Recently I have wondered how Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins and Rep. Chellie Pingree were spending their time in Washington, representing the interests of all voters in Maine.

An article on the front page of the Portland Press Herald on May 26 answered my question (“Senators keep eye on funding ‘owed’ to BIW for destroyer”). Sens. King and Collins are familiar with the tools of the game of politics, one of which is “pork barrel spending,” which benefits a minority at the expense of the majority.

I contend that the support of Sens. King and Collins for funding another destroyer is irresponsible when the down payment comes to $400 million, with the final cost reaching $1.5 billion.

Here is where the military-industrial complex raises its ugly head. Neither King nor Collins has attempted to prove that another destroyer is necessary for our national defense.

Can they point to an enemy country that has a navy that can threaten our current naval fleet? Of course not.

Our state and nation have other pressing needs. On the editorial page on May 26, there was an editorial pointing out the financial needs of the many school districts in our state (“Our View: School districts struggle with hard realities”).

Our two senators might consider filing an appropriations bill that would address the educational needs of the whole state of Maine as well as funding the dire needs of the homeless. Or Sens. King and Collins might introduce a bill to develop a Peace Department and a Peace Academy.

Coleman P. Gorham

retired lieutenant commander, U.S. Navy

Portland

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