Fix clean elections error
I am deeply disappointed in the minority legislators in the House who are holding up funding for clean election candidates by refusing to fix an error in the state budget.
The Legislature has already appropriated the money that’s at issue, but some unscrupulous lawmakers are using this typo to go back on the bargains they struck last year.
As a voter, who has twice supported clean elections referenda and who has given my $5 qualifying contributions to candidates in this election, I can’t believe legislators once again are interfering with the will of the people and threatening the integrity of the election.
I hope they come to their senses and pass LD 1894 to fix the error without any more delay.
Jacqui Deveneau
Portland
Hayes for governor
The current political climate of adversarial partisanship will ultimately lead to stagnation of growth. The midterm elections should not be about political parties but about candidates who will bring about a stronger future for ourselves and our children.
I fully support Terry Hayes for governor. I have had the pleasure of getting to know Hayes over the past five years, and found her to be an honest and thoughtful leader. She was elected and re-elected as state treasurer with bipartisan support in Augusta. As state treasurer, she worked tirelessly to ensure Maine residents got unclaimed money by reorganizing the process and creating an avenue to get the message out to them. Both parties in Augusta recognize her common-sense fiscally responsible solutions. When problems arise, she creates solutions that will move us forward.
She is a clean elections candidate who will not take money from outside groups. She supports campaign finance reforms and open primaries. Imagine that: a candidate who not only believes in clean elections but one running without outside special interest support. We desperately need leadership that understands fiscal responsibility along with empathy for the plight of hard working Mainers. Hayes more than fits that bill as she has worked to create solutions that are supported by both parties.
I hope that Mainers will investigate Hayes for governor as she in my opinion is the best candidate for the job. A candidate that is not afraid to put Mainers ahead of party affiliation.
Donald Cragen
Winslow
Clean elections in jeopardy
As a Maine resident, I am proud to say our state has the Clean Elections Act, which was approved by voters more than 20 years ago. I also am alarmed this program is in jeopardy.
Candidates are not required to participate in the clean elections system. Those who do must show they have community support through collecting a minimum number of $5 contributions by voters in their districts payable to the Clean Election Fund and then commit to finance their campaigns through this fund. This law enables candidates to run for a state office without being influenced by people and organizations who use their money to promote legislation that benefits them.
A June 21 BDN article reports that this program now “hangs in limbo” because of a technical error (a typo) in the draft of the budget bill passed last year. It can easily be fixed by a bill correcting the error, but House Minority Leader Ken Fredette said: “Many people in the House Republican caucus are not particularly supportive of clean elections.”
Failure to correct this typo will unfairly disadvantage many who are clean election candidates and amounts to legislative fraud in the upcoming election. Everyone who wishes to reduce the influence of money in our elections can show their support for clean elections by voting against those who are using a typo to undermine this very important Maine program.
Donald M. Kimmelman
Lamoine
Immigration crisis not over
I am glad to see that the president has announced an end to the separation of immigrant children from their families. What an incredibly cruel and uncivilized thing to do to families looking for a better, safer life in our most-fortunate country.
But the crisis isn’t over. The president isn’t known for cleaning up messes that occur under his watch ( Puerto Rico? School shootings?). What about the immigrant kids who are already separated, and how will the government undo the government-sponsored trauma that has been visited upon them? What about reining in the storm trooper tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and de-escalating the rhetoric about how awful immigrants (of color) are?
Jeff Sessions, Stephen Miller and Kirstjen Nielsen should all resign, and more compassionate people should replace them to do the cleanup. Then Congress needs to do its job regarding the complex challenges of immigration and our obvious need for immigrant workers and their energy and creativity.
Global migration and immigration is only going to grow as problems to be managed thanks to climate change, a historic trend that so many in Congress want to pretend isn’t happening. Congress is like someone taking a selfie while his house is burning down and calling the police department instead of the fire department.
Jim Owen
Belfast
US policy created immigration crisis
Many families seeking asylum are from Guatemala. They are fleeing violence from gangs, and they have no other option than to ask our help. Seeking refuge here has never been easy. Under President Donald Trump it has become impossible.
It is worth asking why conditions in Guatemala have become so bad that many families risk the journey and the harsh treatment they receive at the border. The U.S. has a long history in Guatemala.
In 1954, our CIA overthrew the democratically elected government of Jacobo Arbenz. This action was taken to allow United Fruit, a U.S. company, to continue its exploitation of Guatemala. Our country falsely labeled Arbenz a communist, and undermined a fledgling democracy to serve a corporation. This shameful action was accompanied by support for brutal dictators in Guatemala and the neighboring countries of Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador.
Cycles of violence have continued, violence for which the our country bears much responsibility. Our fellow citizens who refer to the unfortunate citizens of those countries who seek refuge here as “illegals” ignore the history of illegal behavior by our own government that has caused them to come here. We owe them a great deal. The very least we can do is give their asylum petitions a proper hearing, as required by international law.
John Spadola
Searsmont