Comment: Senator Collins: How can you defend your support of George Bush now that our nation has been at war for over 7 years with no end in sight, and our economy teeters on the brink of disaster? During his tenure, the policies which you have supported 77% of the time have left the rich richer and Mainers devestated. How can you defend this? How can you even dare to ask to be seated in the U.S. Senate again after the endless corruption, ethics scandals and outright crookery of the members of your, Republican party? from Oxford, ME by Wendell

Comment: American's voiced their opinion to Congress by signing the petition to DRILL HERE, DRILL NOW and PAY LESS. Over 1.5 million Americans signed this petition, including myself. What attempts will you each make in beginning off-shore drilling now that the President has lifted the ban on off-shore drilling? It may take a few years but will this not help at the pump now while other alternatives are initiated? If we don't do any drilling NOW, what will gas prices be 5-10 years from now if we are to do no drilling now? Thank you! from Wiscasset, ME by Louanne

Comment: How can you be promising any tax cuts when we have such a huge national debt getting larger by the day? It seems as though everyone running for national office is treating us like thoughtless children who have to be bribed with tax cuts? Are we never again going to have a balanced budget? from Winthrop, Maine by Priscilla

Comment: What can you do to help small businesses in Maine survive? from Wells by Traci

Comment: Since Representative Tom Allen would not answer this question from my 15 year old daughter at Sanford High School, I figured I would write in and ask for my self. What are your beliefs on Same Sex Marriages in the State of Maine? from Sanford, Maine by Mary

Comment: My question is for Senator Collins,Why with ever increasing living costs do you still vote no when it comes to mininum wage,have you tried to live on 7.50-8.00 dollars an hour ??? Please reconsider your stand on this. Thank you !!! from NORTH MONMOUTH by WILLIAM

Comment: Why are the CEO's and Boards of Directors still with the companies our tax dollars are bailing out? from Cumberland, ME by Kathleen

Comment: Given recent events in our economy, what are your beliefs regarding the philosophy that has prevailed in the last twenty years, that the free and unregulated market will right itself and serve the best interests of all? from South Portland, ME by Teg

Comment: My question is more directed at Rep. Allen. His commercials are saying he wants a "fresh face" in Washington, yet he's been there for 12 years already. Question: what specifically is he going to do different in the Senate that he hasn't done in the House? for both of them: "what is the first thing on your agenda after being sworn in?" from Standish by Stephanie

Comment: Tom Allen has served as one of Maines leaders in Congress for 12 years, yet in his own ads tells us its time for a change in leadship in Washington. What makes him think he can be can be a more effective leader than Susan Collins by just switching jobs? from Saco by Daniel

Comment: I would love to hear Mr. Allen explain what the Bush Economic Policies are. I suspect he is just parroting National Democrat talking points and has no idea what the Bush Policies are. I would also like to hear how he supports the Troops as he brags about opposing the War in Iraq from the beginning, the one we are now winning. Why would you brag about desiring our Troops to lose in Iraq? This guy is a typical Knucklehead Liberal big spending Democrat. Worthless Mush head. Susan Collins is a liberal Republican, but is still better than Tom Allen by a long shot. Ask Mr. Allen what our financial policies out to be and you find out he wants folks dependent on Government. He is against folks helping themselves. He wants Maine folks dependent on the Government, which means dependent on Mr. Allen to help them. There is nothing empowering for Americans about his message. from Topsham by Wade

Comment: Why is it so hard to cut government spending to reduce taxes when it's "AS SIMPLE" as cutting every single department's budget by a mere 10% (or whatever percentage). A "straight across the board" cut would give each department the means to prioritize and cut out waste. Each department knows best what works and doesn't and would be reponsible. Please read my question in FULL as it's so elementary an idea that would and could work..... from Scarborough by Patty

Comment: What do you think about the Jones Act and about the U.S. Merchant Marine? from Alfred, ME by David

Comment: What will you do to reduce Govermemt spending? What is your opinion on all theses bills that get passed with all the fat in them..example the kids wooden arrows company that got the tax break on the bail out package? what can be done to stop this? from Scarborough by Greg

Comment: i want to know what they are going to do for us middle class people that work every day and can't get help because the income is $5 over the limit for leap!!!! from lisbon by sandy

Comment: There is a clear paper trail through Congress implicating many Senators and Congressmen for complicity, dating back to the Clinton presidency, which is truly the genesis of the present financial crisis--starting with the catalyst of Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac. Will either of you call for a public investigation, censure, dismissal and prosecution of those involved? Note: this is not an opportunity for another baseless diatribe on 'Wall Street greed'--Wall Street is in the business of making money and most of the sub-prime mortgages written were done so with the imprimatur of legislation requiring a significant percentage of risky low income loans for regulation compliance. from S. Paris, ME by C.E.

