Letters

Published
April 19, 2015

Letter to the editor: Trade agreement a classic example of corporatism

Much of America is watching Maine’s success with our Clean Election campaign. The basic concept is that we the people are responsible for determining our fate. That founding concept is now grievously threatened by seemingly limitless money poured in by corporate and special interests, some of it from well outside our borders. Now hold that […]
Published
April 19, 2015

Letter to the editor: Dechaine’s fate was caused by a fixation on conviction

I learned recently of an Alabama man named Anthony Ray Hinton who was exonerated of murder and released from prison after 30 years. Aside from obvious differences, there were comments on that case that reminded me of the Dennis Dechaine case in Maine. One of Hinton’s lawyers, Bryan Stevenson, told The New York Times, “We’ve […]
Published
April 19, 2015

Letter to the editor: The Ten Commandments, rewritten for Republicans

It would be a tragedy for the world if a nuclear deal with Iran, now on track, had been derailed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s crude attempts to control American foreign policy, cheered on by the Republican warhawks in the House of Representatives. Even now, implementation of this agreement is threatened who seem to […]
Published
April 18, 2015

Letter to the editor: Healthy Maine fund sustains health

Protecting the health of the public is the responsibility of individuals and of government, but one that the LePage administration proposes can be done effectively by primary care providers alone. That’s not going to happen. Think about this: Will your doctor show up in the day care centers around the state and help them improve […]
Published
April 18, 2015

Letter to the editor: Airline mega-mergers create predatory culture

Recently, CBS News reported that complaints against airlines are up noticeably. I think that the mega-mergers are creating predatory companies that are so large the people in charge are out of touch with their customers. I used to enjoy flying Continental Airlines and earned around 48,000 miles on my frequent-flier account. Someone at Continental promised […]

Published
April 18, 2015

Letter to the editor: Let’s pump water instead of oil through pipelines

The proposed Keystone oil pipeline is stalled in Washington; on that, I offer no opinion either way. But for a long time, I have thought about the possibility of building pipelines for another purpose: moving water. I hope I don’t sound like a crazy person, but with the recent news about the severe drought in […]
Published
April 18, 2015

Letter to the editor: How about genuine caring to fight substance abuse?

After reading a couple of Portland Press Herald articles on local crime, I couldn’t help but notice a common theme between some stories. It seems as though drugs and/or alcohol were somehow involved in these crimes. A man who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for drunk driving and killing a father had four […]
Published
April 17, 2015

Letter to the editor: Portland needs tenants’ advocate

I will be graduating from Saint Joseph’s College in May. I plan on living on my own after graduation. Until recently, I had never put much thought into what living “on my own” was going to be like. The tragedy of the fire that claimed six lives on Noyes Street in November led me to […]
Published
April 17, 2015

Letter to the editor: First, fund jobs for Maine’s needy, then discuss requiring work

Compromise is now unacceptable in politics, but compromise legislation often passes when everyone disagrees with part of it. So, regarding welfare reform, I propose the following. The governor and I agree that public assistance over time is disempowering and often self-perpetuating. We agree that getting people back to work is a top priority. As I […]
Published
April 17, 2015

Letter to the editor: Delivered during January blizzard, newspaper surfaces at last – in perfect condition

On Easter Sunday, while walking across my lot, checking on how the winter snow was finally disappearing, I noticed a plastic bag with a newspaper inside. When I opened it, I found that it was my newspaper delivered Jan. 27. It was in perfect condition, even dry and completely readable. I noticed the headline on […]

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Letters