I'm so glad the first post was from someone who pays attention. Financially sound banks, which did nothing wrong, were forced to take the money too even though they didn't need it. That way the Obama Administration would later be able to say that they had to do this to avert a crisis. After all, look how many banks got that taxpayer funded bank bailout money. A person would have to be blind not to see that well timed lie coming.
Gimmicks are what "politicians" use to pretend to be working on a problem. Thankfully Gov. LePage comes from the business world and can most likely balance a checkbook. Members of the Legislature are only interested in getting re-elected and will try to use the same tricks the Obama Administrations uses to give the appearance of working on things. Cuts in our own personal budgets are painful but necessary. The State budget is no different. I can't print money at home and the State of Maine can't print money either. It's that simple!! Mainers can barely afford the taxes we pay now and more taxes aren't the answer. Fiscal responsibility is. And that means REAL cuts in spending, not gimmicks. The Governorship is not a popularity contest. He was voted in to fix the mess that we're in and that's what he's doing.
I think it takes a lot of nerve for Mike Michaud to kick off a tour touting 'Make it in Maine', or for that matter anywhere in the US. He has voted for every business killing idea that President Obama has put forth. Slogans and bus tours and the like are of no use. If he wants to know what the Government should do to help Maine manufacturers it's simple, make Government get out of the way and stop growing itself. Government doesn't produce anything, it just siphons money out of the economy. Pretty simple stuff really Mr. Michaud.
If Paul Lepage can break Maine's bad tax and spend habit then his lack of tact will not matter. Smooth talking politicians have gotten us where we are now. Fiscal responsibility has all but disappeared in local, state, and national politics (as well as people's personal lives). America and Maine have a nasty spending habit and it needs to be addressed. Paul Lepage displayed his rough character during the election cycle and was still elected so lets just let him do his job folks. He's obviously not going to be a butt kisser nor will he speak eloquently but there's much to be done!!
I'm in my fifties and I've watched the decline of what used to be called "the main stream media" since I was a child. The funny thing is that Fox News could not exist if all of these news outlets had actually done their collective job and simply reported the news rather than shape the it. I was raised in a Democrat household and remember trying to figure out the difference between Liberals & Conservatives when I was young. When I watched Walter Cronkite report I always wondered what his political leaning was because I could not pick it up in his reporting. I always found him to be a true "reporter", not a tool of any political group. So it came as quite a shock to me to find out later in his career that he was about as liberal as you could get. Now that was reporting! Ever since those days I've watched the so called "main stream media" throw away that credibility by twisting the news to reflect the political agenda of the left. I found it increasingly difficult to get the news without the slant. So now we have liberals are crying foul as Fox News presents the other side of the story since one can't get it anywhere else. And they're so elitist in nature that they actually blame Fox News and the audience's inability to "understand" the issues or to realize that we're being manipulated by the Right. Wow, these people just don't get it. Americans are not idiots who need the news spoon fed to them so that they can get what they should from it (like a "teachable moment"). These three "journalists" are the very reason for the decline of the main stream media. Sadly, they can't even report fairly on their own demise. And the colleges continue to churn out left leaning journalists" to replace the ones who've ruined their careers in their quest to slant the news, like Dan Rather. What a joke they've become...
Yes, you can help yourself and do great things like carve a nation out of a colony and become the only remaining superpower in the world. And Gates and Buffett (don't know about Koch) did just that, they did it on their own. And the reason you can't build a green energy plant without federal funding is that there is no financially viable way to do so. The world still has no way to wean itself off of fossil fuels. And when it happens, it'll be because of the free enterprise system, not some bloated federal bureaucracy that steals the very dollars from the economy that would help it. And, as I can see by your last comment, you're one of those people who thinks that if you have the nerve to challenge the president's ideas, you're a racist. Sad......
