Support Thibodeau
I believe that Waldo County is most fortunate to have Mike Thibodeau as our state senator. He always has and always will look out for us and the best interests of all the people in Maine.
His business expertise gives him first-hand knowledge of how state regulations burden our business owners. If we can loosen up some of the inane duplication of paperwork and red tape that is thrust on them, perhaps the businesses in Maine will be freed up to produce more products, hire more people and overall improve the business climate and economic situation for our state.
According to those in the know doing the polling, the two biggest issues for people in Maine are lack of jobs and the economy. I respectfully suggest that we put Thibodeau back in the state Senate in November. We need him to continue the work he has begun for us to improve the economic health for all of Maine.
Linda Hoeschle
Searsport
Freeman for Bangor
I was very pleased to have Justin Freeman stop by my house the other day. I was unaware that Freeman was running for the Bangor City Council, so it was a great opportunity to learn about one of our local candidates. Freeman clearly laid out his priorities to me: responsible spending, taxpayer advocate and community interaction.
With a master’s degree in accounting and experience as a certified public accountant for a local firm, Freeman certainly is a strong candidate to advocate fiscal responsibility for the taxpayers of Bangor. By making the effort to reach out to constituents like me, he also demonstrates his commitment to community interaction.
This November, Freeman has my vote for Bangor City Council.
Sam Canders
Bangor
LePage vs. schools
I am still stewing over the Bangor Daily News Sept. 19 front-page article regarding our governor’s opinion of Maine’s public schools.
After working for the Bangor Public School system as a middle school administrative assistant for most of my working career, I’m thinking maybe someone should give Gov. Paul LePage a job in a public school so that he can see for himself how it works. To suggest that our public schools are not serving the best interest of the students is absurd and an insult. Daily, I watched teachers and administrators tend to the needs of all students regardless of ability. As funds were cut, teachers did not think twice about spending their own money to provide the supplies and extra materials they felt were needed to ensure their students’ success. I’m sure the same applies to all public schools in this state.
Why our governor would want to “embarrass our public school system,” as was stated in the article, is beyond me. I think in this case he has once again embarrassed only himself and the good people of Maine.
Please, I don’t want to hear that he is sorry for his remarks once again. I would think that someone who holds the highest office in this state should be able to articulate his thoughts and get it right the first time.
Dorothy Cerbone
Bangor
Bring back Smith sign
Bring back Stephen Smith in the window! As surprised as I am to hear myself say that, I’ll bet I’m not the only one thinking it now that a giant, generic law office sign fills the window over Giacomo’s downtown. When you drive down Hammond Street, the spot is extremely visible. Maybe Smith’s giant self-portrait glowering down menacingly on pedestrians and drivers seemed a little goofy and “small-town.” But Bangor is goofy and small-town; it was very creative and certainly original and memorable.
The new sign for “Lippman Katz Law Office,” by contrast, is just blight: ugly, thoughtless blight. The new sign, the first thing anyone sees of downtown as they come in from the interstate, makes us look parochial and cornball. There is no nuance, no creativity: why not just have a giant soulless advertisement for wireless phones? (Oh, wait, that’s already been done.)
Here’s my thought: there should be no window signage above ground level, unless it is less than 20 percent of each window pane (not the entire double-hung opening); the advertisement be only for the actual premises involved; and that it be “homemade” (i.e. not a national logo such as AFLAC or T-Mobile). The traditional side-hanging hotel or tavern signs would not be affected.
Whatever you thought of it, Smith’s sign gave Bangor more character: The new sign, I think we can all agree, is just an eyesore.
John Picone
Bangor
Vote to save money
I get tired of hearing the same politicians slamming their opponents and making promises that never seem to make a difference in my wallet. Why don’t they focus on issues that will make a real difference in our everyday lives and really do something worthwhile?
Winter is fast approaching and heating costs are a real hardship for the majority of Mainers. I have yet to hear one politician dig into the issue of why No. 2 heating oil costs more than gasoline. I watched the prices this summer. Heating oil is certainly not in demand in the summer, yet the price remained the same until August. And then it only went down 5 cents, remaining higher than gasoline. Taxes also are imposed on gasoline that are not applied to heating oil.
It’s easy to explain the issue away and let things remain the same. But that doesn’t solve the problem that this makes no sense at all. It doesn’t help me, and it doesn’t help you. Is there a politician who cares enough about this topic to take it on and make a change that can really affect the lives of the everyday Mainer? If you’re out there, let me know. You’ll get my vote in November.
Rudy Bagley
Hancock
Stop canned hunting
Born and raised in Maine, I’m proud of our slogan, “The way life should be.” Unfortunately, not all is as it should be. We still allow extremely cruel and unfair practices for the trophy killing of our black bears.
As a dog owner, I couldn’t imagine sending my companion animal into the woods to chase down bears. Packs of dogs chase a terrified bear through the woods until it escapes up a tree or, in exhaustion, brutally confronts and maims the dogs.
Trophy seekers also use the inherently unfair method of baiting, dumping millions of pounds of junk food in the Maine woods, training bears to frequent the same spot. This is tantamount to canned hunting.
We can’t stop cruelty everywhere, but we can help to stop it here with a yes vote on Question 1 on Nov. 4, the day all of Maine can become a less cruel place for bears and dogs.
Mike Angelone
Portland