Details are still being worked out about the financial rescue plan. From what we know already it seems to me more as a rescue of the speculators at banks and mortgage institutions than an effort to help the homeowners. That is the way the stock… Read More
How can we ever trust Sen. Susan Collins again? If you recall, when she first announced that she was running for the U.S. Senate, she announced publicly and in the newspapers that if she is elected she will serve two terms and retire. Well, her… Read More
On Tuesday, the Land Use Regulation Commission began deliberations on Plum Creek’s development proposal for the Moosehead Region. Today, they will continue their discussion. The majority of the 1,700 citizen-submitted comments are against the project, with very few supporting it. The voice of the people… Read More
Blaming the Democratic Congress for $4 gas is ridiculous. Most of us know it’s the GOP which pushed back against higher mileage standards for years and that Democrats finally forced a change last year. And it was a Republican Congress and administration which reduced oversight on oil-price speculation,… Read More
In the letter “McCain’s trade” (BDN, Sept. 15), a reader from Dedham recently described Eisenhower as “an example of a weak president.” I don’t know if the gentleman lived through the Eisenhower administration or not, but I did. Some of the “weaknesses” of President Eisenhower… Read More
I was relieved to read the “Prescription to Talk” editorial (BDN, Sept. 13-14), an insightful description of the situation in Machias regarding the Down East Community Hospital. The concerns of the people of the Machias area are not about the hospital staff that is presently employed; our concerns… Read More
We should not elect Sen. John McCain because he will continue President Bush’s policies. President Bush’s unprovoked war with Iraq has sowed bad will around the world toward America. As a result, he has increased, rather than decreased the threat of terrorism. He has flouted treaties against torture,… Read More
On Nov. 4 I will be voting for Steve Butterfield as my District 16 representative. I know Steve personally and I can’t think of a more honest, hard-working person who cares about issues affecting the citizens of Maine. As an aspiring organic farmer, I asked… Read More
Recently I discovered that John McCain and Sen. Susan Collins share a common attribute: dissembling, sometimes called bending the truth. In Sen. Collins’ case, in the Sept. 13-14 BDN, when asked why she supported John Roberts and Samuel Alito for the Supreme Court, she simply… Read More
Sen. John McCain has proposed a commission to reform Social Security. Recently, he proposed a similar solution to the current financial crisis. I am not against commissions. In fact, I was staff director of the National Economic Commission, a high-level bipartisan group established in the… Read More
It’s election time again. Each candidate blurts out personnel slander, back-stabbing, making fun of each other, and the list goes on. Just once I would like to see a clean election, an election in which candidates talk about the issues facing this country. I don’t care about the… Read More
Telling the truth is risky these days. Ask Amy Goodman. Amy, a gray-haired grandmother with Maine roots, spoke in Bangor on Saturday, Sept. 13. An award-winning reporter, Amy covers events not normally covered by mainstream media. At the Republican Convention she was called from the… Read More
The Maine Green Independent Party is dismayed about the rejection of organic farmer Deborah Aldridge for a seat on the board of pesticides control. During the hearing on Ms. Aldridge’s nomination, reference was made to her advocacy of a modest and sensible proposal to have a 500-foot buffer… Read More
Forget Father Pfleger. Forget William Ayers. Forget Jeremiah Wright. Forget Tony Resko. Forget that a community organizer has only minimal executive experience. Look at what Barack Obama proposes for our economy. Increase taxes in a time of economic turbulence and reject NAFTA (the latter indicative… Read More
As far as I know, the government’s major source of income is from taxes. It seems logical, therefore, that when the tax rate is reduced and a slowing economy produces less taxable income, as is now the case, that spending should also be reduced. Where,… Read More
Most Maine voters recognize that the Bush presidency has been a disaster for America. It is time we recognized how much Susan Collins has done to facilitate that disaster. Look at how she backed up Bush on the economy. Bush took a federal budget in surplus and turned… Read More
It was announced by Fraser Papers Inc. that Serge Sorokin is to concentrate his expertise and efforts on making Katahdin Paper’s Millinocket mill site a profitable operation. It is proper to concentrate a seasoned executive with high operations skills where the greatest opportunity is: the Millinocket mill site. Read More
Until her column was published in the BDN Sept. 8, I thought Sarah Smiley was a pretty good writer. Then she started grumping about her poor kids playing outside in 79 degree “cold” in their fleece shirts, how the movers mistreated her good china, and how the kids… Read More
I would like to know why fuel oil is as low as $3.169 down in southern Maine and as high as $4.099 in eastern Maine. The Web site www.maineoil.com shows oil prices in Maine. Our governor and representatives need to look at this and actually do something. Read More
