Letters

Published
May 6, 2015

Letter to the editor: Potential banking changes dangerous for the economy

It’s been six long years since then-Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke, then-Fed board member Janet Yellen, et al., unleashed the federal printing press. This action helped propel the cost of borrowing to a historic low, and the reward for saving has been eliminated. Now the banking industry has sent up trial balloons suggesting that it […]
Published
May 5, 2015

Letter to the editor: Don’t party on porches until they are up to code

Having worked on old buildings for over 40 years, I have seen numerous examples of dangerous underconstruction. The three stacked porches shown on the front page April 24 (“Death in fall adds to calls for housing office”) are a prime case. The accidental death of one man is terrible, but the potential exists for a […]
Published
May 5, 2015

Letter to the editor: Amend vulnerable parts of economic development tool

As a Millinocket-region business owner and resident who sits on the board of directors for Maine’s New Markets practitioner CEI Capital Management, I have a unique view of the program’s intent and demonstrated success. So I find it deplorable that anyone would abuse this powerful economic development tool, whether in my hometown or anywhere else. […]
Published
May 5, 2015

Letter to the editor: Don’t cut larger bottles from Maine’s deposit law

Four days after your April 19 editorial supporting L.D. 1204 – “Our View: Recycling finance idea no threat to bottle bill” – several dozen citizens lined up in Augusta to testify otherwise. L.D. 1204 is the beverage industry’s proposal to remove 32-ounce-and-larger containers from Maine’s deposit law and instead create a temporary fund to subsidize […]
Published
May 5, 2015

Letter to the editor: ‘Payday at the mill’ series sparks comment, commendation

The articles in the recent series by Whit Richardson, “Payday at the mill” (April 19 and 26), are excellent pieces of investigative journalism. As president and CEO of Putney, Inc., I would like to comment on the April 26 article mentioning us in connection with Advantage Capital. Mr. Richardson states that “Advantage Capital threatened to […]

Published
May 4, 2015

Letter to the editor: Eye contact isn’t enough to arrest someone

Let me start by saying that I am as pro-law enforcement as you can get. From 1974 to 1980, I was a patrol officer in a large city in the San Francisco Bay area. That was followed by a short stint as a deputy sheriff in Penobscot County here in my home state until I […]
Published
May 4, 2015

Letter to the editor: Welfare reform bill will increase poverty, homelessness in Maine

Efforts to reform welfare in Maine has been a hot topic for everyone since the re-election of Gov. LePage. LePage has proposed his bill, “An Act Concerning Reforms to Maine’s Welfare Programs.” This bill plans to set harsher limits on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and stricter and no usage of EBT cards outside of […]
Published
May 4, 2015

Letter to the editor: Obama should give details before vote on trade pact

Now that corporations are considered people, they are able to influence our elected officials in ways never imagined by the Founding Fathers. The present example is the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact put together by President Obama with overwhelming input from corporations and their lobbyists, with 85 percent of the participants representing business. Obama calls Sen. […]
Published
May 4, 2015

Letter to the editor: Medical marijuana proposal risks hospitals’ federal funds

The federal government hasn’t lifted its ban on marijuana or allowed for its (federal) dollars to be used in support of the use of drugs that (to the feds) have no true medical purpose or use. Most of the hospitals in Maine take federal funding from programs such as Medicare. Without federal funds, hospitals close, […]
Published
May 3, 2015

Letter to the editor: Let the dying decide their own fate

I am a terminally ill cancer patient: The perfect example of someone who would benefit from the passing of L.D. 1270, “An Act for Patient-Directed Care at the End of Life.” Believe me, I am in no hurry to die – I am only 55 and not even a grandmother yet – but there is […]

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Letters