Letters

Published
May 23, 2014

Letter to the editor: U.S. ‘correctional’ system hardly deserves the name

To use the term “correctional” to describe our penal system is truly an oxymoron. The majority of prisoners’ criminal behavior is anything but “corrected” upon release. Bureau of Justice Statistics studies have found high rates of recidivism among released prisoners. One study, “Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 1994,” tracked 272,111 prisoners in 15 states after […]
Published
May 23, 2014

Letter to the editor: University of Maine System should mine rich supply of older folks

Regarding your May 20 front-page report on University of Maine System trustees approving a round of cuts (“UMaine System trustees OK round one of cutbacks”): Before I made a permanent move to Maine last year, when I earned a doctorate at age 74 in another state, a leading scholar working with AARP patronizingly called me […]
Published
May 23, 2014

Letter to the editor: Jackson abused his power; Obama just exercising presidential authority

Letter writer Ted Sirois of Saco (“Obama flouts Constitution much like Andrew Jackson,” May 11) worries that President Obama is violating the Constitution on a grander scale than President Andrew Jackson. There are many reliable sources noting that Jackson was an inflexible racist who was determined to remove Native Americans and to ensure the continuation […]
Published
May 22, 2014

Letter to the editor: Cutler underestimating voter appeal of LePage

Does Eliot Cutler have any advisers who can make him see that his candidacy for governor will put Paul LePage right back into the Blaine House for four more damaging years? When I mentioned this to Mr. Cutler one day on the sidewalk, his response was that LePage no longer has enough support to win. […]
Published
May 22, 2014

Letter to the editor: Schools so much more than a letter grade

Ranking schools – or assigning a single letter grade, as the LePage administration has done – is an insincere, cynical political ploy intended to prop up charter schools and dismantle public education. Politicians who beat the drum of school accountability believe that the essence of what great schools do can be captured in a single […]

Published
May 22, 2014

Letter to the editor: When Gov. Christie speaks, good grammarians cringe

I hope that Gov. Chris Christie’s English teacher doesn’t follow Maine news, and that Mainers won’t follow his lead on grammar. When he said recently, “The one thing they can’t say about LePage and I is that we sound like everybody else . . .” (“In Maine, Chris Christie promises big support for LePage re-election”, […]
Published
May 22, 2014

Letter to the editor: Candidates’ evolving views on issues indicate thoughtfulness

Both Mike Michaud and Troy Jackson have admitted that their views on marriage equality and pro-choice have evolved over the years. I respect a person who has taken the time to research, listen and learn and then evolve in their views on social issues. Both of these men grew up in Catholic homes in a […]
Published
May 21, 2014

Letter to the editor: Portland students shortchanged

The recent decision by the superintendent of Portland Public Schools to ignore his own snow day policy and make up only two of the five missed days incurred this year prompted the question: Are we getting our money’s worth? On the surface, there are still 177 school days (above the 175 required by law). However, […]
Published
May 21, 2014

Letter to the editor: King’s endorsement of Collins bad environmental choice

The recent endorsement of Republican Susan Collins by independent Angus King is upsetting to those of us who think that King has shown leadership as the junior senator from Maine (“Republican Susan Collins earns independent Angus King’s endorsement,” May 17). A short while ago, King went to the floor of the Senate with Democrats to […]
Published
May 21, 2014

Letter to the editor: Comment on comics no laughing matter

As a devoted reader of what used to be called “the funnies,” I have two comments to make about yours. Mark Trail of the eponymous strip is an environmental writer who often does battle with poachers and land developers. So far, so good. We are in Maine, after all. But in the current plot, having […]

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Letters