“Time to deal with Maine’s toxic business environment,” read the headline on a Republican lawmaker’s column on Feb. 8.

I am curious to know how Press Herald readers have interpreted this double entendre.

The author of the column, Rep. Jonathan McKane of Newcastle, points out that, “(Maine’s) rivers and land were little more than dumping grounds. Thankfully, those days are gone,” leading one to believe that reforms have already dealt with the toxic effect of businesses on Maine’s environment.

This interpretation, although slightly out of tense, would explain our double entendre. But it’s never that easy.

The author goes on to paint a picture of desperate parents, developers and businesses who are being suffocated by the same red tape for which he is so grateful.

Or is he? McKane intends to “look long and hard at these and any of the hundreds of laws and rules” that have hampered business growth.

Thus he is implying an interpretation of the title in which the laws protecting the land, water, animals and people of Maine have created a toxic environment for businesses, and it is these protections which must be dealt with.

So how will Maine’s elected officials interpret this conundrum? After all is said and done, Maine was ranked as 50th in the nation as a place to do business by Forbes.

But does this number represent a failure in Maine’s toxic political agenda towards businesses — or instead could it mean a victory for Maine against toxic businesses that are more interested in profit and the exploitation of less stringent environmental policies than they are about serving the communities in which they operate?

More importantly, what type of businesses do the people of Maine want to attract?

I think it’s safe to say that whichever way McKane interprets the title of his article, Mainers can rest assured that while he is the House chair of the Regulatory Fairness and Reform Committee, he will be hard at work taking care of business.

Dominic Hastings
Boothbay

We should be more upset about involvement in war 

For weeks I have been watching the news: a tragic shooting in Tucson, protest, revolution and violence in Cairo, coverage of a massive weather system that produce an incredible amount of snow in some states, the terrible floods and a cyclone that hit Australia, a young child is found dead, another is reunited with her real parents after she was kidnapped 23 years ago.

However, the media has completely ignored our own tragedy, our own crisis, which we created. It’s in a country called Afghanistan. It is called a war. Our men and women are fighting an enemy that is everywhere and very elusive. People are dying every day.

Why doesn’t this make the news? Why doesn’t it warrant our attention 24 hours a day?

We have forgotten our own. No one protests this war, no one ever mentions how many were injured during the week or how many died or how many mothers lost a beloved child.

Shame on you America, how could you forget?

Christine Esancy
Appleton 

It been exhilarating watching the nonviolent revolution in Egypt, which is bringing the promise of democracy to that country. We are seeing nonviolence accomplishing great things.

How unlike Iraq, where the United States tried to impose its will, millions were killed and the country was left in shambles. In contrast, in Egypt the infrastructure is left intact, and the very small amount of violence was perpetrated by the existing regime against the popular uprising.

A country’s ruler always needs the consent of the people to govern. Courage, sacrifice, hope and dignity are more powerful forces than hatred, brutality and warfare. During the past 100 years, nonviolent change also has produced effective and peaceful governments in South Africa, India, the Philippines, Liberia and Yugoslavia.

I hope we will learn that there are far less hurtful, less costly and more honorable and effective ways to achieve positive social change than through warfare. War is seldom, if ever, the right answer.

Cushman D. Anthony
North Yarmouth

Birthday cake? No, let’s have birthday pi instead 

As an alternative to polemics about the “Other Party,” this letter is about birthdays. Nearly everyone but me celebrates them.

I’d appreciate the friendly wishes from those who know when I was born, if they didn’t attach a number, a measure of my antiquity. If eventually I’m awarded the Boston Post Cane, still awarded to the oldest person in some communities, I’ll reject it, as the subsequent honor is an obituary.

“Birthday” is really a misnomer. I only had one, on which I wore my birthday suit and Calvin Coolidge was president. Now it really means the completion of another circuit of the Earth around the sun, with the number of circuits since the honoree’s birth noted on each Hallmark card.

What if we defined birthday as the number of revolutions of Earth on its axis since birth? Calculating my birthday that way, I find that the day I write this I’m 31,416 days old. That’s exactly 10,000 pi, the 5th term in a series. I don’t remember anything from when I was 1, 10, and 100 pi days old, but at about 1,000 pi days I realized that Santa was an impossible fable told by authority figures.

I don’t expect to be alive at the next number in the series, 100,000 pi, for surely that would bankrupt Medicare. However, it is with mixed feelings that I suspect I’ll live to see my skepticism of myths from authority figures at 1,000 pi further vindicated by the collapse of our growing trillions-of-dollars debt edifice, now temporarily sustained by legalized counterfeiting, which would bring back the conditions at 1,000 pi, and maybe those of Germany just before my real birthday.

This is written on a Macbook Pro, so they are also Apple pi’s.

Richard Dreselly
Brunswick 

Turning boxes good way to reach consumers on fat 

Regarding the Jan. 26 article, “Natural Foodie: Tough cookie takes protest against trans fats to stores,” by Staff Writer Avery Yale Kamila: I have been refusing to buy products that contain hydrogenated oils, as well as palm oil, for years without turning the boxes on the shelf so the nutrition labels show.

I never thought of that, but I have been telling my family and friends about why I refrain from such purchases.

My congratulations go to Erin Judge, who is making a public statement and consequently reaching a large number of people. Good for her!

Hopefully readers will find ways to eliminate these “bad” oils from their diets and as a consequence, if they ain’t buyin’, the stores won’t sell.

That is how palm oil got eliminated from so many foods. You speak with your dollars when you shop. It may take time, but it does work. I have discovered great-tasting peanut butters and ice creams without hydrogenated oils to replace ones I grew up on that do.

I disagree, though, with the implication that you will shed pounds if you just eliminate hydrogenated oils from your diet. If you increase exercise, eat more fresh and steamed fruits and vegetables and stay away from the processed foods that Mrs. Judge listed, you certainly should see weight loss result.

We all need to spend a little more time in the grocery store reading the list of ingredients (listed directly below the nutrition facts) of every item we buy.

Teach your children to do this. Get in touch with what you are eating. You will enjoy food more and be healthier.

Barbara Simon
South Portland

 

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