Economic development
Our state officials in Augusta can play an important role in creating an environment that is supportive of Maine companies. Unfortunately, too often policies and programs are developed by officials that have little or no business experience. They are motivated by their desire to get re-elected and maintain power. That being said, there are several specific areas where programs offered by federal, state and local officials can make a difference.
One important area is economic development. The primary goal should be to help grow existing businesses and foster the creation of new jobs. Too often officials want to attract “new” companies and they lavish them with over-the-top incentives, only to see them leave after a few years.
A model to consider would be the creation of an economic development board for each county in Maine that would be composed of local business leaders. Using “block grants,” they could work with companies to develop mutually agreed upon growth strategies. These grants would be multi-year and tied to the attainment of specific benchmarks, with an emphasis on job creation. Instead of rigid legislation, the economic development board would work with business owners to design individualized programs that spur economic growth. These grants could also support college-based researchers in the development, protection and transfer of technologies into industry via licensing or spin out companies.
Evan J. Segal
Rockport
Blaine House bully
Never in my 70-plus years have I seen such a bully in the Blaine House. He threatens, pushes, punishes, accuses, warns and all the other adjectives that we can use to describe a bully.
We try to teach our children in school to be fair, tolerant and not to bully. Maybe he should enroll in the charter school that he is pushing so hard for. When our legislators voted whether to override or sustain his veto, they dared not vote against him lest they incur the wrath and retaliation of the “Bully in the Blaine House.”
I have followed local, national and international politics since Mr. Cosgrove taught Civics at Freedom Academy. Thankfully we have not seen or heard anything like him in the past and hopefully not in the future. Gone are the days of Sens. Cohen and Mitchell. That is why we are losing a good Sen. Olympia Snowe.
Ronald Raymond
Liberty
Why my generation needs Angus King
When I speak with my fellow college students about issues that affect our generation, one fact becomes clear — we are overwhelmingly independent. Issues that keep our parents awake at night often do not matter to us, and the issues we find important are held hostage by both parties.
For my generation, memories of our parents reinforcing the importance of compromise are still fresh in our minds: (“If you eat three more carrots you can watch 15 minutes of television.”) Playgrounds and classrooms are dominated by compromise, a prerequisite of sharing and getting along. We learned in our civics classes that Congress itself was founded on the Great Compromise of 1787.
In our two to three decades of ensuing life, we have reaped the benefits of an extraordinary amount of creative destruction, as we become more connected and productive than was ever thought possible. This makes it difficult to understand that our policymakers spend time doubting the possibilities of new technology and arguing with scientists.
Our concerns boil down to one simple policy: we want a prosperous future in a clean world where we can live comfortably with friends and family. We are not scared by either big government or big corporations — although we recognize the shortcomings of both, we understand that the appropriate balance of power resides in the ability of our politicians to exercise common sense.
This is why my generation will be turning out to vote for Angus King in November.
Peter Drown
Orono
Gubernatorial definition
I have to wonder if the Blaine House has a dictionary. I have, and the definition of Gestapo is: “The German state secret police organized under the Nazi regime, noted for their brutality.”
It is well known what they did to the German-Jewish community and all other Jewish people. The current governor has compared some hardworking government employees to the murdering German Gestapo of World War II.
This only shows that a person can go to college, get a degree and graduate without a lick of common sense. I recently resigned from the Republican Party after 45 years for one reason and one reason only — the leadership of the Republican Party stands by and even tries to defend Mr. LePage’s stupid comments and actions.
From the silence of individuals such as Charlie Summers running for U.S. Senate, Jonathan Courtney, Kevin Raye running for U.S. Congress, and other Republicans running for state office, one can only believe they agree with his comments.
That said, I will not vote for any Republican that stays silent on his Gestapo comment. The way I see it, silence is a pure sign of agreement. If you don’t agree with his comments and don’t have the guts to say so, you don’t get my vote.
I long for the days when we had intelligent individuals with common sense such as Sen. Margaret Chase Smith or Bill Cohen, who would not have stood silent.
In closing, we can get rid of the sheep following the bully by going to the polls and voting in November.
David Crockett
Augusta
Hardworking
I have read with concern several recent news accounts that describe extraordinarily offensive comments made by Gov. Paul LePage in discussing the Internal Revenue Service’s role in administering provisions of the Affordable Care Act.
