LePage has impeached himself
The circus continues as our governor has decided not to allow members of the public to provide valuable service to our state because he won’t fill vacancies on multiple state boards and commissions. This is yet another example of an elected official deciding not to do his job because he wants to pick and choose which requirements of the job he is going to perform.
Maine has a long tradition of members of the public volunteering their time, energy and talents to making our state work. Without this significant contribution by so many, government will grind to a halt in many areas of service that are critical to all of us.
When this latest stunt of not filling vacancies is viewed alongside all the other recent bizarre actions of the governor when dealing with the Legislature, one can quickly see the office of the governor has been removed from being a part of solving many of the problems of our state. In a sense, one could easily make the point that the governor has self imposed an impeachment of himself and, in so doing, has seriously damaged a basic principle of good government.
There are many who believe the governor’s multiple violations of the principles of effective and efficient government warrant removing him from office through formal impeachment proceedings. Maybe this isn’t really necessary because LePage has already impeached himself and moved the office of the governor to the back row of state leadership.
Paul Krohne
Belfast
Begin impeachment proceedings
The Maine House of Representatives must begin hearings to draw up articles of impeachment against Gov. Paul LePage, who has publicly declared he is not going to govern. He has delegated his chief of staff, John McGough, to deal with legislation beginning in January. “And if they need me, they can talk to John, my chief of staff, and I will give him the power to do legislating because we have no power there. It’s that simple,” he said.
The governor is correct, he has no power “there” — i.e. the Legislature — because he has willingly abdicated his governorship by not participating in the budget process; not acting on bills that, much to his displeasure, eventually became law; and by stating he will not nominate individuals to commissions and boards. He has arrogantly refused to participate in the partnership between the Legislature and the executive branch but will delegate that responsibility to an individual who was not elected by the people.
Several legislators began to talk about impeachment when the governor threatened to withhold public funds for the Good Will-Hinckley school unless the board fired Mark Eves, a flagrant abuse of power and misuse of public funds. The governor was instrumental in seeing to it that the president of the Maine Community College System was fired — another instance of the abuse of power.
Because Maine does not have a recall process, I urge members of the Maine Legislature to begin impeachment proceedings before our state government will no longer be able to function for its citizens.
Mark D. Roth
Bangor
Tom Lynn, American hero
On Sept. 15, the obituary of Tom Lynn appeared in the BDN. Some may not have given it a glance. Tom quietly fought on the battlefield of life, not in a distant land but right here in Maine.
Tom was one of the foremost experts on crisis intervention in our state. Tom once told me that with medical emergencies you speed up the pace. With psychiatric emergencies you slow it down, in order to treat effectively.
Wisdom was one of Tom’s many virtues. Tom was a teacher, a mentor, a colleague, a friend and beloved by all. Tom was as gentle and warm as summer rain. In an age of shouting voices and rage, Tom was soft spoken and calm. His manner and gentle words soothed people into calmness.
Most importantly, Tom was a loving father, grandfather, uncle, child, brother and brother-in law, cousin, friend to all who met him and who were helped by him, which includes me. While Tom was battling the illness that ended his life, he was the director of Adult, Family and Child Services at Community Health and Counseling Services. Tom spent his career helping children, adults and the elderly with wisdom and love. Tom served the people of Maine for 25 years.
How many hearts did Tom’s heart heal? My guesstimate is many, many tens of thousands over those inspiring 25 years. Because of the life Tom lived and the contributions he made, in my opinion Tom was an authentic American hero.
Joe Pickering Jr.
Former executive director
Community Health and Counseling Services
Bangor
Indigent defense failing
The financial requirements to qualify for the services of a public defender in Maine are so restrictive that a household subsisting on food stamps may be forced to hire their own private attorney if charged with an alleged crime. The landmark case, Gideon v. Wainwright, resulted in the government being required to provide legal defense to those who cannot afford it.
The Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services continues to fail our poorest citizens in their duty outlined by the Constitution and mandated by the Supreme Court. A family that cannot afford to feed themselves is hardly in a position to hire an expensive legal adviser who may cost upwards of $400 per hour. The moral imperative to provide legal assistance does not stop there, however.
The New York Times reported in 2012 that more than 90 percent of criminal cases don’t ever reach a jury in the United States. Our citizens are surrendering their constitutional rights in the face of a crumbling criminal justice system. This is why that moral mandate we have as citizens extends to ensuring competent legal defense and not simply fabricating another way to mass incarcerate the impoverished.
I call on our state Legislature to fulfill their duty in upholding the Constitution, momentarily forget their partisan strife and perform a service that will actually benefit the people of Maine. I dearly hope one of our public servants will choose to champion this cause and work across the aisles to do so.
Matthew Raymond
Augusta