Moving forward, beyond partisanship

The divisive and mean spirited bickering between the two extremes of the political spectrum has left the majority of us, with mixed or moderate views, out of the process almost entirely.  The unreasonable, angry, loud, and 'ideologically pure' mentality of both major political parties has stalled our national progress, and has lowered much of our political process to the finger pointing and name calling of third grade.  This is a problem many of us can agree on, even some of those shouting at the other side agree civility and respect have gradually left the nation's political discourse.  For too long the civil minded and forward looking population has been without an organizing cry.  Enter No Labels, a politically minded organization dedicated to getting our population to put aside our differences, to stop labeling those who disagree with us in an effort to discredit them, to elect a government that works for it's people and not it's parties, and to stop attacking people for their views or beliefs.  This is exactly the kind of putting aside of differences our country needs, and we here at Maine Independence support any effort to bring honor and cooperation back to both government and our society as a whole.  Stop by the No Labels website, see what they have to say, and make the choice to move past our current situation, working together, for a tomorrow we can all be proud of.

Paul LePage is an idiot (or ignorant, take your pick)

Want to look for something stupid, entirely self-serving, or without any redeeming value to the citizens of the state of Maine that Paul LePage has said or done?  Well just lay out the front pages of the Press Herald for the past couple months and throw a dart.  The blowhard in chief was elected mostly by a push from that angry, self interested, and generally unreasonable group the tea party, and they have continued to defend all of his actions, even those that go against their core values, since he edged his less than 2/5 of the vote win over Eliot Cutler.  Now, I am in no way saying I disagree with the values and proposed policies of the tea party mentality.  I am however disturbed by the anger and unreasonable vitriol they display towards those of different viewpoints and the tenacious party line dogma they exhibit, for instance defending LePage when he hired his daughter right out of college, moved her into the Blaine house, and giving her an entry level salary over 40k with another 15k in benefits and a 10k housing benefit; to me their can be no clearer evidence of abuse of power and runaway bureaucracy than nepotism.  Yet those party faithful continue to defend LePage, dismissing the concerns of Independents, such as myself, as 'liberal propaganda'.  But I digress, I'm not here to talk about why I think LePage is a terrible governor who is doing very little to make good on his campaign promises to the people of Maine, I'm talking about why I think he's an idiot.  Let's start with the fact that LePage has shown, time and again, that he doesn't understand basic scientific concepts, most recently the difference between testosterone and estrogen with his beards and BPA 'joke'.  The fact that we have an elected governor who thinks it's a good idea to make 'casual jokes' to the press, let alone jokes that fully display his ignorance of basic scientific concepts, is evidence of staggering ineptitude.  The press is there to report, if any elected official were to make a 'casual joke' to the press that comes off as bigoted, small minded, ignorant, and dismissive of other viewpoints, and expect it to go unreported, then they probably don't deserve their high school diploma.  The governor's stance on science seems to be that if it's more complicated than high school level he doesn't need to understand it.  I also think he's an ignorant blowhard because of the way he represents our state, cracking wise about people and groups "kissing his ass" and saying the president can "go to hell".  Even though I dislike Paul LePage in the extreme and think he isn't fit to run a duckpond, let alone Marden's or our state, I would never introduce into any kind of public discourse rude and inflammatory statements for the soul purpose of sounding off my frustration, since it would be childish and ultimately pointless.  Which is how I feel about LePage, he is Childish, but unfortunately has power; like a little kid with a can of silly string, he doesn't care what damage he does, how long it takes to clean up, or how it makes us look, as long as he gets and does what he wants.  That's my opinion, I welcome yours.

