Randy Seaver, former journalist and PR pro, blogs about politics, his hometown and his struggles with mental illness.
Author: Randy Seaver
Randy Seaver is a cranky, nearly insufferable malcontent living in Biddeford. He is a retired newspaper editor and the principal of a small strategic communications consulting firm. He may be contacted at randy@randyseaver.com
The Christmas holiday is right around the corner, now less than three weeks away.
What does that mean?
For a lot of people, it means stress, extra work and financial strains. For others, it means awkward obligations to attend family events.
On the other end of the spectrum, many people are facing the prospect of being alone with no place to go on a day that is supposed to be merry and bright.
Well, let go of that stress and let’s make Christmas fun again!
You are now invited to the ninth annual Seaver Christmas Chaos Event on Christmas Day, Dec. 25. This is a free, community event with zero obligations, no expectations and no formalities!
There are no strings attached, no gifts, no expectations. Just fun, laughter and camaraderie. Stop by for an hour or two or stay the entire day.
Doors open at 10:30 a.m. we will open a fully-stocked bar and my famous Bloody Mary Cocktails that include giant shrimp and bacon. Plenty of soft drinks and other beverages will also be available.
Appetizers, including Laura’s world-famous stuffed mushroom caps, deviled eggs, spicy meatballs, shrimp, finger sandwiches, baked spinach balls, pickles, crackers and chips. will be available throughout the day.
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE: We will not do a sit-down dinner this year. We want flexibility for our guests and give Laura more time to enjoy the festivities.
Thus, there is NO need to RSVP. Come when you like, leave when you want.
You are welcome to bring a guest (or two, or three . . . whatever. This is a dog-friendly home. Each year, we have more participants, the more, the merrier.
This is a great way to decompress and have some fun. You don’t need to bring anything. If you choose, however, we will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Biddeford Food Pantry.
Come meet new friends and see old friends! This event gets more popular each year. We look forward to seeing you!
WHEN: December 25, 2025 (Christmas Day) 10:30 a.m. to midnight.
Many moons ago, Mick Jagger and the boys made a whole lot of money singing about a lack of satisfaction.
But on this particular weekend, I am feeling nothing but satisfaction, patting myself on the back for a job well done and celebrating the one-year anniversary of when former Biddeford City Manager James Bennett finally ran out of excuses and found himself no longer able to play the proverbial victim card.
Former Biddeford City Manager James Bennett performing as a Shriner’s clown
Yup, it was one year ago, when Bennett found his back against the wall. The growing public pressure had grown to a critical mass. Even Mayor Marty Grohman and former mayor Alan Casavant could no longer defend the egomaniacal tyrant who ran City Hall as his own personal kingdom.
Looking back over the course of my career in journalism and public relations, there are a few professional achievements that stand out. Moments when I can say, “yeah, I did that.’ Moments that still bring me a sense of pride and the satisfaction of a job well done.
Getting Jim Bennett out of City Hall was one of those moments.
I had absolutely nothing to gain by dedicating myself to Bennett’s ouster. I was not being paid. In fact, I had to give up being a reporter for a few months to avoid a glaring conflict of interest.
I created The Bennett Files and was relentless, hammering away almost daily at the city manager cloistered in his fortress of solitude at City Hall. I interviewed people across the state. I pored over media reports that followed Bennett’s 40-year-career in eight different communities. I filed FOIAs. I pressured city councilors.
I was dogged and relentless. I was a man on a mission.
What drove me was the stories people shared with me. I heard from municipal officials from all over Maine. I heard from investors who were considering business deals with the city of Biddeford. I heard from former employees and current employees. Current and former city councilors. The stories were always the same.
I remember meeting with one employee in my backyard. They were shaking and on the verge of tears while telling me an all-too familiar story. We were meeting in my back yard because this person feared that Bennett would fire them if he found out they were talking to a reporter.