The employees of the IRS are among the most dedicated and hardworking in the federal government. Gov. LePage’s comments are disturbing on so many levels, but I am particularly distressed that he would attack public servants in Maine and across the country who come to work every day committed to giving their best for the American taxpayer.
We at the IRS take very seriously the duty we have to properly implement federal laws as directed by Congress, and we welcome constructive dialogue in regard to the implementation of these laws. But I must strongly object to comments such as those made by Gov. LePage, which serve no constructive purpose, and do a disservice to the employees of my agency.
Douglas H. Shulman
IRS Commissioner
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2012/06/21/living/the-way-we-get-by-filmmakers-tap-into-maine-pride-to-shoot-blue-potato-in-aroostook-county/ -” ‘The Way We Get By’ filmmakers tap into Maine pride to shoot ‘Blue Potato’ in Aroostook County”
“By Emily Burnham, BDN Staff
Posted June 21, 2012, at 5:06 p.m.
Last modified June 22, 2012, at 11:16 a.m.”
They were in the People Helping People Thrift Store when I went in last week to buy the excellent Reeboks I’m wearing now for a dollar – talking to the ladies there about the movie, which I believe they said will be about two high school seniors, one of whom wants to leave Maine after graduation and the other who wants to stay.
Hi Evan, nice letter and if you need a good hotel to come up and watch Sunny Side Up Films on location in the St. John Valley this Fall filming their new movie “Blue Potato”, check this one out!:
https://plus.google.com/112400045904463207721?hl=en#112400045904463207721/posts
The adults who are our “leaders” and the ones on TV commenting are some of the worst examples for our children to emulate.
Peter Drown – Interesting that you said, “the appropriate balance of power resides in the ability of our politicians to exercise common sense”. You are right, of course, but voting for King isn’t going to change the gridlock and selfishness in DC.
There’s an awful lot of whining about Gov. LePage’s Gestapo comment relating to the IRS. Get over it, people. The IRS has abused their authority for decades. Granted, the majority of IRS employees are good and decent people, there is a faction of the IRS that is brutal and unrelenting, and they will do whatever they can to prosecute even the most minor offenders, and a few innocents along the way. And if Obamacare gets implemented, the IRS will be given more authority to delve into our private lives. Don’t believe me? Just Google “wrongly accused by the IRS” or “IRS and Obamacare”.
Why would the IRS be any different under Obama? You’re being pretty ridiculous in what you’re trying to infer. Seems like your beliefs are hate-based and not reality-based as they should be.
If I may, did you do the website search EJParsons suggested? If you do you might find the answer to your question. If after what he stated and what you have discovered you still have not changed your mind, then please tell me why you think EJParson’s belief about the danger of using the IRS agency to implement Obamacare is “hate-based” and not “reality based”.
I’ve pointed out EJP’s incorrect facts (to put it nicely) time and time again. I asked a simple question that has nothing to do with whatever fringe right information that EJP scours the net for. The IRS isn’t engaging in a new practice. They work with tax code. That’s not new. Why try and imply that Obama is training the next iteration of the gestapo? Why try and equate tax evaders with victims of the holocaust? Also, the exception isn’t the rule. You don’t get to say that someone who may have been wrongfully accused suddenly represents the whole bunch who actually were criminals. I can find a person in a wheelchair, but that doesn’t mean every person uses a wheelchair.
I’ve very clearly outlined why lying and having opinions that aren’t based in facts are hate-based and yet you and others like you seem incapable of answering the questions of others DIRECTLY and doing so honestly.
I read EJParson’s comment again. He didn’t say the IRS was engaging in a new practice. He didn’t imply Obama is training the next iteration of the gestapo. He did not try and equate tax evaders with victims of the Gestapo. And he didn’t say the IRS abuse was only exceptional. Rather he stated it lasted for decades. It looks to me like these mis-characterisations of yours are all red herrings designed to create a false argument.
We get it, you’re trolling.
Yes, I sometimes troll when I go fishing for salmon. :)
You troll quite a bit on here too and it seems like at least 10 here agree.
I’ll bet you those same individuals are all liberals like you! To tell you the truth, I really don’t care if they dislike opposition. If that’s their problem, then they should realize they are free not participate in this forum for discussion.
No, they don’t hate the opposition. You screech about mischaracterization? Well don’t engage in that same behavior. What they want is reasonable opposition. You’re defending a man that compared the IRS to the gestapo. It’s ridiculous and shameful, yet you’re too proud or bullheaded to admit it. There is nothing wrong with being against Obama’s healthcare reform — but come up with real reasons for it. Trying to justify remarks comparing aspects of it to what happened during the holocaust? Come on. That’s shameful.