In defense of Crafts' Bill (LD 658)

State representative Dale Crafts has brought a bill (LD 658) in our state government to relax a lot of the restrictions on carrying a concealed weapon.  First let me paint for you the dark and dismal picture painted by the anti-weapons advocates.  In the opinion of those against the bill this kind of legislation would lead to: coercion through the threat of violence, a wild shooting at a high school football game, children playing with guns in the streets totally devoid of respect for the weapon, and would lead to an increase in convicted criminals and disgruntled lovers carrying weapons with the intent to use them.  It's that last part that highlights my support of this bill: Intent.  Anyone in the state of Maine can purchase any kind of firearm they like already.  Don't believe me?  1.) Find yourself a convicted felon; 2.) Get a copy of Uncle Henry's; 3.) Find a firearm, any firearm, like the one pictured, which I found for less than $350; 4.) Purchase weapon from owner, end of transaction.  While the felon is now in violation of state law by possessing the weapon, the lack of background check and process you went through to purchase that weapon were perfectly legal, only the choice of buyer makes this action illegal.   In spite of relaxed regulations such as these, Maine's per capita firearm violence rate is less than half of the national average.  So, what stops someone, even a convicted violent offender, intent on using a firearm in an aggressive manner, from concealing and using the weapon for violence?  The answer is: absolutely nothing.  Anyone intent on causing harm with a weapon will do so, regardless of the law.  The issue is not whether they carried the weapon openly or concealed, but that they intended harm when they set out.  So, why keep carrying concealed a crime?  What does it prevent exactly?  Whether a gun was carried openly or concealed should be an issue for trial, an aggravating factor in the commission of a crime, not a crime itself.  We allow hunters to concealed carry loaded handguns for protection against bear, moose, and coyote without a permit, why should you be required to get a permit to carry one from one end of Portland to another, where your chances of a violent encounter are significantly increased, if your intent is nothing more than protecting yourself.  This bill would not allow you to carry your weapon into a school or school property, or at a liquor selling establishment, or into any state owned structure or vehicles, contrary to what anti-weapon activists are claiming.  What this bill does do is reduce the cost of obtaining a permit, change the assumption that if you haven't had gun safety in 5 years you are so dumb you forgot how to be safe, and streamline permit applications for concealed carry.  I believe in the ability and personal responsibility of the people of the state of Maine, I believe that the vast majority of gun owners are respectful of their weapons and of the laws regarding violence, and I don't believe the current laws do anything to stop those who would perpetrate violence with a firearm, just like marijuana laws haven't done much to stop people intent on smoking it from doing so.  That's my opinion, I welcome yours.

Independent Spirit

I have lived in Maine for most of my life.  As I grew up in this state it was always impressed upon me what a proud and noble land we lived in, full of able and helpful people, each with unique and independent viewpoints, all of which deserve to be heard.  In spite of our nations fierce political battles Mainer's always seemed to manage a polite respect for the opposing viewpoints, even if they fundamentally disagreed.  I have also grown up seeing the hard and honest work of the people of Maine, from every diverse socioeconomic background the people of Maine strive to produce and improve, even in the face of adversity.  One of Maine's greatest traditions, which I have always tried to live up to, is that of it's stewardship of the land; keeping some places wild, not developing forest just to turn a profit, and focusing on how we can live with nature instead of in spite of nature.  However, recently I have witnessed cracks forming in our proud culture.  This is not the Maine I grew up in, or at least not the tradition I was brought up to respect.  In these times of economic hardship we as a state have been slinging mud, looking after our own ends, and demanding more while doing less for ourselves.  I say we should rekindle our independent spirit, to stop looking to our leaders of state to save us and to start looking to our neighbors to save each other.  We need to take responsibility to ourselves, to remain civil in the face of disagreement, and to not resort to simply taking sides, but instead to work together.  Times are tough, and tough decisions need to be made, but the people of Maine are tough, and if we can roll up our sleeves and work together this state could be someplace truly great.  The independence within the heart of each and every Maine citizen could make our state a place where differences are put aside in the face of difficulties, a place where disagreement doesn't mean dismissal of everything another person has to offer, and a place where we can build a brighter future filled with greater independence for every man, woman, and child who is willing to chip in and do their part.  That's my opinion, I welcome yours.