Comment: Why are you both such partisan politicians? Your voting patterns show you feel the other party is wrong >90% of the time. Don't you think Maine and the country deserves better than typical partisan politics? from SP by S

Comment: Thank you for your time. My question is. It seems that about 80% of our youth leave the state when they graduate high school because of no jobs here. What can we do to create jobs and to keep our youth in the state of Maine? from Naples by Kevin

Comment: what do you plan on doing to help out people like myself that earn under 20K? Prices are going up all the time but my paycheck can't begin to keep up and I getting near retirement age.. by f

Comment: Representative Allen: You don't like President Bush- I get it. From your television ads I get nothing more than "Vote for me, I don't like George Bush", and unfortunately, disliking someone is not a compelling enough reason to get my vote. In every ad of yours I've seen or heard, you never once mention your record in the House of Representatives. Other than the Iraq war or President Bush's tax cuts (I know how you feel about them), please share with me some of your other legislative accomplishments in the House. from South Portland, Maine by James

Comment: Please ask Tom why he has missed so many votes while serving in the house from Monmouth, Me by Richard H

Comment: Senator Collins: What will you do for the gay community in Maine? from So. Portland, ME by Kristin

Comment: I here a lot about helping the middle class but what are you going to do for the working poor? We live paycheck to paycheck not knowing what we will be able to pay for. The price of everything keeps going up but our pay doesn't go anywhere. I'm sick of my phone ringing off the hook from bill collectors. I can no longer pay the credit card bills so I have to put up with it because I need to make sure I have a roof over my head and food on my table. So my question is What are you going to do for the "Low/poor income" people? from Lewiston by Jess

Comment: Senator Collins voted against the Employee Free choice Act . Rep. Allen voted for the Employee Free choice Act -- Explain your postions from Lewiston by Crystal

Comment: What percentages of federal revenues come from (answers in parentheses): Social Security Taxes? (35%) All other sources? (65%) What percentage of our federal tax dollar is spent on the following: Social Security payments? (20%) Medicare/Medicaid/SCHIP? (21%) Interest on the national debt? (15%) Dept of Defense - NOT including the VA or Iraq/Afghanistan funding? (15%) Iraq/Afghanistan funding alone? (5.5%) The VA? (3%) Education? (2%) Food stamps? (2%) Homeland Security? (1.5%) Unemployment and jobs training? (1.5%) NASA? (0.61%) The CDC? (0.19%) The EPA? (0.25%) Food and drug safety? (0.11%) Non-farm small business assistance? (0.03%) Everything else combined - Justice, State, Transportation, Energy, Housing, Civil Defense, Interior, Commerce, Foreign Aid, etc.? (9%) The projected $450 billion budget deficit (BEFORE the various financial bailouts) is what percentage ABOVE total annual federal revenue? (17%) [NOTE: all percentages above calculated from official White House FY 2009 Budget PDFs published online.] Final question: Given the dwindling capacity of the economy to generate revenue at current tax rates during an obviously deepening recession, what can/would you do to reduce/eliminate the budget deficit (i.e., stop adding to the national debt and thus stop increasing the required interest payments)? by Steve

Comment: Why should I believe anything that comes out of your mouth with all of the lies and scandel going on in politics? from Portland by Sarah

Comment: Why do you really want to be elected? I mean the true reason, not because opf the economy,or the war. What I am asking is your true feeling? from oakland,maine by cathy

Comment: With all the Chinese imports of food and toys, will you do more to insure the safety of the consumers in our country. And what will you do to bring back products made in the USA? We should support our own country before we let in imports, especially where there are so many recalls. from Norway ME by Annie

Comment: If you are agenst this Casino coming in to Maine. Then what are your plans for increasing the number of good jobs that maintain a good quality of life? Please be specific. from Lisbon, Maine by Stephen