Oh, by the way, your responding to each one of my comments. Is that what you meaning by “trolling”?
No, because I actually address what you say and don’t pretend to be confused/ignore what I don’t like. Notice how you rarely do that? How does your “oh by the way” comment relate to anything I said?
When I returned to work after nearly a year without a job in the 1990s, I offered to pay my income taxes at $100.00/month. The IRS replied with a courteous letter requesting only $25.00/month. That small difference was instrumental in allowing me to pay other overdue bills. I now encourage anyone in a similar situation to be upfront with the IRS. They will be pleasantly surprised to find they are not heavy handed as you and others falsely claim.
I know of an elderly woman whose husband took care of all finances in their house including getting taxes completed. He came down with alzheimer’s and did not get hes taxes done. The taxes were finally done, but very late. The IRS fined them penalty and interest. The couple responded and asked the penalty be waived due the circumstances (they were more than willing to pay the interest owed), but the IRS denied it.
That is within the law to add a penalty, and very different from being sent to a concentration camp as Leplague implied. Perhaps had the elderly woman contacted the IRS and requested more time before the taxes were overdue, the agency might have waived the penalty. That was the case for me.
LePage implied the IRS sends people to the concentration camp? Wow, what planet do you live on? You and all your fellow name-sakes must be sidelined and on the dole on account of your demented minds. Of course you probably won’t know what I am talking about.
Obviously you skipped history in high school. That is exactly what the Gestapo did, sent people to the concentration camps. When anyone claims a US federal agency is acting like the Gestapo they are implying that agency is as brutal.
Exactly.
Your argument is a Trojan horse designed to deter attention away from the pertinent central facts. The problem with it is that no one – let alone the governor – implied or said the IRS sent people to concentration camps. That’s simply ludicrous. To see what the comparison was intended to convey, you need to look at the past history of the IRS to find out it used “Gestapo-like” treatments of fear and intimidation. Twist things all you want and disagree all you want concerning the benefits of Obamacare, your interpretation of the governor’s remarks is taken to the extreme. With that, his remark was just a comparison, not one intended in every aspect. Maybe you need to look at your grammar book again to see how comparisons are used in the English language.
Comparing any federal agency to the Gestapo is taking things to the extreme. The closest any in this country came in the last century was the internment of Americans of Japanese ancestry, when the IRS was not involved.
If they did not notify the IRS first that they would be late then the penalty clause would apply. Anyone can ask for an extension, or even file their taxes and at the same time ask to make payments. As long as the filing is done by the deadline the IRS will work with people.
I would be concerned as well that the new Consumer Protection Board (misnamed) now has the right without your permission or even knowledge to look at your financial dealings and relationships.
I suspect that if someone is refusing to buy insurance as required, the IRS would look at their finances to see if they qualify for an exemption, have another form of insurance through their employer, etc., or are wealthy enough but simply do not want insurance. In the latter case they would be subject to the penalty/tax on their income as allowed by the ACA.
I pay my taxes because I have to and it is the only way that I can give back to this country. Sometimes I pay for things that I do not like, like the wars that we have engaged in since Korea, but it is not the IRS who decides what we have to pay for. They are an agency that collects taxes, they do not create the tax code. If I pay on time, no problem, if I don’t file for a couple of years they get in touch with me. I have not filed for 2 years for reasons not important, i heard from them, I called them and had nothing but a positive experience and a whole lot of understanding and worked out a plan with them. So when I hit two potholes that could have broken my axle last week on town roads and all the other infrastructure problems we are having, I am glad to contribiute. You are probably ok withthe killing overseas but you want that to be paid off the backs of the poor and the shrinking middle class. You have a lot of nerve!
How did you get all that from EJ’s post?
It comes from multiple posts.
So it sounds like you occasionally get calls from the IRS to remind you you’re 2 years behind in your taxes. And your late paying your taxes “for reasons not important”, and that is okay with the IRS. I reckon you must call your Messiah friend Obama in the White House just to chat.
That is not at all what I said. I said I did not file but have my job take out the maximum so that I usually get a few bucks back at the end of the year. Not filing does not mean not paying and they were just reminding me that I did not file. I was advised by may accountant to call them to let them know I am working on it which I am and they couldn’t have been nicer.
