get and keep a job.
I DONT KNOW ABOUT DISABILITIES???? how dare you
I am more than half blind, have orthopediac problems that come from being hit by an uninsured motorist, and CHF. HOW DARE YOU.
If you did you’d be more understanding and realize not all disabilities are clearly evident and even those who appear to be of sound bodies are not able to keep a job due to their particular disability.
How dare you chew me out as if you were talking to a child. Your umbrage is duly noted. I will take your story with a grain of salt.
I suspect that I am speaking with a child, maybe in an adult body but still a spoiled and childish attitude.
I could not care one bit if you take me with an entire salt mine.
Mostly right, though he loses points at the end with his petulant suggestion – that he’ll become part of the problem if Obama wins re-election, rather than continuing to be part of the solution. Such partisanship is ruining this country.
Mr. McDonald and Ms. Norton, I could not agree more.
Geoff Gratwick was a great Bangor City Councilor: ready to listen, ready to innovate, and ready to serve all of the voters.
In contrast, Nichi Farnham helped spearhead the drive to disenfranchise thousands of Mainers by ending Election Day registration merely to help her party do better at the next election. She also backed a health insurance “reform” that allows health insurers to raise their rates by up to 10% without any requirement to obtain governmental approval. That “reform” has cost eastern Maine businesses higher group rates as their employees are older and more rural.
Mr. Dow- I read your letter before, in a different paper of course. I know many people that are disabled, some born that way, others from serious illnesses. Put in a position from no fault of their own. Because someone without the use of their legs can turn on a TV or use a computer that makes them less disabled? I know a very intelligent woman. Her brain is just fine but her body is falling apart. She could probably find some employment using that wonderful brain but finding one that has medical benefits to keep the body alive? That’s a different story. You should consider yourself lucky that you have options like quitting your job and becoming a taker.
Are there people abusing the system? You bet, but for many others it is their only lifeline. I for one would not want to throw so many under the bus because of a few.
Myamya,
I was going to respond to Mr. Dow’s letter, but you have illustrated a response far more eloquently than I could.
Mr. Dow: especially in the current economic climate, try getting *any* job if you have *any* disability whatsoever. Severe failure of empathy here.
James MacDonald, you are SPOT ON CORRECT. THANK YOU FOR TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT NICHI FARNHAM. While she may seem on the outside, on the inside she is a dye-in-the-wool right winger. She has voted with Paul LePage 92% of the time, a rubber stamp by any measure. She voted to end same-day voter registration, marching in the lockstep with the right wing LIARS who tried to LIE and LIE and LIE again about non-existent “voter fraud” when their real reason was to follow the ALEC/Heritage Foundation national playbook and try to suppress more progressive voting blocks. SHAMEFUL and WE WILL NOT FORGET IT. Good people of Bangor, PLEASE VOTE FOR GEOFF GRATWICK and get someone in there who will STAND UP for Bangor’s values and will STAND UP to Paul LePage when it is necessary.
Gene Clifford, as you saw, Mr. Obama took it to MittTwit RobMe good and hard in the next two debates. This is the President who has placed the toughest sanctions on Iran and ordered the good-riddence take-out of Osama Bin Laden. He has also taken down MANY Al Qaeda operatives. Mr. Obama is cool-headed, extremely intelligent, and darn tough. Don’t mess with the Prez !
Mr. Dow, you have confused disability with incapacity.
A disability is a skill or skills necessary for gainful employment that a person lacks because of a medical condition.
Having a disability does not mean one cannot walk, talk, hear, see, taste, smell, and touch. It goes far beyond the senses.
Mr Dow, good letter- even if the Libs responding don’t seem to think so
I see that ex-Major Dow is well on the way to becoming a triple-dipper. He will get retirement benefits from the military, nursing, and Social Security. Congratulations. Oh, and by the way, when he does collect these benefits he will become part of the 47% if he isn’t already.
Mr.Dow- You do not have to be a taker. You can go be a greeter at WalMart, the only ones who are hiring in rural Maine these days. Try making it on what they pay without becoming a “taker”. It will be fun and adventurous to try and live within those means without “taking” a little LLIHEAP or food stamps.
Mr. Dow—-You have much to learn about disabilities and how they affect a person’s daily activities.
How downright ignorant and condescending of you to assume people who are disabled are somehow not legitimate.
Many people who are disabled aren’t disabled with the benefits you will eventually receive. If you are taking in half of that $1200 you are moaning about then you are doing well, congratulations.
Now stop looking down your nose at those who have difficulties in life.