This week’s edition!
Politics
Enough is Enough: Caring for people in need is a two-way street
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
This week I ask the reader’s indulgence. I had hoped to go on to another topic, but suddenly fortune shined on me which, in the words of a current asylum seeker living in Lewiston, certified the position of Governor Paul LePage and myself.
Back on June 18, I wrote a column about illegal aliens (“asylum seekers”) that continue to arrive in Lewiston. The first few paragraphs were filled with sarcasm in an attempt to add a bit of humor to an issue that puts a fiscal strain on Lewiston’s property taxpayers. This brought a response, in the form of a Letter to the Editor, from Djima Aiman of Lewiston.
Before proceeding, I want to make it clear that I do not believe that Lewiston’s refugees, be they legal or illegal, came here to join the welfare rolls. Like those before them, they come to this land to seek a better life, which they hope to gain through hard work.
Enough is Enough: There are now two visions of the American Dream
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
I came to Lewiston 37 years ago. At that time, the major area employers—the mills—were shutting down and moving south. At the same time, the benevolent federal government partnered with developers, dotting Lewiston’s landscape with housing for the least (the elderly and disabled) and the lazy amongst us.
Centrally located with easy access to I-95, Lewiston had the potential of becoming a lucrative hub for the trucking industry. This would have substantially increased our excise revenues. But this never materialized.
Enough is Enough: Lewiston is in a Catch-22 over illegal aliens
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
It appears the City of Lewiston finds itself in a Catch-22 situation. Foreign tourists, carrying legal visas issued by the United States government, have entered our beautiful country and are smitten by her beauty.
While this is a compliment to our city, the fact that they no longer wish to return to their native land presents Lewiston with a problem. They have no funds to support themselves. Presently, they are relying on the generosity and benevolence of Lewiston taxpayers to totally support them in order to fulfill their infatuation of our city.
Enough is Enough: Graduates will fill the void left by the Greatest Generation
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
This week my wife and I attended our favorite yearly mayoral function, Lewiston High School’s graduation ceremony. It is heartening to watch these graduates approach the stage as children and exit, diplomas in hand, as adults.
During the ceremony some members of the graduating class were honored for their academic achievement. Several of these awards were very prestigious. Those in attendance were informed that many of these award winners would be attending top rate colleges in the fall.
Enough is Enough: Citizens, not politicians, will decide whether to merge L-A
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
This coming Tuesday, June 10, is Primary Election Day. Hopefully, Maine residents will flock to the polls to fulfill their number-one duty at American citizens: voting.
This is your turn to show your pleasure or displeasure with those running our state and country. Every vote counts, even if you’re on the losing end. Close votes tend to put the winning party on notice that their position could be overturned or rejected in the next election.
Enough is Enough: We will not forget the meaning of Memorial Day
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
This Friday, May 30, 2014, is Memorial Day. It’s a day set aside to both remember and honor our country’s war dead, patriotic women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice in order to insure a continuation of the freedoms we enjoy. But over the years it has slowly been losing its meaning.
Several years ago, Congress exhibited their solemnity of this day by changing it from its original date to the last Monday in May, so that federal workers could enjoy a three-day weekend. With the stroke of a pen, it was transformed from a day from remembering and honoring our war dead to the kickoff of the summer vacation season. It has gone from a day of solemnity to just another long weekend.
Enough is Enough: Look beyond school grades to see the real story
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
Whew! Thank goodness Lewiston’s school budget was approved before the Maine Department of Education released its school grades.
I would speculate that if the public had gone to the polls knowing how poorly Lewiston’s school system had scored, voter turnout would have been high, resulting in an overwhelming defeat of Lewiston school budget.
But, like life, someone has to finish last. Unsurprisingly and living up to its reputation as a welfare destination, Lewiston to the surprise of no one won the race to the bottom, thus reprising our all-too-familiar role of Cinderella. Immediately our evil stepsisters (the media and the affluent progressives of Southern Maine) began to focus on and publically dissect the composition of Lewiston’s population.
Enough is Enough: Working to protect the over-taxes middle class
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
He refuses to compromise. It’s his way or the highway. Well, boo-hoo.
For years the Democratic Party, along with Maine’s editorial writers, have shoved their vision of a socially just society, where people live in harmony and the government provides for everyone’s needs, down the throats of our over-taxed middle class. This wonderful idea, however, fails to recognize two major factors: money and human nature.
But this is what self-imposed guilt does to you. You were born white into a nuclear family, a family that provided you with food, clothing, shelter and love. Your home was warm in the winter and comfortably air conditioned in the summer. Your world consisted of manicured lawns, swimming pools, spacious neighborhoods and extended summer vacations at the lake or seashore. You enjoyed all this while the least of our society suffered extreme hardships. It’s just not fair.
Balderdash!
Enough is Enough: Lewiston must take a long, hard look at its budget
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
Today in Lewiston we stand at a crossroad. Over the past several years prior city councils, our city administrator, our finance director, our development director and the many entrepreneurs located in the area of upper Lisbon and Main Streets have worked hard to create a vibrant downtown—a downtown that has become a destination.
We have listened to our young professionals; these young professionals represent Lewiston’s future. We have added bike lanes to our streets, nature trails and parks in neighborhoods throughout the city. We are slowly, but steadily, putting into place our Riverfront Plan. The Balloon Festival and the Dempsey Challenge bring thousands of people to Lewiston each year. These visitors spend large amounts of money at local businesses.
Enough is Enough: Concerns voiced in coffee shops can create city policies
By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston
I ran for Mayor of Lewiston not for fame or notoriety, but because I was an irate taxpayer, sick of special interests and the liberal progressive policies put forth by academic and trust-fund elitists. Policies that ran counter to what the average person experienced every day. Policies embraced by spineless politicians that were opposite of the will of the middle class taxpayers that elected them.
I am a “coffee shop mayor.” I am not going to plant myself in my desk chair, which looks more like a throne, compared to the average executive’s chair, and hold court in an office to create an illusion that citizens who visit the mayor are in the presence of greatness, not their equal.