Even if I had not paid I doubt that I would have been arrested, tortured sent to a concentration camp and finally killed over it as our intellectually challenged mayor implied.
Also….selective reading, twisted interpretations and dumb conclusions get tiresome.
Don’t you know that misuse of “Messiah” is heresy (in many camps) just as misuse of “secret police” is a travesty?
Sounds like you got audited. I wonder why?
Never been audited. And I always do my own taxes.
David Crochett, much has been said about the governor’s comment concerning the use of the “new Gestapo” IRS to force people to buy health insurance. If one reads the context it was taken from, it becomes clear the term “Gestapo” was invoked to warn people against the possible abuse by this agency to force people to engage in commerce or any type of activity. If you are old enough to recall, it was not so long ago when the American public was infuriated by “Gestapo-like” tactics of fear and intimidation used by the IRS against Americans being investigated by the IRS. In fact the outrage was so intense Congress felt it had to intervene on this issue to correct IRS abuses. You might disagree with the governor’s stand against Obamacare, but his warning against the use of the IRS to implement its intent is well placed.
Then why attach Obama to it? If you and the Governor’s concerns about the IRS, what does it have to do with Obamacare? There is no reason to suddenly be fearful of the IRS unless you have vicious intentions or are motivated purely by politics. Tax evasion has always been a crime — Obama isn’t the one who set that standard.
To answer your question, the IRS with a past history of abuse will be used for the first time in U.S. history since the Declaration of Independence to force people to engage in commerce, in this case, to buy an insurance product.
You didn’t answer my question. Why would the IRS behavior differently now under Obama? They enforce certain laws and for those who engage in tax evasion, there is now, will be in the further and always has been a punishment. Why attach this to Obama?
We don’t know for sure how the IRS will behave in the future. Its past history of abuse however gives us enough reason to believe it could return to its former ways. There’s an old adage that says, “A dog returns to its vomit”. As I explained earlier, the IRS is being used to force people to buy a product, something that has never happened before in US history. If the government through Obamacare can use the IRS to force people to buy a product, it can force people to do anything by levying a tax. The power Congress, the representative of the people, has given to the executive branch is almost unlimited.
I see you can’t answer the question. You’re trying to attach one of the worst moments in history to the President and to a division of civil servants with absolutely NO basis. That’s disgusting and shameful.
I’m sure it’s disgusting and shameful to you. Almost everything I say is disgusting and shameful to you. Nothing new there!
And the proportion of abuse out of all the cases handled is? Pretty small I bet. I bet they get more abuse than they give.
You should tell that to those being abused. I’m sure it will be a comfort to them.
For goodness sakes, we all know there is recourse if you think you are being abused by a public service employee. Unfortunately there is little recourse for our public servants.
The abuse was institutional, standard practice and was not something merely carried out by rogue IRS employees. Look, I think you’re just trying to make up an excuse for this Obamacare deficiency. I would appreciate your checking out facts before posting.
So I went to a Heritage Foundation 2007 report (the only one I could find that might shed some light on your comment) to see what I could learn about institutional abuse. They had some info from ’69 and ’73 and acknowledged that Senate Finance hearings led Congress and the IRS to make a number of reforms that reined in abusive collection agents and overzealous political operatives. Taxpayers are safer today than they were in 1998. So what institutional abuses are you talking about? Educate me.
You named it. It had been going on for decades until Congress saw fit to intervene. Nonetheless even after Congress intervened it continued for many more years. My point was and remains: The IRS has a past history of abuse that cannot easily be dismissed. You may not agree with LePage’s assessment of Obamacare. That’s fine, I don’t have a problem with that. But to accuse LePage of being insensitive to Jews and to the IRS is ridiculous. The IRS has used Gestapo-like tactics of fear and intimidation for decades. And Jewish suffering was in no way minimized by his comment, at least not any more than when Americans by the thousands – the media included – complained about “Gestapo-like” treatment by the IRS. Those were their words, not mine.
Exactly. It is in the past. Stop dredging. Blame Kissinger. Oh, another Republican using his power to turn a government agency to criminal activity. Imagine. That is exactly why we have three branches of government. Weren’t the Founders wise? I think we can agree on that.
You do not have to buy it. But you will pay something into the system that takes care of your health needs.
Candidate Obama promised he would not raise taxes or introduce new ones. Just after the election he pushed for passage of ACA that had numerous tax hike provisions in it, thereby breaking his promise. Enough said about politicians!
