Much has been said, mostly negative, since Paul LePage became our governor.

I, for one, find him very refreshing. Yes, he often speaks before he thinks, but that is what makes him one of the common folks. As a matter of fact, in my opinion, he is about as refreshing a governor as Ken Curtis or Ed Muskie were.

Instead of worrying that LePage will make a laughingstock of Maine, applaud the fact that he will get us noticed. If he is able to do for Maine a fraction of what Jesse Ventura was able to do for Minnesota, we will be well served.

We have way too many laws and statutes that impede business and jobs in Maine. If the national environmental laws are good enough for the rest of America, they are good enough for Maine. Anyone not happy with that position is free to leave.

Anyone who really thinks someone else can do better is free to vote for them four years from now.

Until then, let the man do his job, be courteous, and laugh at his jokes.

Fred Miller
Portland
 

I support Gov. LePage and all that he is trying to accomplish. We knew that it would not be an easy task, and not everyone can be happy if he is to accomplish what our state of Maine so desperately needs!

We need to keep our spending under control. He is doing exactly what he said he would do when he was on the campaign trail. It is refreshing and restores my faith in our state government that we could actually elect a person who would do that.

I, for one, am tired of the polished politician who is politically correct, says everything we want to hear until they are elected and then does exactly as they please regardless of what we the people want.

We needed more than that for our state of Maine — and we have it.

Diane Caffyn
Canaan
 

Having a conniption fit over Gov. LePage’s budget proposal? Lower your blood pressure by going to the web site www.maine.gov/budget/ and reading the proposal.

Libraries have computers for public use, so why be uninformed?

I hear that union workers are frightened that Gov. LePage will eliminate collective bargaining in Maine and cut pension checks. Not so.

Gov. LePage believes in our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If you want to form a union at work, go ahead. But your fellow workers should have the right not to join.

The budget proposals do not reduce pension checks, alter job security or rule out higher pay for state workers.

Twelve filled positions are eliminated, but for each position, 1,000 good-paying public sector jobs are retained! The average state worker will take home 2 percent more because of the elimination of shutdown days.

Gov. LePage inherited an IOU to the retirement system for public servants of $6.6 billion.

Pension costs in 2012 were set to be $449 million and by 2021, $849 million, 25 percent of the General Fund. One in four dollars to be spent on retiree pensions? Unsustainable!

The governor’s reforms would cut the IOU nearly in half, thus saving the pension system.

I am a retired teacher who receives a pension. I support Gov. LePage because he has at heart the best interest of the state.

He wants a good life for all Mainers, which is why he plans to lower taxes by $203 million and increase funding to education by $63 million, among other positive moves.

But he knows he can’t give away the farm. As “head-of-the-household,” he made the tough budget decisions that now we can learn to live with.

Rose Marie Russell
Westbrook
 

Picking a high school? Don’t let scores faze you 

Strikes me that the competitive proselytizing by Deering and Portland high schools as they attempt to fill next year’s classrooms has an easy and equitable solution.

The graphic in your recent article compared the relative “proficiency” of Portland’s two current “traditional” senior classes when they took last years’ Maine High School Assessment exam.

If I interpret it correctly, roughly two-thirds of those students failed to exhibit “proficiency” in math and science. They did better in reading and writing where only half of the students failed to demonstrate “proficiency.”

What am I missing here? Shouldn’t we be concerned about this? Maybe the kids are being tested on the wrong subjects.

Maybe we should print the exam results upside down.

Hey, Deering, only 63 percent of your juniors can’t read or write to the standard while Portland High scored 71 percent on the same skill set. Bulldogs rock!!!

Maybe I just don’t understand Maine’s definition of the word “proficient.” Is it the same as “adequate” or “acceptably mediocre”?

In either case, it could call for a “do-over.” Taking that path might generate an additional 250 or so students per year — 1,000 in just four years. Looks like a win-win for everyone.

Based upon current staffing levels, this could create roughly 50 teaching positions, a bunch more aides and Lord knows how many more administrators — maybe even demand a new school. What’s not to love?

The only real threat is the possibility that the kids might actually raise their “proficiency” rate, killing the “do-over” pool of candidates.

I feel for those poor 8th graders as they make that agonizing choice for their next four years. Focus on the social stuff, guys, the academics apparently are too close to call.

And don’t worry, no one else seems to be bothered by them.

Stacy Stevens
Yarmouth
 

Making Riverside private may not cost more to play 

The city of Portland is discussing privatizing its only public golf course, Riverside. Most of the comments I read in the paper are negative, especially about price increases to play the course.

Those responsible for considering this proposal should find out what has happened with other cities who have privatized golf course management.

For example, Indianapolis has 13 municipally owned golf courses, the city still owns the courses and sets the maximum rate for the green fees.

Each contractor sets the fees for the rest of the items and pays the city a percentage of gross revenue.

The city has no obligations, the contractor is responsible for everything, wages, equipment, maintenance, insurance, etc.

This is a great deal for any city trying to control expenses and make improvements to property.

I think about a golf course where I played for many years before moving to Maine seven years ago, and how much its condition improved after private management took over, and it still maintained reasonable prices.

Jim Orem
South Portland

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