Trump versus the establishment
It appears the Republican establishment and media have teamed up to destroy Donald Trump. I was amazed recently at a meeting to discover that most people there, if not all, were adamantly opposed to Trump. Though most watched TV on a regular basis, none actually watched or listened to any of his speeches.
It’s hard to comprehend that the Republican establishment would interfere with the nomination process by striving for a brokered convention and then inserting one of their controllable politicians as the nominee — against the majority will of the people.
It appears there may be a similar scenario for the Democrat National Convention, which appears to be heading in that direction as well. What a year!
Bob Leeman
Brewer
Bible teaches love
I am disturbed by the many Christians who condone the discrimination and persecution of gay people because the Bible says homosexuality is wrong but causally disregard many of the other rules in the Bible.
Women routinely teach male students, wear gold or pearls and wear clothes made of more than one kind of fabric, even though the Bible forbids them to do so. Farmers would think it absurd not to be able to plant more than one kind of seed in a field, as is forbidden. Shellfish is not to be eaten. If an engaged woman is raped, she and her attacker are to be stoned to death.
Sexuality is not a choice but a characteristic a person is born with. Don’t believe it? Ask a gay person. Do heterosexuals choose to be heterosexual? Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God and to love one’s neighbor as oneself. Bigotry and discrimination are not compatible with love.
Why can’t all Christians be an example to others and stand up in opposition to discrimination instead of promoting it?
Stephen Wiggin
Jonesport
Trump speaks the truth
Regardless of whatever people think of Donald Trump, he has done the GOP and the nation an invaluable service. While he is not the only conservative to be financially independent, he is free to embody the ideals of American liberty in defiance of political correctness, which I see as a form of encroaching communism or mass conformity from the global elite. It is this defiance that the American public senses and finds so refreshingly close to our Constitution, which we’ve missed for too many decades.
One thing is certain: The anger and criticism Trump stirs shows how deeply all other parties and candidates fear him and why constitutionalists love him. Could they have a common reason? Perhaps it is because Trump speaks the truth regarding the state of our country and its betrayal by the current leadership, and people recognize it.
Robert Bruce Acheson
Dixfield
Garland deserves a hearing
Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King deserve our thanks for agreeing to meet with Chief Judge Merrick Garland and for advocating that the U.S. Senate fulfill its role in the nomination process.
Without a ninth justice, businesses can be subjected to unnecessary additional uncertainty. Businesses suffer when relevant judicial questions are unsettled, especially in an agitated political environment. My business deals with largely discretionary assessment and treatment options for art and furniture that can be particularly subject to being “put on hold” in uncertain times.
I hope others in the Senate follow our senators’ lead and avoid further politicizing of the confirmation of presidential nominations. Maine businesses count on our leaders in Washington to do their jobs.
Dudley Greeley
Cumberland
Poverty is hereditary
Ruth Leopold wrote in an April 4 BDN letter to the editor about the privilege that upper income families have to be able to pass opportunity to the next generation. I think Leopold is completely right.
I lived a similar experience working for around $8 per hour while trying to get through school. The demands of classes and a rigorous work schedule made it impossible for me to do either well, but I had to work the long hours to cover the costs. I didn’t have transportation to get from campus to work. The additional time and money required to use public transportation made things even more difficult. Hours spent in public transportation drained even more resolve.
Poverty is hereditary. It’s passed down one generation to the next. If a family is unable to provide basic necessities and a student is required to work 30 or more hours per week to pay for school, it inhibits his or her ability to succeed.
That’s why we need policies that help lift people up. We need universal higher education, a higher minimum wage, a strong social safety net, universal pre-kindergarten and more ladders of opportunity. Giving more kids a fair shot is not only the right thing to do, it’s the best thing for all of our society.
Arissa Casimir
Bangor
Wall Street’s shady dealings
The Wall Street investment banks we bailed out after the economic crash in 2007 were able to deduct from their taxes the billion dollars in settlements they had to pay to federal agencies and regulators for knowingly defrauding their investors with worthless exotic junk bonds. That effectively nullified the penalty. And no one went to jail.
These huge “too big to fail” Wall Street investment banks had to be bailed out to prevent their bankruptcy and potential severe damage to the world economy. The Glass Steagall Act of 1933 prevented such a calamity until it was repealed by the Republican Congress when Bill Clinton was president. Now one can only speculate as to why Wall Street investment banks have collectively contributed millions to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
During the years it has taken for economic recovery, the tepid Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, enacted ostensibly to replace Glass Steagall and prevent shady business practices by Wall Street investment banks, has been largely ineffective.
While bashing Bernie Sander’s call for breaking up these behemoths to prevent future damage to our economy, Clinton has offered no plan of her own to resolve the threat.
Jimmy Chiddix
Waterville