As to your point, the poor will not be obligated to buy insurance. They are covered under Medicaid. Everyone else therefore will be obligated to buy an insurance they will not benefit from, contrary to your assertion. Regardless of how you consider the situation with ACA, these people are coerced into buying a product.
Reagan and Bush promised no new taxes either. Get over it.
Yes they did but only after realizing the situation had changed dramatically many months later. In Obama’s case, his promise was broken no sooner than after being sworn in office. That doesn’t sound to me like someone who is honest.
Petty distinction. You don’t have real reasons to hate the President. You just hate him. That’s fact, otherwise you wouldn’t be coming up with these ridiculous non-arguments as to why when Obama does it he’s awful but when members of your political party do it it’s just fine. Have some integrity. Have some principles, will you?
Agree.
There are not tax hikes in the ACA. That has already been debunked on these threads, but in keeping with your pattern you refuse to believe the facts.
In fact the President has reduced taxes by between 3 and 4 thousand dollars a year for the average family but I do not expect you to believe
this either.
You’re right, there are no tax hikes in ACA, just new taxes, which is my point.
As to the tax reductions, these were payroll tax deductions intended as a stimulus. Down the road the Social Security system will suffer on account of it.
Not exactly on both of your points, but I will leave it at that.
Wrong. If you’re uncertain about information, look it up. Don’t spread lies. The payroll tax cut is paid for by money from the general fund, just the same way that the Bush tax cuts are funded. SS will not suffer as result. We will go further into debt to fund them however, but like I said, the Bush tax cuts put us into debt as well.
Whawell, why are you defending Gov. LePage’s comment on equating the IRS to the Gestapo? The governor himself has apologized. He has admitted that he shot from the hip and you continue to defend him. What’s with that?
I felt from the very beginning the governor had nothing to apologize for. But he did so just to keep the peace. No one has been able to explain to me why his comment was insensitive to the Jews or to the IRS that has a long history of past abuses.
That’s a bold faced lie. Just the other day several different commenters explained it to you.
The IRS has appeared at someone’s door during the middle of the night, separated husbands and wives from their children, put them into cattle cars and sent them off to be gassed? The governor himself has admitted he spoke out of turn yet you still defend him.
America is in bigger trouble than I thought.
The IRS used fear and intimidation, not what you stated. Those tactics were reminscent of those used by the Gestapo. That’s why the American public accused the IRS of using “Gestapo tactics”. Those are not my words. Check out the facts if you will.
“… the American public accused the IRS of using “Gestapo tactics”. The american public did no such thing. The Governor of the State of Maine, Paul LePage, in point of fact, did.
As I stated, the American public used those very words, including the press. Why the denial?
Troll.
Under “NATIONAL SOCIALISM” the Copyright 1986 Funk & Wagnalls says on page 308 (oops, of Volume 18) that under Hitler’s “New Order” trade unions and cooperatives were abolished, their assets were confiscated, collective bargaining between workers and employees was abolished was eliminated and strikes and lockout were prohibited.
“The ministry of economy greatly expanded existing cartels and cartelized entire industries. the banks were similarly ‘coordinated.’ Private property rights were preserved, and previously nationalized enterprises were ‘reprivatized’, that is, returned to private ownership, but all owners were subject to rigid state controls. By all of these and related means the Hitler regime eliminated competition. Ultimately the ‘new order’ was dominated in an economic sense by four banks and a relatively small number of huge conglomerates, including the vast munitions and steel manufacturing empire of the Krupp family and the notorious interessengemeinschaft Farbenindustrie, known as I.G. Farben, which produced dyes, synthetic rubber, oil, and other products and participated in or dominated almost 400 enterprises.”
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2011/03/01/politics/lepage-wisconsin-protests-could-come-to-maine-once-they-start-reading-our-budget/ – Governor LePage praises Wisconsin governor Scott Walker for abolishing collective barganing right for state workers
http://www.correctionalnews.com/articles/2011/02/10/cca-vet-in-the-wings-maine-considering-privatization – “Republican Gov. Paul LePage recently stated that he would consider privatizing the prison system in a bid to ease the state’s budget woes.” (5th paragraph down)
http://www.newmainetimes.org/articles/2011/11/16/follow-money-alec-ann-and-brothers-koch/ – “convoluted ties between the billionaire Koch brothers and Maine’s governor. ”
The pot calling the shirt black?
Whiterose, it’s kind of scary, no? That’s how conservatives work these days: accuse others of doing the very things they are doing.