Marty Grohman was not happy with me. He pulled me aside at a Chamber of Commerce event in July 2024. He was frustrated. “Why are you doing this to me?” he asked, trying to defend the city manager who seems to leave every job he’s held under a cloud of doubt.
It’s no secret that former mayor Casavant and I are good friends. I ran Alan’s campaign in 2011 and 2013. We’re still friends, but that friendship was strained because Alan was one of Bennett’s biggest supporters. In fact, Alan made it a priority to consistently push for Bennett’s contract to be extended in three-year increments.
I risked friendships and a job in my pursuit of getting Bennett out of Biddeford.
I risked friendships and a job in my pursuit of getting Bennett out of Biddeford.
And now — one year later — I can tell you with confidence that it was worth it.
Truc Dever, Biddeford’s new city manager, is a breath of fresh air. She is the exact opposite of Bennett. She is curious and she listens. She is friendly and transparent. She does not run rough-shod over the council. She is accountable and ready to lead. She is a coach, not a bully.
I swear to God, you can almost literally feel the difference when you walk into City Hall today.
Sadly, Dever, Grohman and many others are still cleaning up the mess that Bennett left behind more than eight months ago. The city finally showed some courage and showed Bennett the door on February 20, two months ahead of his “phased” resignation.
Bennett did NOT retire. He resigned in the middle of his contract, leaving a $15,000 retention payment on the table.
He had no choice. He was finally exposed, leaving the city’s finances in disrepair with a blistering report from financial auditors.
Bennett has filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that the city violated his contract. The city answered by pointing out several questionable things that Bennett did during his stint in Biddeford.
Make no mistake. Jim Bennett has big balls. Unfortunately, taxpayers — you and me — are still paying for his mistakes, mismanagement and out-of-control ego.
But let’s focus on the good news, Jim Bennett is finally gone.
You’re welcome.
Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be reached by email: randy@randyseaver.com
c.) 2025 All Rights Reserved
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Once again, it would seem that many of Maine’s most ardent Democrats cannot see the forest for the trees.
And that’s saying something, especially since Maine is the most forested state in the country.
Matt Dunlap, Maine’s former secretary of state, decided to end his four-day titillating tease, ceasing the media foreplay — will he or won’t he — make a primary challenge against incumbent Rep. Jared Golden, a much more moderate Democrat?
U.S. Rep. Jared Golden (photo: Wiki Commons)
Maine’s Second Congressional District offers a virtual smorgasbord of political ideologies. Despite the common misconceptions of southern Maine folks, CD2 is not just a swath of God-fearing, gun-toting and Bible-thumping rednecks, it is also home to progressive enclaves such as Belfast, Lewiston and Bar Harbor.
Over the last four years, Golden has figured out how to saddle the district that is almost evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats.
Victories for Golden have been hard fought and razor-thin, but never since winning his first election to the U.S. House in 2018 has Golden been challenged by his own party – – – until now.
Less than a year ago, Golden eked out his re-election campaign with only 50.3 percent of the vote over Republican newcomer Austin Theriault, who lost by a little more than 3,000 votes with 49.7 percent of the vote,
Folks, federal elections don’t come much closer than this.
But that was 2024, when Trump supporters were campaigning with a fevered pitch. Still, Golden held strong and put on a clean flannel shirt for the cameras on Election Day.
Golden won his first term as a U.S. Representative in 2018, facing incumbent Bruce Poliquin. That race was telling. Golden won, but it was no landslide: 50.9 percent to 49.4 percent.
For a while, it seemed that Maine Democrats had learned their lesson, suffering back-to-back losses in CD2 when progressive candidate Emily Cain was propped up by her party to take down the evil Poliquin. The short, balding guy with a creepy grin beat her twice, in 2014 (45.2 percent) in a three-way contest; and again in 2016 (54.8 – 45.2 percent)
I believe it was the 2016 election when Democrats were finally willing to admit that a more moderate approach would be needed if they wanted to capture Maine’s Second Congressional District.
