Re: “Commentary: USM’s past woes shouldn’t limit its future, incoming president says” (April 2):
Driving through downtown’s gantlet of panhandlers makes me wonder how incoming University of Southern Maine President Harvey Kesselman is going to achieve his goal of enrollment stability.
If I am a parent coming with a child for a Portland campus visit, what impression do I get when I see people begging on every corner from Congress Street to Forest Avenue and Marginal Way to Franklin Arterial?
How about the tourist coming to visit from away – does this scene inspire them to return to spend more money as soon as possible?
In a capitalist system largely rigged for the wealthy, there will never be enough living-wage jobs to solve the problem. In response to Depression-era problems, Maine could create a modern version of the Civilian Conservation Corps/Works Project Administration to provide employment for able-bodied people who otherwise cannot access an opportunity to make a living.
For the rest, we should create a safe place where they can do something besides threaten the character and quality of place that are among our most precious assets as a tourism-dominated economy.
Every single one of us knows we can and should be doing a better job of solving the unconscionable problems around us as the wealth gap widens.
Phil Coupe
Cape Elizabeth
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.