Gov. Palin once supported the Bridge to Nowhere, but when she became aware of the problems earmarks created she changed her position. I guess you could call this a flip-flop. The Alaska Democratic Party credits her with killing the bridge. When the Senate had its chance to stop… Read More
Like most Americans, I was shocked when John McCain picked an unknown (at least unknown outside of Alaska) running mate with very little experience and very few qualifications. And the more we learned about her, the less intelligent that choice seems to have been. So… Read More
I am puzzled. Over the past eight days there have been daily, long stories about the theft of a mechanical gorilla from in front of a store in Machias. But there has not been a single report, as far as I have been able to see, about the… Read More
I’m writing in response to Dr. Erik Steele’s Sept. 9 column concerning the pregnancy of Sarah Palin’s teenage daughter. Some parents raise their children according to their belief in relativism. Others raise their children according to their faith in the Holy Scriptures. The former tend to be pragmatic… Read More
To see the Republican Party assume or co-opt the mantle of change is the most disturbing aspect of this presidential campaign. The assertion is so preposterous, the lie so great and bold, that any attempts to counter it appear feeble. Perhaps, rather than wasting precious time attacking this… Read More
As a died-in-the-wool Democrat, I must congratulate John McCain. In choosing Sarah Palin as a running mate, he has achieved what George Bush, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove failed to do: dumbing down the election of the president of the United States to the lowest common denominator. Instead… Read More
I have suffered from a mental illness since I was 20 years old. I have had weekly therapy sessions in New York, and now here in Bangor at Community Health and Counseling Services. Lately, I have been seeing my therapist twice a week. She has now brought to… Read More
It’s happening, again. I moved here recently from the tiny town of Chamberlain, S.D., where we, too, had a wonderful, small community-owned hospital that had been struggling financially. We, too, unfortunately, hired Quorum, as has Down East Community Hospital in Machias. It was a fiasco. Read More
It’s election season and some of the old stock phrases are being thrown around. We need to question the meanings of some of them. What does it mean when politicians say they are “pro-life” or support “a culture of life” while also supporting unnecessary war?… Read More
Would you feel safe with a commander in chief who thinks we could be in Iraq for 100 years, who sings “bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran” to a Beach Boys tune? A 72-year-old president who doesn’t remember how many houses he owns, regularly confuses Shiites and Sunnis… Read More
How should one feel when losing one’s home? I guess it’s a different kind of storm. You can see it coming and you can try to protect yourself, but there just isn’t enough sand to go around. I guess Bob Seger said it best in his song, “I… Read More
As a woman, no as a person, I was outraged to read Pat LaMarche’s article on Gov. Sarah Palin (BDN, Sept. 3). Pat LaMarche cleverly disguised her remarks as a person who can now read the mind of a conservative Republican. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
I want to hear the issues. I want to hear what the candidates will do about the economy, jobs and housing. I want to hear what they will do about health care, education and our crumbling infrastructure. I want to hear what they will do… Read More
I’m amazed at the abysmal ignorance of Americans who think they know what’s best for America. A prime example is the letter, ‘”Irresponsible’ choice” by Kent Price (BDN, Sept. 10). It took a decade and 17 U.N. resolutions to get Iraq’s dictator to disarm. Weapons… Read More
I would like to respond to my friend, Hayes Gahagan’s OpEd “Reproduction and responsibility vital to the U.S. (BDN, Sept. 11). This is an important issue in the presidential election, especially because Democrats and Republicans differ on the issue. Although most people have their minds made up, an… Read More
A huge brouhaha is in the news over a remark that Barack Obama made in describing John McCain’s policies. Obama said you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. It was clear he was talking about McCain, but the McCain campaign… Read More
Leave it to the party of Snowe and Collins to select once again for one of the nation’s highest offices an inexperienced governor from an oil industry state. With all their promises of change, as people head to the polls, they should remember for whom… Read More
Do Republicans have no pride? Last winter the Republican presidential candidates (including John McCain) ridiculed Obama for running on the theme of “change.” Now, they have grabbed the idea as if they are going to bring the changes America so desperately needs. Apparently they think… Read More
On the evening of Sept 8, rushing off after our family dinner, I was rewarded by the sight of the Orono Town Council voting unanimously to adopt a resolution opposing a pre-emptive attack on Iran without congressional approval. About 20 residents were present at the meeting – a… Read More
The pictures of the 9-11 attacks, shown on TV during the anniversary, make you remember how it felt back then. I remember wondering what kind of world my children would grow up in. At that time I don’t think any of us thought we would make it seven… Read More
Recently, I have seen some letters to the editor that have questioned the integrity of Sen. Susan Collins. I first met Susan 14 years ago. I’ve seen her work for us in and out of the government to do the best for Maine since she… Read More
