My grandparents lived on Russell Street in Lewiston. My parents lived in Auburn. I was born in Lewiston. I was educated in Auburn. My children were born in Lewiston. I live in Auburn. I work in Auburn and Lewiston. My children were educated in Auburn. Many of my projects are in Lewiston. I am and […]
Op-Eds
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Sinews of democracy held nation together
WASHINGTON — A future trivia question and historical footnote, the spectacular 10-day flameout of Anthony Scaramucci qualifies as the most entertaining episode yet of the ongoing reality show that is the Trump presidency. (Working title: “The Pompadours of 1600 Pennsylvania.”) But even as the cocksure sycophant’s gobsmacking spectacle stole the show, something of real importance […]
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Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Imagine a society without poverty
In the United States, the annual expenditure on poverty is more than $550 billion and likely in excess of $900 billion. The true cost of poverty is not known because so much of it is hidden in the fabric of an unequal economic system. Who can calculate poverty’s contribution to expenditures on crime, prisons, courts […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Defense can be the best path to take
One month after the election, President-elect Donald Trump made a “victory tour” of states that had helped deliver his surprise win. In Fayetteville, North Carolina, Trump introduced his choice for Secretary of Defense, Gen. James Mattis, and pledged the following: “We will stop racing to topple foreign regimes that we know nothing about, that we […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Democrats will need to work on new immigration policy
NEW YORK — In 1992, the Democratic Party faced a challenge on the issue of abortion. Pennsylvania’s governor, Robert Casey, a Democrat dedicated to the working class, asked to speak at the national convention in New York City. He wanted to propose a pro-life plank for the party platform, mostly as a way of affirming […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Passenger train service is a benefit to Maine
I am writing as a local community member and steadfast advocate for passenger rail. Historically, the greater Lewiston-Auburn community and Maine have been, and continue to be, those with pride. They strive to be self-sufficient, as well as frugal in any decision-making. There have been years of regional and state-requested — funded and non-funded — […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Is impeachment the president’s plan?
WASHINGTON — No one is working harder for the impeachment of Donald Trump than Donald Trump. If we have learned anything about this president, it is that he has a compulsion to be the center of attention. He can’t bear being out of the limelight and will say almost anything — no matter how offensive, […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Data-collecting products put end to privacy
Privacy advocates cried in protest after a report that the maker of the Roomba, a robotic vacuum cleaner, will sell maps of customers’ homes to third parties. Investors, on the other hand, shouted buy orders for the company’s stock. Data has become the gold nugget buried in things and services connected to the internet. A […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Venezuela continues slide toward civil war
In the early morning hours of August 1, Venezuelan secret police arrested the country’s most prominent opposition political leaders, Leopoldo Lopez and Antonio Ledezma, and quickly hauled them off to prison. Lopez is the gutsy leader of the Popular Will Party and a former mayor of Caracas. Ledezma also served as mayor of Caracas and […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
British solidarity led to health care policy
The movie “Dunkirk” recounts an astounding story of courage and self-sacrifice, without which Hitler might have won World War II. One can draw a straight line from Britain’s heroic solidarity in the war to the welfare state that emerged in peacetime. Set in 1940, the movie features two sets of heroes. One is the military […]