Readers Speak: Best of Web

Posted on Dec. 03, 2009, at 1:28 a.m.

RE: Op-Ed: Conservative American tired of being ‘swept under the rug’

Official estimates for the 9/12 march are 75,000. This is why conservatives are “swept under the rug.” They are delusional and hold no respect for truth and honesty.

— remedialone

Jon, you claim to be a fiscal conservative; if you really believe that, please read more books from respected nonpartisan economists, historians, scientists and philosophers. Listen less to anyone in the mainstream media, which includes Fox News (which itself admits anyone you recognize as being a member of the Fox News team is not producing news, only opinions and entertainment). Again, read more, please.

As to how you and some conservatives feel right now, under the imagined yoke of this wild, crazy, liberal government — don’t kid yourself. Very little has fundamentally changed. We are still in the same wars. We still commit more troops to handle issues outside the United States, while cutting budgets, including education, all over the inside of the United States. We still don’t have habeas corpus restored to American citizens. We still have secret prisons, cater to lobbyists instead of constituents, amass power in the executive branch and have citizens who think their civic duty is done after casting their vote.

If you truly are a fiscal conservative, as I am, you will look past this paltry illusion of partisanship. George W. Bush did contribute to our financial situation. And he did so in large part by illegally and deceptively starting the war in Iraq, the price of which will take years to calculate. As a fiscal conservative, it infuriates me to see people who claim to be fiscal conservatives who do not complain about our military spending. The complaint to make about the new administration is the same, as with the last: They are not spending tax dollars on Americans, but in foreign wars of greed and aggression. And yes, we should tax the very rich. Read your history — during the times in this country when the taxes were most slanted toward the top end, the country did wonderfully, and the rich certainly did not suffer. This is just a patently false complaint.

I don’t think the government should be in people’s way either, with certain notable caveats. If certain masses of people that may or may not include you believe they already know enough history, economics, science, etc., to know what is best for everyone else, we end up banning people’s rights to equality under the law.

In case there is anyone reading this and didn’t follow along, that was a reference to the recent defeat of a same-sex couple’s right to legal equality… provided by people who “know what is best” for far more than just themselves here in Maine.

— Matthew Newman

RE: Military reduction will not lead to peace in our time

Bravo! This is a very well-written and thought-out response to Michael W. Gibson’s naïve article. No one wants war. But there are forces outside the U.S. that want to eliminate our freedoms.

Mr. Gibson should remember that his ability to write such drivel only exists because of the sacrifices of the brave men and women who serve their country in the military. Freedom is not “free,” despite what the peaceniks think.

— Newman

A very well-written piece, but I disagree. Wars can’t be fought if there aren’t those willing to fight them. Of course the situation is complex, but ultimately having huge armies and powerful weapons allows for those that want to, to use them.

— Ryan Page

RE: UMS portal may not cost students

It would seem to me that economically, it doesn’t make much sense to spend money on an outside company that will not, in the end, benefit the University of Maine. If you spent even a fraction of what it would cost for this proposed portal on an internal solution, like Synapse — which is partially built by students — it would not only benefit the university, but the state as well.It would bring national recognition to the university and the state of Maine.

Synapse can be customized for the needs of the university, might someday grow to the point that it could make money for the university and potentially become a company that would create many jobs for the state of Maine.

We need to start thinking of ways to not only keep money at UMaine, but in this state. Spending money on an out-of-state system gives money to a big corporation that doesn’t help the state or the University of Maine. The university has talented faculty, staff and students that can accomplish anything they put their minds to. Isn’t it about time we used the resources in our state instead of looking beyond our borders?

— Ron Kozlowski

RE: ‘Full House’ in CCA for Bob Saget

“Wong’s…thick Asian accent and appearance made him fun to laugh at”

Disgusting. So sad to see that diversity is still being mocked by the nation’s supposed best and brightest, but what can one expect from a place that embraces the concept of a melting pot. Melting clearly better describes the ongoing state of the education system.

At least he speaks more than one language, which is more than one can say for the majority of attendees. Shame.

— Kenneth

Campus Currents: Bob Saget