I’ve just read ex-state Sen. Hayes Gahagan’s comments (BDN OpEd, Sept. 11) about America’s uteruses and the best way to farm them for the future world wars he sees coming and the joy with which he apparently welcomes them. I just want to say that… Read More
Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the Democratic Party (including Tom Allen) have had complete control of Congress for two years and all they have done is give us $4 a gallon gas. Mr. Allen is correct: It is time for a change in Washington. It… Read More
The Catholic Bishops’ document, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility,” has been misrepresented in the media lately. Abortion and euthanasia are presented as no more important than other serious life issues. The document itself instructs against applying “a moral equivalence that… Read More
In November I will be voting for Sen. Collins. The reasons are simple. She is one of the most influential leaders in the Senate, she has proven her ability to work in a nonpartisan manner for the good of our country and her effectiveness is unsurpassed. Maine needs… Read More
As the American economy deteriorates, the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin surges. Perhaps our economic pain, and the grim outlook for the future, help explain the rising poll numbers for the Republican ticket. During this difficult time, many Americans understandably yearn for… Read More
Ben Goodman’s op-ed (BDN, Aug. 24) regarding young people for Obama speaks volumes about our youth. Republican youth are also out knocking on doors, making phone calls and whatever is necessary for John McCain’s campaign. It is certainly inspiring to see young people involved in… Read More
During the years I lived across the border in New Hampshire, I envied the citizens of Maine their opportunity to vote for senators who exercised common sense and independent competence on issues affecting our nation. Now, as a new resident of Milbridge, I have the… Read More
John McCain is 72-years-old. Isn’t that the age a person should be finishing their term as president, not starting it? And is Sarah Palin really the person you want a heartbeat away from the presidency? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
As a teacher for many years, I turn to objective comparisons when making a difficult choice. I therefore propose that Sarah Palin and Joe Biden take a short quiz without prior instruction and share the results with the American voters. Using a blank world map,… Read More
The BDN’s Sept. 6-7 editorial, “Fewer Students, Districts,” needs some more information given the huge, and outlandish cost of per-pupil education in Maine’s public schools these days. Researching the NEA.org Web site I combined some data with the BDN’s report (salary data is only from the years 2005-2006). Read More
McCain’s acceptance speech featured attacks on Obama, a film clip of terrorist attacks (the usual scare card), and his oft told story of his years as a prisoner in Hanoi. He made no mention of the myriad problems facing our country. McCain has traded his… Read More
Congratulations to the Bangor Daily News for publishing the recent articles regarding the murder of Joyce McLain of East Millinocket. Nick Sambides Jr. did an excellent job of reporting the information contained in these articles. I was a resident of East Millinocket from 1955 to… Read More
As a nurse practitioner and nursing educator, I want to publicly offer my gratitude and admiration to Sen. Susan Collins for her ongoing support and advocacy of nursing and health care in her two terms as U.S. Senator. These efforts were recently acknowledged when she was honored and… Read More
It would seem that Sen. John McCain has created a storm that might become stronger than any of the season’s hurricanes, since he chose Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate – kudos for such intestinal fortitude. Sen. McCain was not my first choice,… Read More
It was 15 years ago that Sen. Collins and I were colleagues at Husson College. I remember how impressed I was with her work ethic, strong convictions of right and wrong and her ability to work with others. She was a true team player. Since… Read More
If the newspaper’s coverage of Sen. Olympia Snowe was an attempt to further endear her to B.D.N. readers, then it failed miserably for this old great-grandfather. The concept that the senator purports to represent all of Maine’s citizens while she and her spouse, ex-Gov. McKernan,… Read More
I’m writing in support of Steve Butterfield, who is running for the Maine House of Representatives in District 16 in Bangor. As we head into fall, we’re all worrying about how we’re going to afford to keep our fuel tanks full this winter. With prices skyrocketing and no… Read More
It must either be his time spent working for arch-conservative Tennessee Sen. Bill Frist or something I neglected to teach him that led my former journalism student Matt Warner of Holden to launch his unwarranted attack on John Knutson in the BDN (“Missed Opportunity” Sept. 2). Read More
I would like to respond to a couple of the more flagrant errors of Sen. McCain’s critics in the BDN letters of Sept. 8. First, Stephen Allen writes: “We all know why he picked [Palin]. He thinks she is going to pull in Hillary’s 18… Read More
Why are we afraid of have hydropower from our 3,000 miles of rocky coast waters where tides rise 20 feet twice a day? With cheaper electricity we could heat our homes, run hot water heaters, street lights, paper mills and give our college students jobs so they don’t… Read More
