I was captivated by your recent news article about an inmate at the Cumberland County jail who was illiterate until age 21, and thus turned to a life of crime since he was unsuccessful in school and had no skills for employment (“Maine jail officials back report calling for early childhood education,” Oct. 3).

Like our law enforcement leaders, many Maine business leaders also support increasing access to high-quality early learning programs for more children.

We know from numerous studies reported from business leader organizations like America’s Edge that high-quality early education is a key to academic success.

It starts kids out on the path for success in K-12 education and into college, and helps build the foundation of soft and hard skills our workplaces require in today’s globalized economy.

Congress should support the proposed state-federal partnership to provide Maine and other states with the resources to create a voluntary high-quality preschool program to serve low- to moderate-income 4-year-olds.

Across the country, state policymakers have recognized and valued the nonpartisan opportunity to do what’s right for our youngest children. In 2013 alone, 26 states – some with Republican governors and others with Democratic governors – have proposed or approved significant expansions of state preschool programs.

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Maine should follow this trend to ensure more children are ready when they start school. It is an economic opportunity that only presents itself once, and can help move our future workforce and economy forward.

Eileen Skinner

president and CEO, Mercy Hospital

Portland

I appreciate Maine law enforcement leaders’ steadfast support for expanding high-quality early education in Maine (“Maine jail officials back report calling for early childhood education,” Oct. 3). I know their convictions are grounded in the fact that people who drop out of school are more at risk to become involved in later crime.

As a retired Army general, I am also concerned that lack of education is a leading disqualifier for future military service, if that is a career goal for a young person.

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Poor educational achievement is one of the three key reasons why an amazing 75 percent of all young Americans are unable to join the military, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. (Other major disqualifying factors include being overweight and having a criminal record.)

Decades of research have shown that investing in high-quality early education is one of the most effective ways to ensure that each child graduates from high school, abides by the law and becomes a contributing member of society.

Work is being done right now in Congress to craft a state-federal early learning proposal that gives states around the nation resources to create, strengthen and expand quality pre-K programs and support for child development for children from birth to age 3.

Implementation of this 10-year proposal will put millions of children on the path to long-term academic achievement, and it could lead to 6,700 more high school graduates here and $500 million in economic benefits for Maine. That’s good for Maine’s future, and for our nation’s security.

Wallace Nutting

general, U.S. Army (retired)

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Saco

Column on acts of kindness both refreshing, inspiring

Thank you, Bill Nemitz, for an uplifting story about the wonderful women of Cape Elizabeth and South Portland who have so generously and kindly been providing Valerie Kibala with rides to her job, where the buses leave off (“Want a lift? Valerie’s volunteer drivers show how it’s done,” Oct. 9).

It’s great to read about acts of good will and kindness that we do know exist within our society. Nowadays, it seems all we see in the news and read in our papers and online is about crime, greed, corruption, murder and political acting out.

Even our elected officials demonstrate on a regular basis their complete inability to show respect, common decency and any aptitude to work with their colleagues.

Kudos to Priscilla Warren for exercising her need-to-be-kind gene by reaching out to a total stranger to help her out on a stormy day. And best of luck to her for a full and rapid recovery from her illness. We need more people like her!

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Deborah Napier

Portland

Tar sands’ impact extends far beyond southern Maine

There is a lot of concern around tar sands traveling through a pipeline that crosses the Crooked River six times on its way to Sebago Lake and passes under the lake. Any kind of spill or leak would be catastrophic for our drinking water, fish and tourism.

As great a concern for me is the amount of greenhouse gases that the process of digging and shipping tar sands creates. It means cutting the trees in Canada’s boreal forest, which is the biggest in the world, hosting a great variety of life forms. The trees absorb carbon and help keep our air in balance.

This process is destroying indigenous people’s lifestyle. They can no longer fish their waters or hunt their forests. Many more cases of cancer and other respiratory illnesses are reported.

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It takes 2.5 tons of sand to get a barrel of oil. The bitumen is like peanut butter. A mix of chemicals are used to get it liquid enough to travel in a pipeline.

Huge ponds are created in the process of trying to separate the oil from the sand. Ponds are deadly for the birds that land on them.

To dig tar sands, Canada trucks a great deal of natural gas to the sites and uses much water. Though they reuse the water, this water is permanently polluted and can never nourish life again.

There are other alternatives: conservation, wind power, hydro, biomass, photovoltaic panels. We need to discuss living more simply and make changes. We are spending our children’s future, using resources they will need.

Sister Jackie Moreau

Portland

 


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