Your comments do show prejudice, yours. You obviously have something against Norm McKeone. At least you should admit it. No, I don't know what's in Mr McKeone's heart. He may be prejudiced for all we know but if he is he still has a right to holler at cars racing by. Your assumptions are just that, assumptions. You just want to push the racism narrative because you think it makes you sound tolerant, but you aren't tolerant Madeleine. You assume that anyone who takes issue with a man does so because of his race. And, by the way, yes I am cool.
Once again, shame on you Madeleine for jumping to conclusions. In your zealous quest to satisfy yourself that you aren't racist in any way you're weighing in on a subject by calling those who have genuine complaints racist. If that makes you feel better about yourself, that's awesome, but don't assume that you know what's in the hearts of others. For that matter, how do you know what's in the hearts of the Somalis? My assumption is that there is no malice toward us but I don't really know any more than you know what Norm McKeone thinks of Somalis. You don't!! A man (who happened to be Somali) acted inappropriately and was spoken to. Get over it!!
We in the neighborhood are irritated with anyone who endangers kids' lives by speeding (white, black, or otherwise). Who are you to assume you know what's going on? Do the 6 children you claim as the high count at all? My grand-children are out there all the time and I make sure that speeders know that they are being watched and possibly reported. Don't make this about race, by doing so you make it a racist issue when it wasn't. Being a "real community" does not mean that you fan the flames of racism in order to feel better about yourself.
Dear Irish Rogue, I'm sure Mr. Abdi is a great guy but that doesn't change the facts. Just as you know Mr Abdi, I happen to know the man who was told to go f*** off when he spoke to the Somali driver about his speed. He suffers from a heart condition and ended up at the hospital that night because he was so upset about the incident. And, as you can see by my editorial contribution (just above yours) I have no bones to pick with the Somalis. As a matter of fact I stand up for them regularly because bigotry does exist in Auburn just as it did when the Irish and French moved here. I believe in judging everyone on their actions, not by the color of their skin or in any other random ignorant manner. But it's unfair of you (and especially the above contributors who were so rude) to respond in a way that calls into question my neighbors' character. I live in a house which backs up against Walton field (my family home of more than 40 years) so I see everything that goes on out there. As such, I was sad to hear of the incident between my neighbor and the young Somali man because I see soccer players (not black men) who are usually very respectful of their surroundings (probably in large part because of Mr. Abdi's role). But these things did happen and they deserved to be addressed without the self-righteousness that many of Sun Journal's readers displayed without knowing any of the facts. I would encourage you to also consider that there may be merit to the stories of my neighbors rather than to imagine that they just need to be enlightened about race relations. They're good people who were betrayed by the School Department who told them that there would be no organized sports played at Walton anymore once the track was installed and the baseball diamond was removed.
My house is situated such that I'm not only affected by Walton traffic but the field also runs right up against my back yard so I think I have a better vantage point than Mr. Lhommedieu from which to comment on the field's activities. Mr. Lhommedieu's story paints a lovely Rockwell moment picture but it was one night out of seven. And, no, it's not bigotry or ignorance that makes people want their track to be what the school department promised it would be when they transformed the former baseball field into a neighborhood walking track. They said that there would no longer be organized sports played at Walton. Well, this is organized sports and it's seven nights a week!! And if you don't want to play soccer (like Mr. Lhommedieu's son did) but would rather walk the track, your out of luck. The goal posts are situated right at the edge of the track and the activity is hot and heavy. At the very least the soccer field should be running length-wise on the field instead of width-wise (as it is now). For my part, I have nothing against the Somalis either on the field or off. I find that (for the most part) they drive slowly past my house and look out for roadside activity (not something I can say about many of the young non-Somali drivers who use the basketball court). But in light of the many recent broken promises from the federal level on down to the local level it sure would be nice to see the city of Auburn and the School Department keep their word and leave this walking track out of the loop when it comes to organized sports. Is that really so much to ask?
Recent Comments
"Dead on" Robert
I'm so glad the first post was from someone who pays attention. Financially sound banks, which did nothing wrong, were forced to take the money too even though they didn't need it. That way the Obama Administration would later be able to say that they had to do this to avert a crisis. After all, look how many banks got that taxpayer funded bank bailout money. A person would have to be blind not to see that well timed lie coming.
