I found a novel and challenging theme in the Insight and Business sections of the Telegram on Aug. 31 – accountability (or lack thereof). Kudos!

The most obvious was the discussion in “Maine Voices: China can offer school lessons to America.”

Chinese parents are dedicated to preparing their children for the school experience, and then holding them accountable and helping them to meet the school learning standards.

In America, we too often leave the task to the teachers – and then get upset when the student fails. It’s time we find the ways to help more parents get involved and be accountable for their children’s learning.

In “Our View: Who are we endorsing? Nobody – and here’s why,” the paper tells us that we, the people, must make our own decisions in the upcoming election.

We are accountable to decide who will lead us and then live with the consequences of our decision. Nobody to blame but me.

In “Ten lessons about work to take to heart this Labor Day,” we read that every young person should have a job where she/he needs to show up on time, in clean clothes, wide awake, cheerful and prepared to properly complete assigned tasks: learning personal accountability.

A wonderful and valuable, but sometimes tough, experience!

Charles Lawton’s commentary, “Trying to legislate desired outcomes fails again and again,” was on target.

His best comment clearly applies to the issues above: “By acting as if life is about outcomes rather than process, we miss all the pain, all the joy and, most importantly, all the learning of the journey.”

In a take-off on President Kennedy’s inauguration speech: Each of us needs to stop asking what others can do for me, and determine what I can and should do for myself, my family, my neighbors, my community, my church, my country – and then do it!

Daniel J. Rooney

Sanford