Comment: what are you going to do for our state. and how are you going to help familys in need by Natasha

Comment: ASk what these two plan to do about the illegal drug problem in Maine? from Augusta by Peter

Comment: For Tom Allen. Why have you skipped so many meetings with the state, yet voted to give yourself a 500% pay increase? from OOB by Mike

Comment: I was born 1945 the same year as Tom Allen.Soon after high school I was on my way to Vietnam.Question did tom allen serve if not why,he was an athlete from Livermore falls,me. by Andy

Comment: Would you please ask each candiate, what they will do once elected to help the eldery, disabled, and lower income people. I haven't heard what they would do, nor have I even heard what the presidental candiates would like to do to help them. They only talk about the middle class, and the richer people. Thank You ! from Auburn, Maine by Meghan

Comment: what are you going to do about the war in Iraq? from Waterboro ME by Austin

Comment: This question is for both canidates, Why should I trust either party Republican or Democrat when in the past several years neither party has stood up for the american tax payer. How can I trust your party when our Government has let us down, Congress has allowed corporate greed, corruption, Congress has allowed tax money to help the rich get bailed out of dept, Congress votes thier own raises,insurance policies,their own pensions. If we the tax paying americans are your employer then why can't we have the power to decide on your future? Why should we the tax paying amercans trust you with our tax dollars? How can you gain our trust again? Bipartisam means to work together, It means to make life better for the people who voted and put thier trust in you. Why has congress allowed this to happen and how will you stop it? Earn my trust!!! from Lisbon, Me. by Richard

Comment: Where do you stand as far as GLBT rights in Maine and in the US? Are you for GLBT rights or not? from Biddeford, Maine by Tom

Comment: What will each of you do to address an issue that has not been touched on...child hunger and poverty? After a detailed 5 day spread in Central Maine newspapers the importance of this problem was validated by the stories of thousands of Maine children who go hungry each day, who dread weekends, because school is their only source of food. Not everyone is middle class... what about the poor? from Waterville by Gerard

Comment: My question is for Susan Collins, My husband who works at bath Iron Works and I are huge fans and would love to thank her for all her hard work for the ship yard and keeping them open, and next we would love to meet her My kids and I volunteer at the Lincoln County Republicans in Wiscasset and we are collecting signatures and would love yours. Thank you so much for working so hard for us. from Maine by Jessica

Comment: Can you explain, in easy to understand terms, your position on the Employee Free Choice Act (or Card Check) ? Can you further explain the local & national long-term implications it will have if enacted. from Augusta by Judy

Comment: What are you going to do for graduating students in Maine High Schools to keep them in Maine not only for their college education, but also to pursue their future job within the state of Maine? from Westbrook by Stacy

Comment: Since demand is one of the things that drive up prices, I would like to know why heating oil prices surpassed gas prices during the summer when there was little to no demand for heating oil. Also, isn't #2 heating oil much less refined than gasoline therefore making it cheaper to produce? If neither of you think that this is blatent gouging by the oil industries, then neither one of you deserves to be in office! from Alfred ME by Rene

Comment: this is a question for both with oxford hills being picked as the site for a las vegas casino and hotel what is your position on this and do you think the casino will help maine's economy.? from oxford by jeff

Comment: we would like to know,when are they going to stop penalizing retired people, andy caped people, and the elderly, for being married by taking money from there ssi checks under the pretenses of two can live as cheep as one. if these people are not even making 20,000.00 a year? the money is taxed going in and coming out isn't that enough? we give so much to other people and places, yet we have to rob ower own. someone has to start thinking about us , thank you. from windham, maine by lee

Comment: Bath iron works being one of the top employers here in Maine, what is your goal in trying to keep DDG 1000 and any other future programs alive and here in Maine from Leeds by Joshua

Comment: " Skipping a Vote " Our elected officials when bills are up for a vote? Maine voters come November! Do you think it is ok to skip a vote? from south portland by thomas

Comment: Just wondered why Tom is stuck on giving tax breaks to the middle class, what about the lower working class and the elderly unable to buy heat and food, it looks like Tom tailored this plan for him and his friends income level, which would leave the lower class people left to struggle for themselves from New Sharon by Darlene

