Editorials

Published
September 15, 2010

Our View: LePage should stayand answer tough questions

If Paul LePage thinks the questions are tough now, just wait until he's governor. Maine's gubernatorial front-runner, and Waterville mayor, stormed from the State House on Monday following a tense confrontation with political reporters over questions of his wife's residency and property tax breaks. The media were aggressive. So was LePage. And while the blunt questioning of LePage was one of those moments that make voters weary of the media, the Republican candidate's defensiveness, belligerence and – worst of all – lack of coherent answers should raise concerns about his suitability to govern.
Published
September 15, 2010

Our View: Old Port noise complaints to get sympathetic ear

A system of rigid and unenforced rules will be replaced by a problem-solving approach.
Published
September 14, 2010

Our View: How much do teens drink? Don’t ask their parents

The only way family expectations get passed on is when they are presented and discussed.
Published
September 14, 2010

Our View: Sex offender sweep still not the answer

An ongoing "sweep" led by the U.S. Marshals Service to track down convicted sex offenders who have failed to update their addresses with local police is one more example of how difficult it is for society to deal with this crime. No one convicted of any other felony, including murder, is treated the same way, and yet the tracking of released sex offenders remains an expensive and questionable technique for safeguarding citizens from the danger they may continue to present. Under a 2006 federal law, the Adam Walsh Act, named for a boy kidnapped and murdered by a sex offender, the marshals are the lead agency overseeing compliance with the requirement that sex offenders register with local law enforcement.
Published
September 13, 2010

Another View: Maine’s municipalities are not overspending on police

An editorial should have just praised Augusta without slamming other cities and towns.

Published
September 13, 2010

Our View: Highway deaths low, but not nearly low enough

A national good news story did not come with a Maine edition: Although traffic deaths plummeted overall throughout the country last year to levels not seen in 50 years, Maine's road fatalities actually increased slightly. some standards, Maine's numbers were also low -- 159, up four deaths from the 155 deaths in 2008. But that means people are still dying at a rate of more than three per week, which is not something we can feel good about. If a virus killed that many Mainers, we would beef up our public health budget. If it was a criminal gang, we would call for more police.
Published
September 12, 2010

Our View: Mitchell should mix it up at debates

We aren't inclined to argue about standing on principle, particularly when it comes to politicians, but Libby Mitchell is testing our patience. She says she will not appear at forums and debates that exclude some of the candidates for governor. Two of three of those running as independents, Shawn Moody and Kevin Scott, are sometimes excluded.
Published
September 12, 2010

Our View: Portland pier project good enough as proposed

Everyone should know "good enough" when they see it. The deep water pier project scheduled to be started in Portland this month fits the description. Portland has wanted a large pier, sometimes called a "mega-berth," for a decade so it can accommodate more than one large cruise ship at a time. This was the driving force behind the state financed Ocean Gateway project, and it remained on the port's to-do list after construction bids came in too high to build it back in 2005.
Published
September 11, 2010

It’s still far too soon to put 9/11 behind us

In recent years it has become fashionable to say that we had entered the post-9/11 era -- that the terrorist attacks that took place nine years ago today wwere just another milestone in our nation's history. No one is saying that today. Just as a previous generation drew its lessons from the appeasement in Munich, or the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, what we know about the world in 21st century America is still shaped by the image of hijacked planes crashing into buildings. Recent events show that we are still coming to terms with what the attacks have meant to our nation. A proposed Islamic cultural center in New York City, just blocks from where the World Trade Center once stood, has led to a bitter dispute between those who say it would be a symbol of America's tolerance of religious freedom against those who say it would be an insult to those who died at the hands of terrorists acting in the name of Islam.
Published
September 10, 2010

Another View: Both parties bear blame for paralysis in our democracy

If columnist Cal Thomas really knows what works, he should offer more than criticism.