By Robert E. Macdonald
Mayor of Lewiston

Bless me Father for I have sinned. I have been a bad boy. I have been accused and branded as a “hater” by our learned lecturers of the Left.
On Saturday I will be dressing in sack cloth, entering the Church by crawling up the stairs on my knees, while self-flagellating my back with a leather cord, begging for His divine forgiveness.
I will also be conducting a survey. I will ask Lewiston residents what color letter “H” (for “Hate”) should I be required to wear? Scarlet, the color of the letter Esther Prynne was forced to wear, is off the table.
I am a hater. I have sinned by questioning the veracity of asylum seeking individuals who claim they fear for their safety if they returned to their native country. I am especially skeptical of those who arrive on commercial aircraft with their luggage nicely packed.
I am a hater. I have sinned by my contempt for line jumpers. The Somali refugees fled for their lives, many with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, seeking refuge in refugee camps. Many waited for years in these hell holes for the opportunity to come to America. Why are line jumpers not made to wait their turn?
I am a hater. I have pointed out that amongst Lewiston’s poor, there is a small group of bums whose lot in life is to avoid work and obtain benefits by gaming the system.
I am a hater because I challenge the new math. When building a new school, if 60 percent is funded by the Federal government, 30 percent by State government and 10 percent by the local government, how much does it cost the local taxpayers? Answer: 100 percent. All local, state and federal taxes come from one origin—taxpayers.
This ignorance of math could be used to explain why the Left does not get upset when students cannot make change from a cash register.
What will be my penance? None! Because I have done nothing wrong.
In the upcoming general election there will be a lot of fanfare about reforming welfare. With a populace candidate named Donald Trump running, the do-nothing legislators of both parties–the legislators who cast their vote with lobbyists, not the people who they represent–will be on notice. If anything, let’s see if these legislators learned a lesson from Lewiston’s last mayoral campaign. Money does not trump informed voters.
In Lewiston, we have an abundance of community activists, or as they were called prior to Obama becoming President, carpetbaggers. Many, not all, vie for these positions, not out of some altruistic epiphany, but for a title that brings an imaginary feeling of self-importance. The actions of many of these groups help keep the welfare albatross tied firmly around our neck. Buildings become rundown and abandoned when their clients do not pay their rent and asylum seekers continue to move to our city.
These community organizers frequently coordinate protests and marches that attract more media than the public.
Since becoming mayor and partnering with city staff, we have taken down over 100 blighted unsafe buildings. We have continued to add life and businesses to not only our downtown, but all of Lewiston.
We will continue to do what is necessary to ensure Lewiston’s growth. This is not bullying or hatred. It’s enough is enough.