In the last few months I have traveled all around the First District to listen to what Maine people believe are the major issues facing the state and the nation. What I heard is a frustration that our country has an administration that is spending billions and billions of dollars on a senseless war that is unnecessarily putting our young women and men in the armed services in harm's way, while people in Maine can¹t afford quality health care.
I heard that the middle class has been neglected and forgotten by Washington and that the gap between the wealthiest and poorest Americans is widening. Average wage earners are being hammered while the richest Americans and corporations are given extraordinary tax breaks. We've got an administration that has given six tax cuts in six years to the wealthiest Americans, while during that same period in Maine, the number of children in poverty has risen more than 60%.
We also have an administration that has done nothing to end our country¹s addiction to costly foreign oil. That addiction is polluting our environment and is getting us more and more involved in costly foreign quagmires. In the end, we have an administration that just isn't listening to the people I'bbbbbve been talking to- the people who really need a voice in Washington.
Over and over I heard from Maine people who are struggling to hold on or who are already losing the battle- and the vast majority are not being heard in Washington DC.
This is just a snapshot of some of the issues that are important to me. I hope I get a chance to talk personally with each of you and hear what you think I can do to help put our country on track.
End the War in Iraq
It’s time to end our involvement in the War in Iraq and bring our troops home. The war in Iraq will go down in history as one of this nation’s ...more »
Close the Widening Gap Between the Wealthiest Americans and the Rest of Us
America should be a country of boundless opportunity, where everyone has the chance to realize his or her dreams through education and hard work. I expect a government that is ...more »
End Our Country's Addiction to Costly Foreign Oil
It is time to end our country’s dangerous dependence on foreign oil. This is no longer just an environmental issue, but an issue of critical national security. We need to ...more »