Welcome to another edition of Boos and Bravos, the catchall column of Here’s Something:
Bravo to the Pine Tree Quilters Guild for hosting another great show at the Augusta Civic Center last weekend. You may not think warm quilts and hot summer weather mix well, but the annual extravaganza is a major production with quilts and other fiber art creations adorning every inch of the building. The well-attended event, celebrating its 42nd edition this year, brings together fiber artists from around the state and region. If you love art and especially quilts, it’s a must-see.
John Balentine
Speaking of the Augusta Civic Center …
Boo to our new governor for acting like a typical liberal by running up her tab with no plan to pay for it. Gov. Janet Mills threw a $200,000 inauguration party at the civic center in January, but still owes the establishment about $100,000. She also may have violated state law by paying for the event with campaign money received after the Jan. 31 deadline.
Mills’ behavior isn’t surprising. Democrats are legendary for spending the state and country into massive indebtedness. Her new budget increases spending by more than 10 percent, from $7.2 billion under former Gov. Paul LePage to $8 billion. She and Democrat leaders in the House and Senate spent every penny in the state’s coffers (as well as projected revenues) in fulfilling their wish lists, and hopefully the economy stays together long enough for us taxpayers to earn enough money to pay for their spending spree.
It’ll be good when LePage, who helped the state recover after the debt-disastrous Democrat Baldacci administration and is now in self-imposed exile in Florida, gets back into office in 2022.
Bravo to the Maine Youth Fish & Game Association for holding a recent camp for kids interested in the outdoors. News Center Maine ran a segment about the week-long camp last week, and one camper said he’d much rather go fishing than play on a cell phone. Hooray for this smart kid and hooray for adults helping to show kids there’s more to life than hand-held screens.
During the segment I couldn’t help but think of the thousands of irresponsible Maine parents letting their kids waste away their precious summer days on a device. The kids aren’t to blame for their lack of activity and boredom; the parents are. Parents must realize it’s their responsibility to show their children what life in Maine can offer, especially during our beautiful summers.
Boating, summer camps, mountains, beaches and berry picking are but a few fun pastimes. To think some kids just sit at home day after nice summer day staring mind-numbingly at a screen should make parents feel ashamed.
Boo to presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, for predicting the economy and stock market will crash soon. By doing so, she is preaching doom and gloom for political and personal gain. She is selfish and unaware of how many people have their retirement hopes wrapped up in stocks.
Of course, Warren wants the economy to tank to bolster her chances of unseating President Donald Trump, who has done more to inspire consumer confidence than any president since Ronald Reagan.
Warren should keep her dreary thoughts to herself, because sometimes economies can rise and fall on leaders’ words. By casting shade on our strong economy, she reveals her inability to lead. Anybody can tear down, but it takes charisma and vision to build up. You can’t deny Trump falls into the latter category.
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