Budget
Gimmicks are what "politicians" use to pretend to be working on a problem. Thankfully Gov. LePage comes from the business world and can most likely balance a checkbook. Members of the Legislature are only interested in getting re-elected and will try to use the same tricks the Obama Administrations uses to give the appearance of working on things. Cuts in our own personal budgets are painful but necessary. The State budget is no different. I can't print money at home and the State of Maine can't print money either. It's that simple!! Mainers can barely afford the taxes we pay now and more taxes aren't the answer. Fiscal responsibility is. And that means REAL cuts in spending, not gimmicks. The Governorship is not a popularity contest. He was voted in to fix the mess that we're in and that's what he's doing.
Taxpayers
So now we know who's representing city workers. But who's representing the taxpayer...no one.
Mike Michaud's Make it in Maine Tour
I think it takes a lot of nerve for Mike Michaud to kick off a tour touting 'Make it in Maine', or for that matter anywhere in the US. He has voted for every business killing idea that President Obama has put forth. Slogans and bus tours and the like are of no use. If he wants to know what the Government should do to help Maine manufacturers it's simple, make Government get out of the way and stop growing itself. Government doesn't produce anything, it just siphons money out of the economy. Pretty simple stuff really Mr. Michaud.
I love it
This guy is my new hero!
Lepage's quick tongue
If Paul Lepage can break Maine's bad tax and spend habit then his lack of tact will not matter. Smooth talking politicians have gotten us where we are now. Fiscal responsibility has all but disappeared in local, state, and national politics (as well as people's personal lives). America and Maine have a nasty spending habit and it needs to be addressed. Paul Lepage displayed his rough character during the election cycle and was still elected so lets just let him do his job folks. He's obviously not going to be a butt kisser nor will he speak eloquently but there's much to be done!!
Cocoon Reporting
I'm in my fifties and I've watched the decline of what used to be called "the main stream media" since I was a child. The funny thing is that Fox News could not exist if all of these news outlets had actually done their collective job and simply reported the news rather than shape the it. I was raised in a Democrat household and remember trying to figure out the difference between Liberals & Conservatives when I was young. When I watched Walter Cronkite report I always wondered what his political leaning was because I could not pick it up in his reporting. I always found him to be a true "reporter", not a tool of any political group. So it came as quite a shock to me to find out later in his career that he was about as liberal as you could get. Now that was reporting! Ever since those days I've watched the so called "main stream media" throw away that credibility by twisting the news to reflect the political agenda of the left. I found it increasingly difficult to get the news without the slant. So now we have liberals are crying foul as Fox News presents the other side of the story since one can't get it anywhere else. And they're so elitist in nature that they actually blame Fox News and the audience's inability to "understand" the issues or to realize that we're being manipulated by the Right. Wow, these people just don't get it. Americans are not idiots who need the news spoon fed to them so that they can get what they should from it (like a "teachable moment"). These three "journalists" are the very reason for the decline of the main stream media. Sadly, they can't even report fairly on their own demise. And the colleges continue to churn out left leaning journalists" to replace the ones who've ruined their careers in their quest to slant the news, like Dan Rather. What a joke they've become...
Oh really!!
Yes, you can help yourself and do great things like carve a nation out of a colony and become the only remaining superpower in the world. And Gates and Buffett (don't know about Koch) did just that, they did it on their own. And the reason you can't build a green energy plant without federal funding is that there is no financially viable way to do so. The world still has no way to wean itself off of fossil fuels. And when it happens, it'll be because of the free enterprise system, not some bloated federal bureaucracy that steals the very dollars from the economy that would help it. And, as I can see by your last comment, you're one of those people who thinks that if you have the nerve to challenge the president's ideas, you're a racist. Sad......
