To the Editor:

Recently I have been reading a large number of articles that give me great cause for concern over the Lewiston-Auburn area, the State of Maine and our nation as a whole. It would be impossible to address every one of them here, and I rather doubt that TCT would allow me that much space.

I did want to specifically address the problems voiced by Lewiston Mayor Robert E. MacDonald in his column titled “Political leaders are the culprits in the welfare mess,”which appeared in the July 12 edition of TCT.

The mayor outlined the influx of cases for general assistance. All descriptions of the masses descending on City Hall aside, the mayor outlines a severe problem, which the City of Lewiston—as well as the State of Maine—is not adequately prepared to address. The number of people now basically enslaved to Maine’s welfare system is monumentally high, and it just continues to grow with no end in sight.

At the same time we have a remaining Democrat stronghold in areas of this state, such as Lewiston, that produces politicians who do nothing to provide these good people with real opportunities to succeed.  Our Democratic representation in Augusta for the City of Lewiston is vehemently opposed to the values of freedom and entrepreneurship.

The idea that someone could choose to open up a business in any industry of their choosing, generate a livable income for themselves and potentially a host of other Mainers that they offer jobs to—and keep the majority of what they have earned in wages—is scandalous to them.

They are apparently okay with the huge “brain drain” that occurs when our most well-educated students say good-bye to this community and leave the state to seek real opportunity elsewhere. They value the Robin Hood mentality of stealing from the rich to give to the poor, transferring a huge share to the enormous government payroll that has to administer this redistribution of wealth.

If it is such a good thing that so much wealth is redistributed, then why are there families who continue on some type of welfare even after their five years of TANF are up?

That’s right, five years to improve their life situation under these programs, and the result is an even higher level of dependency and no significant increase in job skills or entrepreneurial training. I don’t see how that is helping these families, the citizens of Lewiston-Auburn or the local businesses that we strain with our inordinate amounts of taxation and regulation.

Let’s remember this: Robin Hood was a crook! It takes a pretty wicked gang of thieves to hold up every wealthy individual in the land and simultaneously injure the impoverished and vulnerable people that they claim to be helping. We have just such a gang of thieves hanging around in Augusta. Most of them call themselves progressives and liberals.

We have a solution available to us this November: Tim Lajoie, a candidate running for House District 74 in Lewiston.

Tim Lajoie is a native of Lewiston. He grew up in Lewiston, went to school in Lewiston, married his wife in Lewiston, and they raised their children in Lewiston.

Tim Lajoie has the character, integrity, wisdom and foundational values that will lead this community and this state in the direction that we need to go in order to reclaim our heritage and prosper in the future. Tim has a plan to help keep our children and our grandchildren right here in Maine, and right here in the Twin Cities, by enabling them to have great opportunities in their own back yard.

Tim is going to work diligently to allow you to keep more of what you earn, no matter what your income level is.  And Tim will work to make sure that you always have opportunities to earn a living.

This gang of crooks in Augusta has forgotten about the foundational values of this great country that led us into prosperity and made us the envy of the world. They have forgotten the foundational values of our Lewiston immigrants and natives that were based upon faith, family and hard work.

These are values that Tim holds dear. He has served this country’s military. He has worked in our correction system, he knows the struggles that our community faces, and he understands the problem. Tim has served this community and his local church with great energy, passion and joy.

He is exactly the kind of representative that we need in Augusta. Tim is a proud American and a proud Mainer. He would like to see less government intrusion into your home, your income and your business. He will work to that end.

I know Tim personally. I believe in him as a candidate. I have the highest regard for his integrity. And I have a great deal of respect for his self-discipline and work ethic.

You have a choice in November. You can choose to keep going down the broad path that leads to destruction for this community and this state, or you can choose to take the other road to greater opportunity and vote for Tim Lajoie.

Jeremy Brown

Canton