Ugly truth
Why is it that if you think the Ferguson grand jury’s decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson, based on the evidence that was presented, was correct, you’re considered a racist? But, if you think the shooting death of Michael Brown, a young black man, by Wilson, a white police officer, was racially motivated, you’re not?
The ugly truth is: Racism is a two-way street and often the bigot is the accuser.
David Smith
Newport
Wage questions
A question. Which do you prefer?
1. Pay more for a service or product manufactured and sold by employees paid a living wage.
2. Pay less, plus taxes to an inefficient government to subsidize those on low incomes.
Ben Hoffman
Bradford
The clear choice
Columnist Alex Steed was correct in his recent column when he stated “Democrats failed millennials this year, so millennials returned the favor.” There is a lot of soul searching going on inside the Democratic Party post-election. Even Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, admitted his party’s large-scale defeats were because of a lack of focus on the issues that truly matter to people around the country and right here in Maine.
As a millennial, I was proud to cast my vote for Sen. Susan Collins. She is the epitome of a true public servant who pushes partisanship aside and focuses on getting things done for the people she represents. While Steed blames the Democratic Party’s lack of support for Shenna Bellows as the reason millennials abandoned her in favor of Collins, I believe it is because the senator ran a positive campaign based on her strong record of accomplishments. This is what attracted millennials, who are sick of gridlock in Washington.
A poll conducted by the Harvard Institute of Politics one month before the election found that a slight majority of millennials intended to vote Republican. While there are lessons for both parties to learn from the 2014 elections, I would suggest Democrats and other Republicans consider Collins’ optimistic, message-oriented campaign a model. For young people, Collins was the clear choice for a solution-driven, bipartisan representative in Congress.
Matthew McLaughlin
Bangor
Puppy mill dogs
Pet store puppies almost always come from the large-scale breeding industry, also known as puppy mills.
We at Maine Citizens Against Puppy Mills are told stories every week from new pet store puppy owners. They tell us of their new pets’ illnesses and high veterinarian bills. Some puppies have developed behavioral issues at a very young age.
Sadly, these heartbreaking stories are common. The Humane Society of the United States commonly receives calls from people who unknowingly purchased sick puppies from pet stores.
Despite the promises that pet store owners make and despite all of the seemingly official paperwork they provide to consumers, almost all puppies sold in pet stores come from puppy mills.
According to the Humane Society, “a puppy mill is an inhumane, commercial dog-breeding facility in which the health of the dogs is disregarded in order to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits.”
Female dogs are bred every heat cycle for the maximum amount of puppies.
The dogs typically live in small wire bottomed cages with little food, water or veterinary care.
When they can no longer breed, they are discarded. It is not surprising that the puppies these dogs produce are often sick.
Consumers can avoid the heartbreak of bringing a sick puppy home by adopting from a shelter or rescue, or by purchasing a dog from a responsible breeder whom the family has met and who has shown the family where their puppies are born and raised.
Ending the business of puppy mills starts with you.
Lynne Fracassi
Maine Citizens Against Puppy Mills
Casco
Start planning now
A search for industrial properties in Maine turns up more than 70 for sale and 100 for lease across the state. Headlines have been made and jobs lost at many of these facilities.
Many redevelopment plans have been successful under the guise of private developers, state development agencies and groups such as GrowSmart Maine — but there is still much work to do to develop creative solutions.
Perhaps a few of these properties would be ideal for large-scale marijuana grow operations. A grow operation will require a large indoor space, industrial lighting and water supply, and a local labor force that might be tickled at growing plants in a factory.
Mainers appear likely to vote on legalizing marijuana through the referendum process in 2016, with the help of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Group. By 2018, Maine could have a fully functioning system of production, regulation and sale of marijuana. Our public budgets would be thankful for an expanded and growing taxable industry, the Wellness Connection of Maine would suddenly be an enormous business, and sales records would be broken at Amato’s statewide.
If we don’t grow it here, come 2018, our retailers could have to buy in bulk from large growers in Canada in order to meet the increase in demand. Although this is four years away, entrepreneurs and policy makers should start planning so that we can keep as much of the industry in Maine as possible.
Ezra Damm
Harpswell