Before anyone hangs the derogatory name “redneck” on Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, remember we all live in a PC world with social rules that even Democrats are not exempt from. According to Wikipedia, rednecks are poor Southern whites who did most of the… Read More
What a risky choice John McCain made in choosing Sarah Palin for vice president. Only minutes into her first speech to the nation she lied twice. She told us that she said, “Thanks, but no thanks” to the $230 million for the infamous “Bridge to… Read More
It’s no surprise that Sen. Susan Collins’ television ads misrepresent Rep. Tom Allen’s record on workers’ rights. Collins has misled Mainers throughout her Senate tenure. Collins continuously distorts her voting record, supporting President Bush 85 percent of the time, while her propaganda machine portrays her… Read More
Electioneering, as manifested in the campaign promises of the candidates, brings out the disingenuousness of professional politicians. One hopes that Maine voters aren’t really seduced by their propaganda. For example: Collins wants us to believe that while she will reach across the aisle in a… Read More
Sarah Palin is a breath of fresh air and just what people have been asking for, for a long, long time. Now we will see if those who have been complaining will vote accordingly. Sarah seems authentic because she is a product of the best… Read More
As a resident of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, I have not paid much attention to the activities of Tom Allen in the southern part of the state. But now that he wants to be my senator, I have checked out his Web site. He goes… Read More
John McCain can’t remember how many houses he owns and thinks that anyone making less than $5 million a year is not rich. No wonder he and his running mate don’t know what a community organizer is; They’ve probably never met one. We heard a… Read More
Tom Oliphant of the Boston Globe once said the American electorate is a fool in the sense that it can readily be hoodwinked. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Are we, the American electorate, on the verge of being… Read More
I am a physician who interprets images from X-rays, mammograms, CAT scans, MRIs, plus other imaging modalities. What does this have to do with Susan Collins? Maine continues to experience a severe shortage in radiology technologists whose job is to obtain these images for diagnostic… Read More
According to the BDN’s bold headline on the Sept. 5 front page, John McCain told an enthusiastic Republican convention that “change is coming.” How fickle he is. For 26 years Sen. McCain has been a Washington insider. For the last eight he has been a loyal supporter of… Read More
It is interesting to note that two Maine airports, Augusta and Hancock County, received federal grants through the airport trust fund to improve commuter service. The airport trust fund is designed to improve air transport with dollars from airplane fuel taxes. It is also noteworthy… Read More
Interesting how quickly the tide in America can change. Unfortunately, we are seeing continued doubled standards with the left and the mainstream media, which are increasingly more like one. The attacks were not long in the making: “Gov. Palin lacks experience. She lacks Washington experience. Read More
I would like to bring attention to the election for the House of Representatives in Ellsworth, Trenton and Otis. My choice is Brian Langley, a local businessman, Boy Scout troop leader and former culinary instructor at the Hancock County Technical School at Boggy Brook. I… Read More
Tom Allen must be getting desperate. He’s resorting to trying to trick Maine voters into believing that Sen. Collins doesn’t care about waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayers dollars. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ever since she was elected Sen. Collins has worked… Read More
Regarding the BDN’s article (Sept. 6-7) concerning Bangor Savings Bank’s decision to discontinue auto financing: I purchased a used vehicle five years ago from a local dealer and received “on-the-spot” financing through Bangor Savings Bank. Yellow Light Breen states that the bank has almost no… Read More
John McCain is trying to reinforce his well-honed image as a selfless patriot whose only goal is to serve his country. The theme is fraying around the edges, however, with the admission in a recent memoir that in 2000 he ran for the presidency purely out of personal… Read More
Today is the first day recently that I laughed my butt off. I went into town to get a paper and coffee. While I was in line, I started reading the story (BDN, Sept. 3) about the kidnapped gorilla. I haven’t laughed so hard and so long out… Read More
The greatest gift a woman can receive is having a child. The worst is to lose one. When I lost my daughter at 42, I actually felt blood coming from my heart, but she at least had experienced love, working, making a lot of friends,… Read More
Having enjoyed John Pike Grady’s friendship for 40 years, I would like to add a few words to the feature article and obituary which appeared about this remarkable Eastport resident in the Bangor Daily News on Sept. 5. John was a staunch advocate for the… Read More
Bomb-bomb-bomb, bomb-bomb Iran. There you have it: the McCain foreign policy. This seems appropriate after the shock and awe bloodbath of the Bush years. Add to that the insatiable greed and unquenchable lust for power and a deep and abiding cowardice, and you have the sum of the… Read More