In fact, Golden – though acting like a political maverick right out of the gate – did not face a primary challenge in 2020, 2022 and in the 2024 race.
But many Democrats said they were simply holding their noses when casting a ballot for Golden. The balance of power in Washington was shifting. Republicans had gained a lot of ground.
“For a while, it seemed that Maine Democrats had learned their lesson”
Every seat mattered.
According to several of my sources within the Maine Democratic Party, the Dems realized that they had to forsake the perfect to get the good.
But enough is enough, I suppose.
Enter Matt Dunlap and the Golden ticket he apparently found in a Wonka chocolate bar.
Will there be a test?
From all accounts, Dunlap is a decent guy. He is affable, a bit quirky and probably never sat at the cool kids’ table in the high school cafeteria.
Sure, he is currently Maine’s auditor and previously served as Maine’s Secretary of State (both appointed positions by the Legislature) but it seems as if there is not a lot of meat on his 61-year-old bones.
State Auditor Matthew Dunlap
Let’s face facts. Dunlap is hardly a heavy hitter. But his party has called him up from the JV team and coordinated a press conference.
Here’s a fun fact: Dunlap was elected Maine State Auditor by the Maine Legislature and took office on January 4, 2021, but had to give up the position after failing the exams needed to meet the requirements of his new position.
He did later meet the requirements and was selected for the position again on November 14, 2022.
I’m a boy, and I’m a man
Golden, it seems, has gone a bit too far in being a moderate. He consistently refuses to toe the party line all the time. He must be held accountable.
With Trump in the White House, the last thing Democrats want is a representative who is willing to reach across the aisle. You know? A consensus builder . . . a, what do you call it? . . . oh yeah, an “Independent.”
But here’s the deal. Maine is really a purple state.
Former Maine Governor Paul LePage
Chellie (I’ll stay in D.C. until I die) Pingree is a progressive Democrat, and she’s not going anywhere, despite the incredibly stupid move by now Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman who ran as an Independent and tried to beat her.
Yeah, that didn’t work out so well.
Susan Collins, a Republican, is chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. She is going nowhere. Maine’s other senator won’t even call himself a Democrat even though he votes with the Democrats more than 98 percent of the time.
On the heels of Trump’s 2024 victory, Maine Republicans are betting on former Governor Paul LePage to finally knock Golden from his perch.
Trump did well in Maine’s CD2 last year. As expected, Harris won Maine’s 1st Congressional District while Trump won Maine’s 2nd Congressional district.
For Democrats, the question once again becomes are you going to sacrifice the good for the perfect?
If so, I think you’re making a big mistake. But what do I know?
_________________
Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be reached by email: randy@randyseaver.com
c.) 2025 All Rights Reserved
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A homeless encampment in Biddeford that was cleared by the city in 2024 (Seaver)
In a lot of ways, I am probably a lot like you.
I am a middle-aged, married white guy with a mortgage and a modest home in a quiet residential neighborhood with well-manicured lawns and friendly neighbors.
I love living in Maine. I have two grown children. I adore my dog, and I am blessed to have many good friends. I fret about rising property taxes, and it feels as if I am eternally engaged in thermostat battles with my wife.
I work hard, follow the law and pay my taxes. I drive a late-model Chevy Silverado pick-up truck and enjoy camping at both Rangeley and Moosehead lakes.
But there is another part of me that you would likely never guess unless I told you.
From the outside, my life may look almost idyllic or at least average, run-of-the-mill, but I have to work to maintain this stability and my outward appearance.
For more than 40 years, I have struggled with a wide range of mental health issues, from bi-polar depression and severe anxiety to raucous bouts of schizoid-affective disorder.
I recognize and accept my responsibility to manage my mental health, but it’s not always easy. Some of the medications I take affect everything from my libido to my weight. I am one of the lucky ones, I have a good psychiatrist. I also participate in regular counseling with a therapist. My insurance covers the bulk of my prescription costs.