Comment: Illegal immigration seems to be a problem, and yet, no one in Washington knows how to deal with it. Other than the usual approach, how would deal with that issue? from South Portland by James

Comment: For Rep Allen: You say we need a change in Washington, yet you have been in Washington helping to deliver us in to this mess we are in. Why do you now think you can do any better representing Maine than you have in the past? from Westbrook by Peter

Comment: What plans do you have that will help the average Mainer who makes less than 35,000 a year with heating costs? from South Portland by Kathy

Comment: people who pay weekly for their health care insurance are being charged higher and higher rates, co-pays and out of pocket expenses. More and more people who can work but work "the system" instead obtain low cost and/or free health care. How are you going to address this issue? from Bridgton, ME by Becky

Comment: Would you support a nationwide referendum, asking all Americans if they wanted to outlaw the outsourcing of American jobs, forcing existing outsourced jobs to return to America? If not, why not? from Westbrook, Maine by Carson

Comment: Im a freshman in high school so I can't vote yet, but what I would like to see both candidates stop attacking each other and focus strictly on what you plan to do. from Sanford, Maine by Patrick

Comment: How do you plan to solve the major infrastructure problems in this state while maintaining a balanced budget from Oxford by Dave

Comment: We have heard about the war and the economy and all they want to do to help the middle class, what I haven't heard is what they are going to do to help the lower class (those on fixed incomes) or our education system which seems to be taking many of the cuts. I would like to know what both candidates plan to do to help the people who need the most help...our children and our elderly and those on fixed incomes. from Lewiston, Maine by Tina

Comment: I was wondering why we pay excise on MSRP price of a vehicle.Nobody pay MSRP on a vehicle. So pretty much we are paying taxes to the state on money we did not spend over the life of the vehicle. I do not mind paying my fair share of taxes but this is wrong and what will they do to change that? from Mechanic Falls by John

Comment: What are they planning to do about Maines economy problems?And about the high prices of oil? from Auburn by Michelle

Comment: What do you plan on doing to make good coverage health care affordable to the middle class? from East Livermore / Maine by J

Comment: Even though I have crossed party lines in the past to vote for Sen. Collins, I will most likely vote entirely democratic this time. However, I am still wondering why Cogressman Tom Allen did not justify his "open voting policy" for Union inclusion? from So. Casco. Maine by sharon

Comment: Our country is facing a health crisis with being able to get affordable health care. How will you in the senate try to see that more Americans can get the healthcare they need? from Westbrook by Kimberly

Comment: what are your plans to help our economy and produce more good paying jobs for both mainers and americans? from bath, maine by joe

Comment: Now that the emergency bailout plan that Congress passed last week has been thrown in the dustbin in favor of partially nationalizing some of our banks, will either candidate call for the repeal of the $150 BILLION in pork that was included in the emergency bill? from Rockland by Gerald

Comment: As a former radio broadcaster, I have signed many agreements that I would not accept bribes or gifts for playing certain cuts of any recordings to give one entertainer more exposure on the airwaves. That seems fair. In relation to you both, since you are both elected officials and are there to serve the people needs, why do you in government allow the taking of any money from interest groups. Can you share with the viewers how much you have taken in total dollars in your last terms and do you feel good about taking those funds over the true needs of Mainers. from Biddeford ME by Rob

Comment: Why was it when the President and the Senate and Congress were trying to get the people to buy into the 750 billion dollar Bail-out they all made it seem like it would make a difference in the near future. now that they all have the money from us they all say we won't see any effects to the general economy right away. As a joe 6-pack that just sounds like another snow job to me.(No pun intended towards Senator Snow) from Falmouth by Phil

Comment: Do either one have any concrete + useful proposals for keeping the cost of health insurance down. For instance, tax credits are meaningless if you already zero out and owe no tax anyway. from New Gloucester, ME by Kenneth

Comment: in the matter of ACORN receiving money from the closing of each house sale, since they have NO offices in Maine, New Hampshire or Vermont, would you sponsor a bill to ammend the law to make monies colected in Maine STAY in Maine, or abolish this "fee" outright from Portland, ME by Bob

Comment: About what percentage of votes in Congress have you missed and how often (percentage-wise again)have you gone against your party in a vote? from Cushing by Charles

Comment: Are you willing to raise taxes on the rich, thus unburdening the middle class? from Gorham, Maine by Shonn