To the Editor:

Our schools engage in a daily struggle to educate our students. They struggle because students don’t make it easy: they act out, they get mouthy, they swear, sometimes they fight. Arguably, this is age-appropriate behavior; even if not, it’s not unexpected.

Still, the schools have to maintain order; they have to ensure an appropriate environment for learning and, even more important, they have to keep their students safe. So our Lewiston and Auburn schools, depending on the circumstances, assign detention, sometimes suspension. In Singapore, students are caned.

Previously, I unpersuasively wrote against suspending students from school; I was unpersuasive because, now several years later, our schools continue to employ this injudicious policy. My objection to suspension is that while it removes a disruptive student from the classroom, it cruelly sabotages the suspended student’s education and it increases the likelihood they will not graduate.

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To the Editor:

Let’s be realistic. I hope our local girls, Senator Craven and Rep. Rotundo, are finished patting themselves on their backs over the new state budget. (“Dems: Lewiston jobs, health care preserved in new budget,” TCT, page 1, March 1, 2012)

It’s just more Band-Aids instead of long-term solutions to Maine’s budgetary problems. They still do not understand that there are not enough worker-bees left to take care of the ever-increasing crowd of drones. Governor LePage was brave enough to face the state’s problems, but our representatives were more interested in getting pats on their heads and credits for their party!

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To the Editor:

In this election year, both Republicans and Democrats in Maine will be talking about jobs, jobs, jobs. There is one surefire way to get more jobs fast. Let Maine workers decide for themselves whether they want to join a union or not.

They should have the right to choose, not be forced to join a union that they do not want. Maine should become one of the 23 “Right to Work” states. These states have seen double the population growth of forced unionism states because workers go where the jobs are.

“Right to Work” states have gained 25 U.S. House seats since 1990. Why? Again, because people move to where the jobs are. Forced unionism suffocates jobs and makes companies less competitive.

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To the Editor:

The quote “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” is credited to Albert Einstein. I thought of his quote when I heard the news that U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe will not be running for reelection.

I knew what was coming. Sure, let’s round up the usual suspects. We all know who they are—former governors, wanna-be governors, present members of congress, you know the names—and watch as those folks all come to the feeding frenzy.

They have all done such a wonderful job with our state and country, let’s give one of them a raise and send them to Washington.

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To the Editor:

Public welfare is a societal invention requiring that people who work support those who do not. More important than the resentment this causes in some—and the loss-of-dignity it causes in others—it is wasteful and inefficient. Our society should, with minimal government interference, employ as much of its population as possible and enable individuals, each selfishly striving in their own self-interest, to benefit society as a whole.

Contrary to common belief, recipients who prefer not to work are a decreasing segment of the welfare population. For most, the reasons for unemployment are more complex. Many jobless lack the skills and education necessary for vacancies that plead for applicants.

Bill Gates, in a radio interview, stated that he offers a six-figure package for any qualified college graduate. But because there are insufficient applicants, he has to build and hire outside the U.S. It has been projected that by 2020 there will be 130 million high-skilled and high-paying jobs available, but only 50 million Americans qualified to fill them.

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To the Editor:

It is an absolute outrage that the Maine State GOP thinks that with only 83% of Maine’s votes for the 2012 Presidential Preference Poll, that they can discredit the potential votes of 8,000 members of their party, especially with only 194 votes between first and second place.

It is even more of an outrage that the Maine State GOP can ‘call’ a winner based on only that 83% reported. At a time when the GOP needs to come together more than ever to clear out the current Obama administration, and at a time when the GOP needs to gain strength and the trust of it’s members, it has made a blatant and irreversible mistake.

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To the Editor:

Friends, who nevertheless enjoy seeing me squirm, have challenged me to propose a way to solve the problems of public welfare. Accordingly, since I am not an expert, the nature of this suggestion, and any others I may propose, will be the caliber of those that heatedly pass around the table when retired men gather on early mornings over coffee for the opportunity to playfully harangue each other while collaterally solving world problems.

I recognize that proposing a solution will obviously not be as easy as it was, when earlier I blithely recommended reducing welfare. I also know that when considering a solution it soon becomes obvious that solving welfare problems first requires a solution for health care.

Both the illnesses we encounter and their expenses are unpredictable. This is the attraction of medical insurance; a catastrophic illness can bankrupt any but the wealthiest. Thus, medical insurance is the inventive vehicle that allows individuals and families to jointly assume and average the cost of medical expenses, while unintentionally enriching insurance companies and their executives.

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To the Editor:

I am delighted to hear about the “Riverfront Redevelopment Initiative.” What a great way to boost Lewiston’s image. Having lived in Lewiston for a good part of my life, I still maintain strong family, community and business ties there, even though I now live and work in New York City.

Over the years, I have closely followed Lewiston’s economic ups and downs as well as the city’s efforts to attract more business and economic development. I have traveled extensively throughout New England, and I am familiar with other successful redevelopment riverfront projects such as those in Manchester, N.H. and Pawtucket, R.I. I always hoped that someday Lewiston would follow suit. It is evident that there has been significant social, cultural and economic rebirth in these once struggling cities.

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To The Editor:

I read with great interest John Turner’s Letter to the Editor in your January 5, 2012 edition (“Democrats have their heads in the sand about Maine’s financial mess”).

Mr. Turner asks us how Maine became the poorest, highest-taxed and a state that is going through a population decline. He then spends many paragraphs explaining to us what is wrong, why it happened and who is to blame (Democrats).

What we have suffered as a state, in terms of economic decline and economic instability, is not unique to Maine. Many industrial-based states have suffered the same circumstances.

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To the Editor:

What have they done with our mayor? Someone else pretending to be Robert Macdonald delivered a politically correct inaugural address. It wasn’t the Robert Macdonald I voted for.

During the election campaign, my candidate boldly and perhaps courageously said what he was thinking. And, whether I agreed or disagreed, I was comforted in knowing who he was. Long ago, I tired of politicians who carefully offended no one, who deftly worded their responses to questions to ensure the answers contained no substance.

It’s impossible to get a straight and honest answer out of them—even if you hold them down and twist their arms. Unfortunately, since they don’t offend most voters, these politicians are elected, reelected and able to remain effective agents for their lobbyists while they continue to create more societal problems than they solve. Read the rest of this entry »