Although hidden from the public view, there is a toll, and I sometimes feel as if my illness is a burden on my family, especially my wife, who is my greatest support and the person who ensures that I am taking my meds as prescribed.
As a young adult in my early 20s, I struggled with stability on every level. My employment was erratic. The few relationships I had were chaotic. At three different times, I found myself homeless, living on the proverbial outer edge of society.
I was reluctant to take medications. I did not want to be controlled or – as I saw it – poisoned by society. I did a lot of couch surfing. I even landed in jail for assaulting a police officer.
I was in and out of various psychiatric facilities both on a voluntary and involuntary basis. I got in trouble with the Secret Service for talking about what I would like to do to President Reagan in 1984.
Flash forward more than 40 years.
Just like you, I was shocked, saddened and angry about the brutal, senseless killing of a young woman on a commuter train in Charlotte, North Carolina last week.
She did not deserve that fate. Her family did nothing to warrant such tremendous loss and heart-breaking grief.
How do we comfort them? How do we reconcile the fact that millions of Americans are living on the edge of society, saddled with a significant illness and a stunning lack of resources?
How do we handle our anger? Our resentment?
Sadly, I do not have any answers. I know that my friends on the political right talk a good game about mental illness in the wake of every mass shooting, but then suddenly get quiet when it comes to legislation that requires increased funding for mental health services.
Just like you, I was shocked, saddened and angry about the brutal, senseless killing of a young woman on a commuter train in Charlotte, N.C. last week.
Meanwhile, my friends on the political left talk a lot about community-based care, often forgetting that there are some people who need to be involuntarily hospitalized.
While I do not have any answers, I do know this: we cannot afford to sacrifice our humanity and our shared sense of decency and compassion.
Our national dialogue has become so vitriolic that a major television network commentator can publicly suggest involuntary euthanasia for homeless people who refuse mental health treatment.
Think about that for just a minute or two.
Set aside the 14th Amendment if you need to.
There is a large group of people in this country who heard Mr. Kilmeade’s statements and simply shrugged.
I was a homeless person who often refused treatment. Did I deserve to be put to death for refusing to take medications?
Have we fallen so far that we are now willing to even entertain the notion of rounding up and killing some of our most vulnerable citizens?
If so, just remember that so-called solution will require rounding up people who look and act a lot like you and me.
_________________
Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He regularly blogs on issues regarding mental health and his own journey toward recovery. E-mail randy@randyseaver.com
Brace yourselves. Find a comfortable seat and maybe grab some popcorn.
I have some shocking news to share, and this blog post may trigger certain emotional reactions.
From what I am told, some people in Biddeford do not like me very much. Shocker! This has been hard news for me to process and absorb. So please bear with me.
It was only three weeks ago that someone suggested that I was the “God of Biddo.”
What went wrong?
A lot of this criticism is rather recent and mostly comes from people who were likely still wearing diapers when former Biddeford Mayor Jim Grattelo tried to have me fired as editor of the Biddeford-Saco Courier in 1999.
I am no different than any other Biddeford resident. Some people like me; some people don’t like me. It goes with the territory when you have a recognizable name in a very small pond.
Travel more than two miles beyond Biddeford’s city limits, however, and my name recognition drops off sharply. Very sharply.
Although it’s plainly obvious why so many people like me. (I’m ruggedly handsome, clever with a razor-sharp wit and pretty easy to get along with)
People who don’t like me think I am an arrogant, pompous ass with poor cognitive skills and a lack of ethics.
So, which narrative is true? Duh! The latter one, of course.
In fact, the tagline on my personal Facebook page reads: “Randy Seaver is a cranky, nearly insufferable malcontent living in Biddeford.”
The God of Biddo?
For reasons I cannot fathom or explain, a relatively large number of people in Biddeford seem to think that I have some mystical power, and that I somehow control or dictate public opinion.
For Pete’s sake, I constantly lose my wristwatch. I am bald and overweight, and I sometimes forget to put in my partial dentures before I leave the house. I am also not very bright, as we’ve discussed earlier in this post.
