Shaking the Dirigo tree
I chuckled when I read the Jan. 5 BDN story on the political “upstarts” engineered by campaign chief Brent Littlefield. In my view, while Littlefield’s strategy was certainly effective in assisting the wins of the Gov. Paul LePage and U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, it is clear that the BDN and political pundits and the Democrats failed to recognize the mood and mind of concerned Maine voters.
Those of us who voted for LePage and Poliquin represent a sizable percentage of voters who supported what each stood for. I believe that fiscal responsibility was at the heart of that support. Maine has not had its fiscal house in order for years. Blatant examples were the lack of control over the Maine Turnpike Authority, the hospital debt, the state pension fund liability, the fiscal mismanagement of Department of Health and Human Services federal contracts (the $100 million-plus computer billing fiascos), among many others.
Working and fiscally solvent Mainers have shuddered at the proliferation of “benefit” programs that have fostered multi-generational dependence and abuse of such programs. We are reaching the point where there will be more people not working and “collecting” than working and paying.
My informal poll indicated that even some of my liberal and Democrat friends were swayed by the prudent fiscal actions of the administration in spite of the fact that they expressed dismay and even disgust at the governor’s often “crude” and bullying behavior. I suggest that the more than half a billion dollars brought under control by the governor’s administration was not “chump change” in the eyes of the “surprise” voters who helped return LePage to office for more shaking of the “Dirigo tree.” I can’t wait.
Peter Duston
Cherryfield
Medical marijuana regulation
New Jersey’s system of medical marijuana regulation, which requires all patients to obtain a state-issued patient identification card to possess and purchase medical marijuana, in tracked sales, is unconstitutional. Federal law still criminalizes marijuana. New Jersey medical marijuana patients must not be forced to incriminate themselves federally in order to obtain their medicine and be protected from prosecution under state medical marijuana statutes.
In 1969, the United States Supreme Court struck down the federal Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 on the grounds that payment of the tax was a violation of the constitutional right against self-incrimination (Leary v. U.S.).
It is fine if the state of New Jersey wishes to offer voluntary patient registration. But forcing patients to create criminal evidence against themselves that could later be used against them in a federal prosecution, to be able to purchase state-legal medical marijuana and have a defense against state-level marijuana charges, is blatantly unconstitutional. A valid physician’s recommendation is the only document that should be required for a patient to be protected under New Jersey’s Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act.
Maine should take note of this legal conflict and avoid repeating the same mistakes in their medical marijuana program.
Eric Hafner
Toms River, New Jersey
Greed and marijuana
More and more marijuana use legislation is being introduced in the Maine Legislature. The state of Maine should fine the federal government $100 or more per day for not enforcing federal law against illegal marijuana use. Get a societal grip on marijuana use or it will in time get out of control.
Love of money/making money for any reason, even greed, is America’s Achilles heel, as the “recent” housing market has proven.
Richard Mackin, Jr.
Millinocket