As a moderate Republican, I am tired of seeing the hatred and disrespect from my own party. Just as Paul LePage has been trying to woo the more moderate voices by implementing plans to satisfy, he is continually attacked. Not just by Democrats, but by strict fiscal conservatives who equate our problems with 40 years of democratic rule. First the problem comes from conservative outsiders who have really paved the way for Maine voters. First with gay marriage, which was a million-dollar war on our bank accounts; and then with years of Republicans only interested in conservative votes and losing favor with moderates. The problem is that moderates are seen as not belonging in the Republican aristocracy.

We agree with Democrats and we agree with certain portions of Republican bills, yet we cannot belong to either party. It does not make us independents; it makes us a more centralized voice in our own party. Sadly, though, when people think of Republicans they think of more brazen figures like Rick Perry or Charlie Webster. Instead of trying to balance budgets, they engage in media events simply to draw attention to themselves. It creates a polarizing image that the Republican party instead of being represented by an elephant, would be better represented by communism and a state-sponsored church. Again, as a moderate, the danger of a day of prayer in my mind is state sponsorship of churches, which is the danger of the conservative agenda of today; it is more Stalinist than anything else.

Joseph Ziehm

Lewiston