Is this really the stuff “gods” are made of? I hope not. Because if so, then we have really lowered our standards.
According to my more recent critics, I often blur the lines between the three hats I wear: a.) Randy Seaver, the person and blogger; b.) Randy Seaver, one of four admins on the Biddeford-Saco Community Facebook page; and finally, c.) Randy Seaver, the editor and chief bottle washer at the Biddeford Gazette.
Which hat should I wear?
Let’s quickly break down these three roles I play, one by one.
The blogger: Yup, I am fifth-generation resident of Biddeford. I have a journalistic advantage because I know a lot of people and grew up here.
I write this blog to vent about national politics, public policy issues and to share stories regarding my battle with a significant mental illness. I have been doing this since 2011. I am also a semi-retired public relations consultant. I have no clients in Biddeford. I am married and have a dog, two cats and two adult children.
Still with me?
Secondly, yes, I am one of four admins in a very popular Facebook Community Group. When our team was asked to take over the group on July 31 last year, we had roughly 16,100 members. Flash forward one year, and we now have more than 25,000 members.
It would appear that we’re doing something right, but we also enforce the same group rules that were in place when the group was originally started.
Do I often post stories from the Biddeford Gazette on that community page? You bet your sweet ass I do. I’d be crazy not to.
But here’s the deal, I also post every story and announcement I find about the community and link those stories to their original source.
I recently did a rough count. During the months of June and July, I shared 41 stories from the Gazette on that page. During that same time period, I also published 37 stories from other news sources, including Saco Bay News, the Biddeford-Saco Courier, the Press Herald and WGME-TV.
When I see news about Biddeford, I share it, regardless of where it comes from.
Still with me?
I am also the editor of the Biddeford Gazette, a media outlet I formally launched in January. The Gazette is not intended to dominate local news, rather fill gaps in media coverage about Biddeford.
Do I have a little bit of fun and practice Gonzo Journalism with the Gazette? Sure sometimes.
I don’t make one red cent from the Gazette. No paywalls, no advertisements. No paid subscriptions. I do it because it is my passion; because I truly love Biddeford.
Every newspaper editor on the planet controls what is or is not shared on their pages. It’s no different with the Gazette.
The Gazette is so much more than just another platform for Randy Seaver. Every week we publish obituaries for free. Does that strike you as personal self-promotion?
Every newspaper editor on the planet controls what is or is not shared on their pages. It’s no different with the Gazette.
Every week, I hunt down and offer stories to highlight and support local businesses for our Taking Care of Business section. Unlike some politicians, I don’t feel the need to take pictures of myself when promoting downtown businesses.
The Gazette has a citizen advisory board for the sole purpose of gathering and exploring constructive criticism and feedback about our efforts.
Do I push the envelope a bit with my opinion pieces? Yup, but otherwise we take great pains to make sure our news coverage is accurate, balanced and fair.
You don’t like me? I don’t care.
Join the I Hate Randy Seaver support group that meets weekly at the former armory on Franklin Street in Saco, ironically almost directly across from the house where I grew up between the ages of seven and 15. (Note: this is satire. I do not actually know where that group meets).
Buckle up, because until my horrible diet, sedentary lifestyle or severe sleep apnea send me to my grave, I’m gonna keep writing. And I’m never going to stop.
If you can’t have a little bit of fun, why bother?
___________
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Some people see racism around every corner, while others dismiss those concerns, arguing that racism is virtually non-existent since passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.
I find those two extremes equally silly, but I’m not so sure where this blog post falls on that racism spectrum.
For as long as I can remember, I have been a huge fan of the King Kong movie franchise.
Kong really digs blonde chicks
As a very young child, my fascination with monsters and science fiction had me enraptured with the original 1933 film, starring Fay Wray as Kong’s love interest.
The first major studio remake — released in 1976 — drew me in even deeper. I was 12 years old. I still sometimes think about those images of Jessica Lange frolicking on a tropical beach wearing only cut-off shorts and a skimpy top.