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” ( – FDR) Letterreader.
http://www.iberkshires.com/story/31154/North-Adams-Commemorates-65th-Anniversary-of-D-Day.html – Marc Toureille was my boss for a while at a Williamstown company called Carol Cable which manufactured extension and power cords and Michele said she had been friends with my mom when I met her while I was a Pinkerton gaurd at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Museum.
http://www.amazon.com/Rescuers-Story-Pastor-Pierre-Charles-Toureille/dp/0299175006 – Pastor Pierre – Charles Toureille was Marc’s father.
Trade unions abolished? Sounds like a certain Midwest Republican governor who somehow won a recall election.
So you’re saying Penguin’s apology was insincere? Got it.
Mr. Shulman, with all due respect, are you aware of your agency’s past abuses? You didn’t even make any mention of it! You might think your agency is fine right now, but many people like myself are still very leery because of many sordid accounts by reasonable folks whose memories are still quite clear.
That’s disgusting. The exception isn’t the rule. I’m leery of anyone who finds a bad example and tries to smear the bunch with it. There is nothing reasonable about that. The IRS isn’t the gestapo. Tax evaders aren’t similar to holocaust victims. The IRS has never killed anyone, so they’re not even 1/1,000,000th as bad as the gestpo and they never will be as bad. Just stop it, it’s enough already. Quit defending indefensible remarks. It’s ridiculous.
Calm down now, calm down. It’s just a point of view.
So, your only motive is inciting to anger? Isn’t that trolling?
How many tax cheats were put into concentration camps? How many were shoved into gas chambers? Just curious, as I missed that history lesson.
No, he defended his employees. It is nice to see someone in his position not degrading those under him.
oh dear oh dear I probably thought too that I was smart when I was young and I thought it was great the young rallied for Obama; however his utter rush with wind in 43 States without proper research and understanding does not make me think that either he or King care about carbon imprints from the production, transport and construction of the wind turbines that ruin forever the untouched earth, forest, lakes and creatures of the which are the real things important to keep our system in balance environmentally- I do not agree that all Angus King is doing is for future generations to live in a cleaner better world.( each turbine takes 400 gallons of oil to run and require back up from other types of fuel) Time will tell. And good for you for not being afraid of corporations but I am not really sure what you mean by that-they trick poor people to follow their agenda and I believe that taking advantage of others is not ethical. That is my take on it. again, time will tell..but one thing is sure King is bloody rich from the wind turbines that have torn apart communities, forests and birds.
Good for you Mr. Shulman. Sticking up for your employees. Wish our governor would do the same for his.
David Crockett you brought tears to my eyes when you named two Republican Senators from Maine who would not have stood silent. Where have those of their stature gone? We have not only not heard from the candidates for the office, but unless I missed it, only silence on this surrounds Collins and Snowe.
Peter Drown I applaud your generations desire to move forward. I think Independents are the only way to make that happen. I hope you prevail. I will do what I can to help you.
To Peter Drown;
WOW! Isn’t it great to be young and idealistic and looking at life through rose colored glasses. At your tender age, you haven’t had to go out and fight for a job, earn enough money to support a family, buy a house, pay bills, pay taxes or really learn the truth about life. You have had whatever Mommy and Daddy could afford to give you, and have grown up in a period of our history where everyone thinks they are somehow ENTITLED to a home, food, electricity, a car, a job . . . . . I could go on and on. But that entitlement society, which Angus King pushed when he was Governor left Maine’s citizens severely in debt and forced all the meaningful industry out of the state. That industry provided JOBS, TAXES and security for the residents of our great state. Since he left office, Angus has entrenched himself and his family into one of the biggest scams to hit this State in history. He is collecting tax money and putting it into his pocket at the expense of CMP and Bangor Hydro customers. Don’t believe it? Both those utilities just raised their rates by 20 and 12 % to cover a new grid we don’t need, and will be inadequate when it is finished.
Do a little research, if they taught you how, and find out just how much CO2 is being saved by the Wind Projects. You might find we produce here in Maine more clean energy than any other state in the union and produce twice as much as we need. We sequester more CO2 per capita than any other state in the union. These Wind Towers do NOT provide Mainers Jobs (they are made in denmark), do NOT produce effective energy, is two to four times as expensive as gas, biomass or hydro, cannot be supported without huge subsidies and destroy the “Clean Environment” you so eagerly seek.
