Collins thought for herself, we should do the same

Susan Rice need not “apply” for the position of US Senator from Maine. She will be best remembered for the lies she told, one after the other, after four Americans were killed in a terrorist raid on the US consulate in Benghazi. Everyone knows now that it was not the result of a video and most critically thinking people knew it back then. She and the administration she worked for lied to protect themselves, even lying to the faces of the parents of the deceased.

Susan Collins did Maine and the country proud with her speech regarding the Brett Kavanaugh nomination. She demonstrated that she had clearly researched, questioned and thought about all aspects of the situation and came to her own logical conclusions. In this regard, Susan Collins is more of an independent, especially in her analysis of the Kavanaugh nomination, than Angus King who is really a Democrat.

Boycotting Maine’s seafood industry and deciding not to vacation in Maine as a “punishment” of Susan Collins does not accomplish anything. It may hurt some small business owners temporarily, but Mainers are proud, resilient and strong. For every person calling for a boycott of Maine because of her vote, there are probably an equal or greater number of people who support what Sen. Collins said and how she voted.

Everyone who disagrees with what Sen. Collins said in her speech should read it with an open mind and as an independent, critical thinker. Don’t think about whether or not she is a Republican and whether or not Judge Kavanaugh was nominated by a Republican president. The speech reiterates some of the most basic judicial principles on which the country was founded including the presumption of innocence. More people would do well to think for themselves as Sen. Collins did rather than be swayed by angry mobs, liberal media, rich partisan benefactors and Democrats who want nothing more than power, not the best for the country.

Sandra Banas,

Brunswick

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Vote yes on 1

Caring for an elderly or disabled relative is one my husband and I haven’t yet had to face. But with parents and in-laws in their eighties, it’s likely I will someday. That is one reason I’m supporting Question 1, the Universal Home Care initiative on the Maine ballot Nov. 6.

By providing professional caregiving regardless of ability to pay, Question 1 will lighten a great weight families experience when struggling to care for their loved ones at home.

 The cost of this vital public service would be covered by a modest tax on high individual incomes: those over $128,400 in the first year of the program, with the amount adjusted thereafter for inflation.

No state needs this service more than Maine, which has the oldest population in the country. No existing public program offers universal home care. MaineCare will pay for care in a nursing home, but only after the patient has exhausted all her savings. So many people would prefer to stay in their own homes, if at all possible. I know I would!

Question 1 identifies and addresses an important public need and provides the means to pay for the solution. That’s the kind of honest, straightforward policy-making we deserve from our political system.

For the sake of your town, neighborhood, friends, family and very possibly you, I urge a yes vote on Question 1 this November.

Robin Brooks,

Topsham

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Vote McCreight

As Chair of the Marine Resources Committee for 6 years I would like to relate what a pleasure it has been to work on marine fisheries issues with Rep. Jay McCreight. Jay works hard to understand the legislation and how it will affect her constituents in the fishing industry. She does a great job of communicating concerns and influencing legislation to the benefit of her district.

Term limits prevent me for having the pleasure of working with Jay next year but I am confident she will continue to do a great job representing the fishing industry in Augusta.

Rep. Walter Kumiega, House Chair of the Marine Resources Committee, (D) Deer Isle

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