Jessica Lange starred in the 1976 remake of King Kong
In short, that 1976 film became a coming-of-age movie for me. If you’ve seen it, you know what I mean. It was the first time I saw a woman’s breasts revealed – no matter how briefly – on film.
Jessica Lange about to do a breast scene while sitting in Kong’s outstretchedhand.
There have been a lot of remakes and variations of King Kong, but Peter Jackson’s 2005 version came closest to capturing the essence of the original man v. nature classic.
All three of these films follow a common theme: beauty calms the savage beast.
Spoiler alert: in all three films, Kong dies a tragic death after being riddled with bullets from passing planes – first, atop the Empire State Building; and then from atop of the World Trade Center in 1976; and finally — again from the top of the Empire State Building in the final film version of 2005.
Naomi Watts revived the character of Ann Darrow in the 2005 remake of King Kong
All three films share some very common themes that run the gamut of modern-day social issues: corporate greed, natural resource exploitation, abuse of indigenous people, animal cruelty and sheer human folly.
But all three films also have something else in common.
They each appear to be rather racist, both in their narratives and filming.
In all three movies, Kong is portrayed as a rather lonely dude living on a remote, uncharted island surrounded by Black natives who are invariably living a primordial existence without all the trappings and benefits of the technologically advanced white folk explorers.
Kong sees a white, blonde woman and almost literally loses his shit with equal parts fascination and lust.
Kong seems bored with the regular sacrifices given to him by the natives who revere him as a mighty and potentially vengeful god.
But then – for various reasons in each film – Kong sees a white, blonde woman and almost literally loses his shit with equal parts fascination and lust.
Wow! What is this? What have I been missing all these years?
In each film, it is the native people who abduct the white woman because they somehow “know” that Kong will – like most gentlemen – prefer blondes.
Look, don’t get me wrong. I still enjoy watching all three of the main King Kong films, but it does seem strange that right up until 2005 the movies have an unmistakable racist bent.
Can you imagine an uncharted tropical island where the natives are white and they offer their resident beast a Black woman to satisfy his cravings? Can you imagine if these Black explorers were technologically and intellectually superior to the white natives?
Some people complain about a noticeable absence of Black people on television shows such as Seinfeld, Friends and Happy Days. Are those shows racist? I don’t think so. But I do know this:
For nearly a century, Kong has been getting his heart broken by a white chick.
————
Randy Seaver is a cranky, nearly insufferable malcontent living in Biddeford. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com
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Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Live Aid concerts that were organized to raise both awareness and funding for an especially brutal famine in the northern areas of Ethiopia.
Live Aid was driven and organized by rock ‘n’ roll legend Bob Geldof who was also behind the “Band Aid” single in 1984 that first raised widespread public awareness about the Ethiopian famine.
The simultaneous Live Aid concerts were held in both Philadelphia and London. Many musical superstars performed at the 1985 Live Aid concerts, including Madonna, David Bowie, Queen, Elton John, U2, Bruce Springsteen and many others.
It is estimated that the televised concerts were viewed by a global audience of more than 1.5 billion people. The Live Aid concerts raised slightly more than $100 million for famine relief.
That’s a nice story, right?
Sure, Live Aid was effective at tugging on our heart strings, but if you gather 1.5 billion people and raise only $100 million, that works out to an average donation of 7 cents per person. Adjusted for inflation, that amount would be roughly 25 cents today. It would seem that a lot more people enjoyed the music than the writing of checks.
Starvation remains rampant across Africa (Photo by Mark Odecho/Wikipedia commons)
Call me a cynic, but I did make a small donation.
But here’s the problem, Ethiopia is still – 40 years later — struggling with famine. Nothing really changed. We wrote our checks and called it good, ready for the next video on MTV.
The whole thing sort of underscores a popular sketch performed by the late comedian Sam Kinison.
Kinison would scream at the top of his lungs in pure frustration.