Madeleine, Madeleine, Madeleine
Your comments do show prejudice, yours. You obviously have something against Norm McKeone. At least you should admit it. No, I don't know what's in Mr McKeone's heart. He may be prejudiced for all we know but if he is he still has a right to holler at cars racing by. Your assumptions are just that, assumptions. You just want to push the racism narrative because you think it makes you sound tolerant, but you aren't tolerant Madeleine. You assume that anyone who takes issue with a man does so because of his race. And, by the way, yes I am cool.
RE: I can't believe this
Once again, shame on you Madeleine for jumping to conclusions. In your zealous quest to satisfy yourself that you aren't racist in any way you're weighing in on a subject by calling those who have genuine complaints racist. If that makes you feel better about yourself, that's awesome, but don't assume that you know what's in the hearts of others. For that matter, how do you know what's in the hearts of the Somalis? My assumption is that there is no malice toward us but I don't really know any more than you know what Norm McKeone thinks of Somalis. You don't!! A man (who happened to be Somali) acted inappropriately and was spoken to. Get over it!!
We in the neighborhood are irritated with anyone who endangers kids' lives by speeding (white, black, or otherwise). Who are you to assume you know what's going on? Do the 6 children you claim as the high count at all? My grand-children are out there all the time and I make sure that speeders know that they are being watched and possibly reported. Don't make this about race, by doing so you make it a racist issue when it wasn't. Being a "real community" does not mean that you fan the flames of racism in order to feel better about yourself.
Opinion
Well, you have a right to your opinion but the facts still remain.
I'm sure Mr. Abidi is a great guy
Dear Irish Rogue, I'm sure Mr. Abdi is a great guy but that doesn't change the facts. Just as you know Mr Abdi, I happen to know the man who was told to go f*** off when he spoke to the Somali driver about his speed. He suffers from a heart condition and ended up at the hospital that night because he was so upset about the incident. And, as you can see by my editorial contribution (just above yours) I have no bones to pick with the Somalis. As a matter of fact I stand up for them regularly because bigotry does exist in Auburn just as it did when the Irish and French moved here. I believe in judging everyone on their actions, not by the color of their skin or in any other random ignorant manner. But it's unfair of you (and especially the above contributors who were so rude) to respond in a way that calls into question my neighbors' character. I live in a house which backs up against Walton field (my family home of more than 40 years) so I see everything that goes on out there. As such, I was sad to hear of the incident between my neighbor and the young Somali man because I see soccer players (not black men) who are usually very respectful of their surroundings (probably in large part because of Mr. Abdi's role). But these things did happen and they deserved to be addressed without the self-righteousness that many of Sun Journal's readers displayed without knowing any of the facts. I would encourage you to also consider that there may be merit to the stories of my neighbors rather than to imagine that they just need to be enlightened about race relations. They're good people who were betrayed by the School Department who told them that there would be no organized sports played at Walton anymore once the track was installed and the baseball diamond was removed.
Soccer @ Walton
My house is situated such that I'm not only affected by Walton traffic but the field also runs right up against my back yard so I think I have a better vantage point than Mr. Lhommedieu from which to comment on the field's activities. Mr. Lhommedieu's story paints a lovely Rockwell moment picture but it was one night out of seven. And, no, it's not bigotry or ignorance that makes people want their track to be what the school department promised it would be when they transformed the former baseball field into a neighborhood walking track. They said that there would no longer be organized sports played at Walton. Well, this is organized sports and it's seven nights a week!! And if you don't want to play soccer (like Mr. Lhommedieu's son did) but would rather walk the track, your out of luck. The goal posts are situated right at the edge of the track and the activity is hot and heavy. At the very least the soccer field should be running length-wise on the field instead of width-wise (as it is now). For my part, I have nothing against the Somalis either on the field or off. I find that (for the most part) they drive slowly past my house and look out for roadside activity (not something I can say about many of the young non-Somali drivers who use the basketball court). But in light of the many recent broken promises from the federal level on down to the local level it sure would be nice to see the city of Auburn and the School Department keep their word and leave this walking track out of the loop when it comes to organized sports. Is that really so much to ask?