Who will pay for the proposed expansion of Medicaid in Maine? One-quarter of Maine’s population are children; another quarter are handicapped or disabled; one quarter are jobless and/or homeless. That leaves the final quarter who are the workers (who pay for it). Government officials do not take money out of their pockets to provide for […]
Letters
Letters to the editor of the Sun Journal.
No reason to possess assault rifles
There is no reason for a private citizen to have an assault rifle. He can’t hunt with it; he can’t protect his home with it; and he can’t resist governmental oppression with it — the government has tanks, attack helicopters, stealth bombers, etc. The only hope with that is to keep the Armed Forces representative […]
Implement the Medicaid expansion
In November 2017, a significant number of Maine voters supported a referendum to fund Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Too many families are one or two paychecks away from economic ruin if a major illness strikes a member of their household. No one should avoid the doctors’ offices or a hospital due to […]
Staying the president's hand
The eyes of the world are on South Korea as the 2018 Winter Olympics got underway. While winter winds howled on the ski slopes, a welcoming thaw emerged in North and South Korean relationships. Their teams entered the Opening Ceremony under one flag; the women’s hockey teams played as one; and Moon Jae In, president […]
BIW doesn't need a tax break
I can see the need for a tax break for a company that hires thousands of local workers, is not yet established and is therefore struggling to make a profit and needs a tax break to survive. But Bath Iron Works, whose parent company is General Dynamics, has steady, lucrative work in the military armament […]
U.S. and Russia — friendly adversaries
For the past few years, the issue of Russian interference in U.S. presidential elections — hacking into computers, stealing military secrets, etc. has been in the headlines, and (not surprisingly) the media, for the most part, have found various and sundry ways to blame it all on President Trump. News bulletin — the Russians (and […]
Let women run the country
This nation has become increasingly dominated by bullies. The president bullies women. The vice president and extreme conservatives and religious fundamentalists don’t want women to have access to birth control or abortions, effectively forcing pregnancy on the unwilling. Many conservatives believe women are secondary to men and must obey and serve their husbands, allowing “Christian” […]
Standing up to President Trump
During my lifetime, the president has been the leader of the United States and also considered to be the leader of the free world. When America signed a treaty or gave its word, leaders of other countries knew America would honor them. This nation has lost that leadership role since January 2017. President Donald Trump […]
Republican Party is broken
The Republican Party is broken. Were I a conservative who believed in the party of Abraham Lincoln, Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan, I would be very concerned. The situation is dangerous for democracy, which relies on an honest exchange of ideas to forge agreement on the difficult issues the nation faces. The Republican Party is […]
Update the assault weapons ban
This is an urgent plea to support common sense gun control. Again this nation is faced with another tragedy, this time resulting from an expelled high school student armed with an AR-15, who took the lives of 17 individuals during his shooting rampage. How many more lives will be extinguished as a consequence of gun […]