After reading this it seems thier goal is only to increase the amount these people get. After all, it's for the children. I wonder however, how many recipients smoke, have cells with text and pic plans, internet, cable, xbox's with a bizzilion games, and have live in boyfriends. I would limit what can be purchased with the EBT card. I've been behind people in line at Hanaford's and have seen the junk that is bought on our tax dollars. On the 14th I was exiting CMMC from day surgery and there was a girl walking in front of me who was complaining because her friend spent her welfare money on not what it was intended for and had asked her for money. She told her mom(?) that she wasn't going to give her any. I also wonder how many children were the product of irresponsibility. Why should the public pay for that? I bet if the right questions were really asked and truthful answers were given the so called eligibility numbers would diminish. If help is truly required then the money should be better controlled where it goes.

If you recall, the Maine voters had a chance to cut the excise tax and it was voted down. I think the scare tactics from the left were the reason for this vote but nonetheless it was voted down.

Lets go over the "other "areas of lewiston that I wouldn't consider downtown. Sabattus St - bars, dumpy buildings except a few, a non profit hospital, run down gas station and prior supermarket that sits for years on the busiest intersection of lewiston, more dumpy buildings except for a few, closed businesses, another bar, a trailer park. Main St - an overpriced water fountain, dumpy mills that lewiston won't tear down, lawyers, another non profit hospital, dumpy buildings except for a few, a road badly needing a rebuild, empty businesses, and an overpriced offprice store that looks like the dumpy products it sells for too much, closed gas station, a bar, and a now closed restaurant. Lisbon St (from Canal St toward Lisbon) - a run down looking mill/flooring store, dumpy buildings except for a few, two malls, more dumpy buildings except for a few, social program building, closed businesses, a very large closed motel that was a haven for drug deals, a bar, tattoo parlor, smoke shop, another tatto parlor, bar ect... In the middle of city is a, yup, not for profit college. Between the hospitals and the college they own this city and can do whatever they want. I grew up on outer College Rd where I could hop on a snowmobile and drive it with out crossing a road, that is until someone stole it. I know what Lewiston was and I know what it is now. Shall we now discuss downtown?

I say the school department hire a surgeon just in case some has to have emergency surgery, a podiatrist in case a child has atheletes foot, an accountant during tax time because some students work you know, an archeologist in case a student finds a bone on their way to school, a cell phone repair tech in case the students phone breaks at school, a car mechanic in case a childs car won't start, a personal trainer to help them lose weight, a dentist in case a student has a sore tooth, and lastly a cobbler just in case your kid's flip flops comes apart. I'm sorry sir your kid got sick. Take some friggin responsibility and when you get a call that your kid is sick go to the doctor and pay for the visit out of your pocket. The school isn't supposed to babysit your kid, they are there to learn.