Sarah Palin’s convention proclamation that military “Victory in Iraq is within sight,” was highlighted in a subheadline by the BDN (Sept. 4) as a statement of apparent accepted validity, when it is in fact a meaningless slogan of the McCain campaign. Over whom will this “victory” be?… Read More
It’s all about power, not country. When we have politicians like John McCain who makes the most telling decision of a would-be president – and does so on a whim. Where is the respect this politician has for the intelligence of the citizens of this… Read More
Maybe women look for different things in men. Cindy McCain’s parents started a business from the ground and did well. This used to be part of the American Dream. Her father believed that a woman, his daughter, was capable to play an integral part in his business. Read More
Let’s hear it for Sara Palin and John McCain. The media got taken again. But let’s not forget the following: Facts: The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan go on and on. Iraq alone still costs taxpayers $12 billion every month; 55 young Mainers have died… Read More
Unless John McCain is very lucky, his selection of Sarah Palin to be his running mate will probably go down as the political blunder of the century. Although we will never see any, I would love to read interviews concerning the pick with Mitt Romney, Joseph Lieberman and… Read More
John McCain’s supporters say he has a great sense of humor. But are McCain’s jokes, which all too often ridicule, demean and degrade others, really funny? McCain has been quoted as referring to Leisure Village, an Arizona retirement community, as “Seizure Village,” and as joking… Read More
The author of the letter to the editor in the Aug. 30-31 edition of the BDN concerning Sen. Obama’s vice presidential pick seems to be espousing a deeply felt certitude: “Sen. Obama did not select his running mate last week. He selected his running mate 20 years ago. Read More
I’ve heard Susan Collins’ political advertisements frequently in the past weeks. These ads contain feel-good messages but do not reflect the kind of representation Maine needs and deserves. Sen. Collins says she is proud to have brought a large number of defibrillators to Maine, but… Read More
Carolyn McKinnon’s letter “Animal terror” (BDN, Sept. 3) reeks with childish emotionalism. More importantly, it illustrates the dangerously convoluted value system of so-called animal rights extremists who elevate animal life above human life. McKinnon objects to Frankie Trull’s condemnation of domestic terrorists who firebomb buildings… Read More
Why is Tom Allen bringing a Congressman from California to Maine to try and tell us how to vote? Do they think they know Sen. Collins better than we do? I know Sen. Collins and I know she is a hard-working senator who always puts… Read More
A recent letter to the editor claimed that AARP asked questions of Sens. McCain and Obama, and that Sen. Obama answered every question but Sen. McCain chose not to answer any of the same questions. This is not true. The Sept-Oct 2008 issue of the… Read More
While I do not condone cosmetic testing, I ask those who condemn all animal testing what their suggestion is for medical research. Should we condemn all those afflicted with deadly but curable or manageable diseases – such as diabetes – to a slow or quick… Read More
There are few things in life that are perfect. In baseball, Cal Ripken Jr. broke the long-standing record of Iron Man Lou Gehrig. Ripken’s present record stands as a monument to sports. However, there is a far more important record that has been established by Sen. Susan Collins… Read More
Who would have guessed that billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens and Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope would ever see eye to eye? That seems to be what happened last week in Denver, when these strange bedfellows agreed that the Pickens Plan for energy development… Read More
I read with interest Emily Cain’s op-ed “Increasing Maine wages key to future” (BDN, Aug. 28). I basically agree with her analysis but would suggest that more than increasing the minimum wage is necessary to successfully increase Maine’s average wage in a meaningful way. In… Read More
What a breath of fresh air! So many have waited to see someone like Sarah Palin elevated to the highest political stature of any woman in American history. It was not an office that she coveted as much as the office was so desperately in… Read More
I read with interest the recent articles regarding two important issues put before the Bangor City Council. In reference to the limitations on methadone clinics: Kudos to the councilors who voted for it and shame on those against it! One would have to live in… Read More
Does John McCain truly believe that because he has picked a woman for his running mate, the women in America will now vote for him? This woman won’t. John McCain has voted against women’s issues more than 100 times. Just recently he voted against the… Read More
About proposals of a four day school week: I believe to educate students in any subject takes consistent learning and practice. The more days in a weekly schedule would promote that. I am concerned about the education of our students very deeply, for my wife and I have… Read More
We first learned about Barack Obama’s disdain for small-town people in rural states when he described us to a group of wealthy supporters as “bitter” people who “cling to guns and religion” and have “antipathy towards those who are different.” Now the Obama campaign has… Read More