A suggestion for the Maine university system’s recruitment drive: USM should fill a niche that only a handful of private colleges are addressing: educating students with social and cognitive quirks that make academic independence challenging. A public university that addressed the need for college-level adaptive programs would answer the prayers of parents and students who ask, “Now what?” after high school graduation.

Young people with Asperger’s syndrome, mild autism, non-verbal learning disorders, etc., often endure 13 years of criticism, bullying, confusion and loneliness in school. These teens deserve a better experience in college.

They have unique and tremendous talents that are useful to employers. Some have done extensive research; others have sophisticated verbal skills. Some are generally competent, but struggle with organization or interpreting facial expressions. Often, IQ scores for these students look like mountain ranges: exceptionally high for some skills, very low for others.

An unfortunate truth that these young people are reluctant to admit, even to themselves, is that a learning disorder is beyond their control. Many have internalized the unspoken message that they are simply not trying hard enough. Colleges have learning centers for extra help, but these students find it difficult to cross that threshold and discuss “personal” issues.

Parents can spend $50,000 a year on private colleges that market social skills assistance and academic coaching for each student. Or they could feel confident in a Maine state school with an education department that currently teaches these techniques to educators.

USM has the in-house knowledge and experience to adapt its programs to meet the needs of students who have great strengths, often overlooked because of pesky hard-wired quirks. Filling this niche could be a great boost for USM and a blessing for the rest of us.

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Sally Connolly, LMSW

Cape Elizabeth

Maine politicians should cut fat at own beltlines

I watch local news daily, at least twice a day, and I am bewildered as to why Maine state politicians cannot keep their shirts tucked in their pants.

I am now wondering where all that fat comes from. Rather than working so hard to cut the budget to hungry, needy people of Maine, perhaps they ought to cut their waistlines at the local gym, which we likely would also have to pay for.

Incidentally, I am 5 feet 7 inches tall and weigh 140 pounds and very rarely miss a meal. It’s called exercise! Catch my midriff(t)?

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Dalton Landry

Madison

Now, more than ever, we need reliable news sources

We Americans cannot and must not allow “entertainment” or “infomercial” production values to continue diluting and polluting our sources of important news and information.

Our local PBS station is running the tag line “Now, More Than Ever” in promo spots, and it’s a particularly good one at this point in time.

I’m fairly certain (with the perspective of a 74-year-old) that it is not overstatement to say that the message in that tag line signifies clear recognition that we are living in a uniquely difficult, even dangerous time; that we must equip ourselves with the highest-quality news and information in order to guide our actions in commerce and governance with well-informed care.

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The consequences of continued ignorance and distraction are too grave to contemplate. The importance of recalling and revitalizing the original charter and intent of our Federal Communication Commission — to serve the public need for quality news and information — has never been greater. The job of our trusted media has never been more influential nor more crucial for the preservation of what most thinking people would recognize as American democracy.

For these considerations and more, I plead with all news and information media to take special care in selecting, analyzing and presenting content upon which we Americans must rely to fulfill our responsibilities as a well-informed citizenry.

Seabury Lyon

Bethel

Letter writer’s solution harks back to bad old days

Well, imagine my surprise after reading the letter from Mr. John Ross in the Maine Sunday Telegram (“Public assistance should be left up to the towns,” Jan. 8).

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He has discovered the answer to fixing our overly generous welfare system. Indentured servitude! Now why didn’t I think of that? Better yet, why hasn’t Congress thought of that?

David Larsen

Portland

We shouldn’t have to cover kids’ ears when LePage talks

Riding in my car to work this morning, I heard Maine’s governor respond to a reporter asking if he would comment on how much money his recent political fundraising has yielded. He responded, “Hell, no.”

Fortunately, our 9-year-old granddaughter was not in the car to hear this crass response coming from the chief executive of Maine’s government. She is very attuned to the use of foul and demeaning language. As her guardians, my wife and I work very hard to teach her to speak politely and respectfully to others.

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I am deeply disappointed and angry that the governor of Maine cannot or chooses not to set a positive example for the youth and families of our state. The fact that abusive and disrespectful statements repeatedly come out of his mouth is shameful — for example, “The NAACP can kiss my butt.”

I do not agree with Mr. LePage’s policies and priorities and do not expect to change his mind about draconian MaineCare cuts and other wrong-minded policy directions. I do expect Mr. LePage to clean up his act and think before he speaks.

Raising children in today’s culture is a tough job as simple, but important, qualities like civility, politeness, kindness and respect are denigrated by reality TV shows, movies, music and other elements of today’s American culture.

I respectfully request and insist that Mr. LePage set a positive example for our granddaughter, Maine’s children and citizens. This is a moral responsibility that goes with his position as governor of this great state, in this great country. If he cannot or does not meet this simple standard, he does not deserve to be governor.

Peter Sentner

Kennebunk

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Chiropractic treatments are bargain for MaineCare

Primary care doctors have two options when treating a MaineCare patient for nonsurgical musculoskeletal pain: medication and hands-on manual treatment. Unfortunately, our governor has proposed the elimination of chiropractic doctors from MaineCare. This limits the primary care doctor’s options and promotes the increased use of costly, addictive pain medications.

The state of Maine pays between $70 and $100 for an emergency room visit by a MaineCare patient before any tests are ordered or treatment is prescribed. MaineCare is a program funded one-third by Maine and two-thirds by the federal government.

Chiropractors are reimbursed $19.40 for a complete treatment. This means the state pays $6.47 per visit to a chiropractic doctor. A typical plan prescribed by a primary care doctor is for up to 12 visits.

If the patient needs the full 12-visit plan, it costs the state $77.64. Typically, these treatments also include lifestyle training, postural education, nutritional counseling and exercise training with goals of eliminating pain, increasing function and self-management. This is a bargain for the state compared to often ineffective, expensive and addictive drugs.

Where is the logic and real savings when we eliminate a cost-effective system from MaineCare?

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Maine currently has the highest rate of addiction to prescription opiate drugs in the country. Treating pain and addiction are very expensive. Chiropractors provide an effective non-drug alternative. Doctors of chiropractic are one of the solutions for controlling MaineCare costs, not one of the problems.

John Royce

executive director, Maine Chiropractic Association

Augusta


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