Editorials

Published
October 29, 2010

Our View: ‘Fortune cookie’mailings cross the line

When is it right to exploit racial or ethnic fear to fight a political campaign? Never. But that's what the Maine Democratic Party has done in a pair of mailings this week that use crude stereotypes to play on people's fears of the Chinese. This should not be tolerated. The subject of the mailers is independent gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler and criticisms of his work as a lawyer who did business with companies based in China.
Published
October 28, 2010

Our View: Pre-kindergarten programs get students ready for class

Expanding early childhood programs now will avoid a burden on taxpayers in the long run.
Published
October 28, 2010

Our View: State should do more to enable early voting

When political predictors try to figure out what is going to happen on Election Day, they have to account for the fact that a lot of it has already happened. When judging the impact of a last-minute ad or stealth mailing, you have to remember that a third of the electorate will have already voted before next Tuesday. For those voters, it's not the latest event that changed their minds, but the news of last week or the week before.
Published
October 27, 2010

Our View: Real estate may beshowing signs of recovery

People can be forgiven if they take a moment and scratch their heads when they are driving through the India Street neighborhood in Portland these days. It's been so long since many of us have seen cranes, steel girders and dozens of workers in hard hats, we may have forgotten what economic development looks like. But there it is, a six-story building under construction that will house a 122-room hotel, a restaurant and a dozen upscale condominiums. The condos went on the market two weeks ago, and the developer says that eight are already under contract.
Published
October 26, 2010

Our View: Biddeford shouldvote ‘no’ on ill-thought-out racino

Voters in Biddeford are going to get a chance Nov. 2 to do something that voters in Saco and Scarborough have already done, and that voters statewide have done three times: They can turn down a proposal to build a slot-machine emporium. That's also what they should do, because no better arguments have been offered for moving Scarborough Downs from that community to a new site down the road than have been offered in the past for the other gambling proposals that have bit the dust since the first two referendums on the topic were voted on in 2003.

Published
October 26, 2010

Our View: Growth study a first step to find answers the area needs

Handling substantial projected growth is a challenge to be met now, not when it arrives.
Published
October 25, 2010

Our View: Dental bondwould be good investment

Mainers have a chance to do something about a pressing public health problem by voting "yes" on Question 2, a $5 million bond issue to improve access to dental care. Voters should take the opportunity. We endorse a "yes" vote on Question 2. Several factors come together to make dental treatment hard to come by in much of the state. We have about half the national average of dentists per capita, and that is even worse in rural areas.
Published
October 25, 2010

Our View: Vote ‘yes’ on Question 3 to preserve natural resources

The Land for Maine's Future bond protects exactly what makes our state special.
Published
October 24, 2010

Our endorsements for Congress: Dean Scontras can bring new vision to Congress

Maine's 1st Congressional District needs a representative with his commitment to fiscal responsibility.
Published
October 24, 2010

Our endorsements for Congress: Jason Levesque’s fiscal zeal vital in this crucial election

The 2nd Congressional District will benefit from his wide-ranging enthusiasm and dynamic personality.