Angus King is only looking out for himself and his family to perpetuate this fraud on or State.
Rose colored glasses may be preferable to blinders.
Yes, Peter Downs and many others will vote for Angus King based on name recognition and the Independent label, but with little true knowledge of King himself.
Evidently many do not realize that King is actually a left wing democrat who will go to Washington supporting Obama and help to shovel more subsidy tax dollars to his buddies engaged in wind power development and the further destruction of Maine.
I suppose you would rather have a right wing yes man to Grover Norquist. One who will walk lockstep with the extreme rigtht.
Patom1 . . . . yes I would!!!!!!!
Peter
Angus can spend money like a drunken sailor. He’s an old man with an immense fortune which he obtained from exploiting the energy market. He is a Scallywag from Virginia, a big-time opportunist, and a venture capitalist who makes money by investing where government will be buying. If it wasn’t politics, it would be called insider trading.
True idealism needs a youthful outlook. King is not worthy of your support.
I remember idealism. I cast my first vote for Jerry Brown 1n 1992. Older now, I am seeking a greater level of security. King wouldn’t be my choice EXCEPT for the Sandy Dill/ Charlie Summers factor.
I do not pretend that my vote for King will be an “idealistic choice” I will simply be voting against the other two.
I feel the same. The other candidates represent the two extremes and neither is palatable. Unfortunately, I also tend to vote against candiates because I can rarely find a candidate I fully support.
I agree with and appreciate the letters from David Crockett and Ronald Raymond. LePage is not only a bully, but a huge disgrace to the State of Maine. Unbelieveable those who will still defend the ignorance of LePage. His comments reflect badly on all Mainers. When the national news starts picking up the stories with his comments, you KNOW how ridiculous his crude comments are- and that it is a true embarassment to Maine.
Backtracking and “apologizing” after a huge outcry mean nothing as the words are already out there and we know he spoke his mind (or what little bit of it he has). Yet, LePage wants to stand front and center and say he is against abuse and bullying. He is a prime example of a bully.
It is high time someone tells this bully that he is NOT the dictator of Maine and there are rules and protocol to follow, let alone common sense and courtesy. It will be a bright day in Maine when he leaves the Govenor’s office.
It’s not only LePage. http://www.dirigoblue.com/2012/07/rep-ryan-harmon-describes-obamacare-as-fascist/
Douglas H. Shulman
Your agency is full of thugs and bullies and while I agree it is a bit overblown to compare them to the Gestapo (yet) they sure have the potential.
Nonsense.
Peter Drown, I applaud and am encouraged by your involvement in civic matters. We need ALL generations of age to sit up and pay attention to what’s going on around them. But, I think your belief that Angus King is the answer to any political quandaries is naive.
I might have agreed with you some time ago, before I learned more about Angus King, often first hand. Mr. King can be, no doubt, a remarkably affable and engaging individual. From your letter, I suspect you’re also attracted to his close ties to wind development. But, in my part of rural Maine, where Mr. King had his sights set on a big wind payday, his persona has worn revealingly thin.
When Mr. King’s personal finances were at stake, the well-being and interests of those negatively impacted by his pursuits were pushed aside. After spending over two years engaged indirectly – and occasionally directly – with Mr. King, his partner, Rob Gardiner and their wind development company(s), one thing became very clear; Mr. King and Co. will do WHATEVER it takes to advance their own interests, despite the fallout with which others will have to live.
We’ve seen a very different Angus King than the one that is presented to us by the Maine media and his sycophants. Have you?
Mr. Shulman, Thank you for your service and I for one am ashamed that you had to write this letter.
Isn’t it pathetic that we’re supposed to consider LePage’s remarks a valid view point? Like being punished for tax evasion is suddenly tantamount to being a victim of the holocaust. It’s so disgusting and absurd.
What is incredibly pathetic is what has happened to our politics that has allowed a person of mediocre intellect, ignorance of history, a bully, anti art, and I am holding back here because if I say what I really want to say I will be censored, become a governor of a state and by the way enable the circus we had during the R. primaries and that another one with the same skill set (Romney) is even on the ticket. If we don’t get rid of them the next time around woe is us.
forgot to say that I agree with you completely
LePage: Maine’s Uncouth, Ignorant, and Disingenuous LOUT of a Governor.
Cut off his power supply this November by voting anyway but Republican.
Then he can only antagonize state workers during his final two years.
Peter Drown, I negate your vote for Angus with my vote against him.
Good letters all.