I can say pretty confidently that Gov. Paul LePage and I frequently see things differently. Many times, we have found ourselves on opposite sides of the age-old debate, “People need to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps” versus “It takes a village.”

However, last week, at a standing-room-only forum sponsored by LearningWorks, the organization for which I am CEO, Gov. LePage did a very nice job bridging those two ideologies.

He spoke to our students about his decision to leave a violent home, while acknowledging the people who took him off the streets and cared for him. He spoke of his personal commitment to never give up, while thanking Husson University for giving him a chance to succeed, even though his grades were low and English was his second language.

This made me think more deeply about LearningWorks, where we acknowledge the importance of both personal fortitude and community support.

For every student, our first question is, “Are you ready to take responsibility for your life and make different choices?” If they are, we fully commit to helping them walk a new path. Our teachers are ready to educate and our counselors are ready to listen.

However, it is up to the student to show up every day and earn the education that will provide the foundation for a stable life.

When the governor began his speech, he spoke of a mentor who said to him, “If it is to be, it is up to me” — a clear rallying cry for people to turn their lives around. As he concluded his speech, he revised that statement to say, “If it is to be, it is up to us.”

I applaud the governor’s recognition that we all need to pull together to solve our state’s problems.

I thank the governor for joining us and for being willing to share a personal side that we rarely get to see. It was inspirational and invaluable to many of our young people.

Ethan Strimling

CEO, LearningWorks

Portland

Calling a union a marriage doesn’t make it a marriage

The people of Maine may vote to legalize same-sex “marriage,” There’s only one problem: There is no such thing as same-sex marriage. If it is same-sex, it’s not marriage. If it’s marriage, it’s not same-sex.

Justices may rule, legislators may legislate and people may vote, but none of that can change essential reality.

It’s not about equality. Imitations are not the real thing. Counterfeit money is not real money and counterfeit marriage is not real marriage.

Marriage is not just about two persons who are in love. Marriage is the coupling of a male and a female — two who are different and complementary, not two who are the same. How the people of Maine vote will never change that essential reality.

I pray the public debates will be civil and significant — not just about slogans and power politics.

Sandy Williams

pastor, First Baptist Church

Freeport

Reader deeply touched by July Fourth column 

Please know Telly Halkias’ Maine Voices column meant much to me (“Troops bear burden of war, but blame (if any) belongs to us all,” July 4). I appreciated his sharing the story of a childhood contemporary who was crippled for life while serving earlier this year in Afghanistan.

The holiday marked “a different Fourth of July” for so many soldiers, families and friends. My thoughts, gratitude and prayers go to the warrior who must find his “new normal” during these days of recovery and readjustment.

Like Halkias, I see the war with different eyes since becoming a volunteer instructor at The Wounded Warrior Project TRACK program. Thank you for bringing his thought-provoking, well-written contribution to your readership.

Margie M. Kelly

Cape Elizabeth

Representative angers Scarborough resident 

On June 10, the Maine House and Senate passed a bill (L.D. 35) that takes away the right of employers to impose a “no weapons on the worksite” policy, should they see fit.

The bill, supported by the National Rifle Association, was opposed by much of the Maine business community, including the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, The Maine Merchants Association, The Maine Restaurant Association, Maine Grocers Association, Maine Automobile Dealers Association, the Maine Tourism Association and the Maine Medical Association.

A representative from my community, Rep. Heather Sirocki, R-Scarborough, voted against all those Maine business groups to support this bill supported by one of the largest lobbyists in the country Who is she working for?

Sirocki’s pledging allegiance to large corporate lobbyists seems to be a pattern. When environmental groups cringed in horror at Gov. LePage’s plan to roll back a state ban on the chemical BPA (think little beards for women), Rep. Sirocki was one of the few legislators that sided with LePage on the rollback.

It is doubtful that many Scarborough voters were asking for a rollback in this environmental gain. It is certain that the large lobbyists of Pharma, Merck and the plastic toy industry were pushing for this rollback.

Rep. Sirocki seems to be more interested in advancing the interests of out-of-state lobbyists and turning a deaf ear to the Maine Business community as well as the rest of her constituents. I ask again, who is Heather Sirocki working for?

Jennifer Jortberg

Scarborough

‘Underpaid’ Maine judges get no sympathy here 

Your recent article regarding Maine judges’ low salaries almost brought tears to my eyes (“Maine judges’ pay near bottom in U.S.,” July 6). In this poor state, should they be any higher?

You argue that Maine is not getting the best and brightest minds when it comes to the judiciary. Interesting. I guess any of us in jobs that don’t pay according to the national average are lacking in brain power, too.

Look. In case you forgot, thousands of Maine citizens are sacrificing a lot to help get this state back to fiscal soundness.

If Maine judges feel underpaid, welcome to the club. You can always return to private practice where there is potentially more money to be made (if you are among the best and brightest).

It seems as if the Press Herald is out of touch with the average person and suffers from the same fractured thinking that spawned this article.

Jon Roderick

Portland

 

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