“Stop sending care packages,” Kinison would yell! “Save your money! Someobody needs to show these people that they live in a desert! Food doesn’t grow in a desert! This is sand, see? Sand!”
“If you really want to help these people, send them luggage! Send them U-Hauls! They need to go where the food is!” Kinison would roar.
Kinison’s points may be considered heartless, especially in light of the thousands of deaths attributed to famine in Ethiopia. But his logic is on point.
We may feel good putting a dollar in the Salvation Army kettle during the Christmas season, but we tend to ignore poverty for the remaining 50 weeks of the year.
Do you remember the 1984 Band Aid Christmas song?
An excerpt from the lyrics: “And there won’t be snow in Africa this Christmas time/ The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life(Oooh)/ Where nothing ever grows . . .”
Duh? Did Boy George and Bono not study geography? Snow is damn rare in Ethiopia, even during the best of times in the nation’s highland regions.
Of course, there won’t be snow in Africa this year, that year or most years. Again, feel-good lyrics designed to pull on our heart strings. Even Boy George admitted in his lyrics “where nothing ever grows.”
According to an April 2025 PBS story, the “margins between starvation and survival are narrowing in Ethiopia,” especially after the Trump Administration decided to freeze foreign aid supplies and essentially shutter USAID.
That decision, PBS says, has had “seismic effects on global humanitarian efforts.”
The U.N. World Food Program is one of the organizations that has drawn vast portions of their budgets from the U.S. government. Historically, the U.S. has been the agency’s biggest donor by far.
Maybe we just need another concert.
Bono was right when he sang, “ Well, tonight thank God it’s them/Instead of you”
Randy Seaver is a cranky, nearly insufferable malcontent living in Biddeford. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com
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I see a lot of social media chatter about the evils of “billionaires who have far more than they need.”
My question is what about millionaires? If you have a net worth of $700 to $950 million, is that also too much? Do we also loathe millionaires?
Money: The root of all evil?
If we get rid of billionaires and millionaires and redistribute their wealth to the less fortunate, then do we go after the people with a net worth of more than $850,000? Do they also have “too much?” Are they just greedy?
The MEDIAN net worth in the U.S. is roughly $200,000, meaning that half of the population has a lower net worth than $200,000 and half of the population has a net worth of more than $200,000.
Do you really need more than one television, one computer, one phone or one tattoo?
Do we use that number? Does anyone really “need” a net worth of $200,000? Furthermore, who decides what is “too much?” If you own an acre of land, do you have too much? Do you really need an entire acre?
Do you really need more than one television, one computer, one phone or one tattoo?
Do you really need more than one car? Do you really need 14 pairs of underwear?
I think we need to be careful when pointing fingers because, eventually, we’re going to be pointing at ourselves.
I do not believe in a flat tax, even thought that (by definition) is the fairest solution.
I am only saying it gets really tricky, really fast when we talk about things such as “fair share,”
There has been a lot of angry talk lately in Biddeford and other communities in southern Maine that are becoming more attractive to people who did not grow up here.
If resentment were a commodity, I would advise you to buy heavy.
Look, let’s get this out of the way before we proceed. Poverty sucks, living near poverty level sucks; and life is not “fair.” Never has been. Never will be. In the times of ancient Greece, some people lived in squalor while others enjoyed luxury.
The Obama’s “summer home” on Martha’s Vineyard . . . lucky!
Today, most people living in Somalia have a much lower standard of living than even America’s poorest citizens. It’s all perspective.
Does that mean we should not care? That we should turn a blind eye to the needs of the less fortunate among us? Absolutely not.
But while we’re all so busy saving the planet and finally making things right, let’s be careful not to trip over our own fucking hypocrisy.
Another disclosure before we proceed, especially for my liberal friends who feel so much worse for “poor people” than cranky old people like me.
1.) I started my adult life homeless, with no job, no family, no home. Hot, sweaty and hungry. I ended up getting government assistance for housing, food, medicine and even college. At the time, I had a minimum wage job. I earned $3.75/ hour as a third-shift janitor at McDonald’s.
2.) Without government assistance, it is more than likely I would not have survived. I believe in government assistance. I believe it is a good use of my tax dollars to make sure that there is a safety net.
So, when it comes to poverty (no air conditioning, no car, no eating out, no phone, no vacations, no television) Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt.
Today, however, I find this pervasive culture of entitlement to be spreading like wildfire. Expectations are through the roof. So many people talk about their “rights,” but never their obligations.
On a recent social media thread about the cost of living in Biddeford, several people were complaining that “affordable housing” is not really affordable.
I know this is true, and a problem. My youngest kid (28) has been living with us since August and I really . . . really, really want her to find her own place to live. Trust me on this. She has a full-time job and is going back to college, but pickings for housing in Biddeford are slim.
I have suggested that she cannot afford to live in Biddeford, pointing her to Sanford, Limerick and other places in York County that are not yet so gentrified. Apparently, because of my penchant for living in the real world, I am insensitive monster who just doesn’t understand how “tough the world is today.”
Bullshit. The world has always been tough, and always will be.
If you are over 25, earning only minimum wage, you have made some poor life choices.
We have first-year teachers and newly-hired police officers who cannot afford to live close to where they work. We do need more affordable housing. Pronto!
But on this social media thread, there were the proverbial whiners. “I’m on minimum wage, Section 8 or whatever. I can’t afford “affordable housing.”
Of course not. You are confusing affordable housing with low-income housing. Just because you can’t afford something, doesn’t mean the other guy can’t.
Moreover, if you’re living on minimum wage ($14.65/hour in Maine), you need to ask yourself some hard questions. Even McDonald’s is starting people at $20 hour. Minimum wage was never intended to be a life-long, livable wage. It is for people with no skills or experience. If you are over 25, earning only minimum wage, you have made some poor life choices.
And it’s time for you to make some changes.
In fact, you need a second job. Wait, what? Yes, a second job. Growing up, my dad had three jobs and my mom worked third-shift in a factory while we slept in a third-floor apartment on State Street in Biddeford.
We did not have air conditioning or a clothes dryer. No microwave. No tattoos, not cell phones, WIFI or cable TV. No streaming services. We had school clothes and play clothes. Everything had to be stretched.
Until I was a teenager, we ate out maybe once or twice a year (Easter dinner or a treat of Bill’s Pizza and Pier Fries during the summer at OOB.) Until, I was seven, my parents did not own a car. My dad finished his teaching degree by hitch-hiking to his classes in Gorham. The poor fucker was working three jobs and had to put newspaper in his shoes because he could not afford new shoes.
But guess what? My parents scrimped and saved every penny, and were finally able to buy their own run-down, fixer upper home in Saco. My sister had dance classes, I took clarinet lessons and was in the Cub scouts.
We were on our way to middle class. Yippie-kay yay, motherfuckers.
My parents’ life was not abnormal. It was like that for all my friends.
What, exactly, is so horrific about having more than one job? I always had two jobs into my mid-30s.
In summary, yes we should have a safety net. My great-grandmother used to get government-issued surplus cheese and canned goods.
But we also need to toughen up. We live in a world of high expectations. We now believe that we should be able to “afford” tats, nose rings and $8 latte macchiatos. We demand more. We all deserve dignity, but don’t want to work for it. We abhor sacrifice.
The government safety net is intended to catch you when you fall, not become a place to take a long slumber while watching the Bachelor.
If your life sucks (and many people do have shitty, hard lives) ask yourself some hard questions. What are YOU going to do to make things better? What are YOU going to bring to the table for society?
In closing, l leave you with the iconic words of John F. Kennedy (He was a president before Trump) “Ask not what your country can do for you; rather ask yourself what can you do for your country.”
Rant over. Peace. And good luck.
Randy Seaver is a cranky, nearly insufferable malcontent living in Biddeford. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com
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