Many unwilling to take action on COVID
I once thought that we valued human life in America, but I was wrong. When thousands of people were dying annually from drug overdoses, people formed task forces and created programs to try to address the root causes. When motor vehicle and gun deaths each consumed over 39,000 people a year, people pressed their legislatures to enact laws to try to reduce the carnage. Traffic deaths were reduced substantially owing to seat belt laws and raising car safety standards. Gun deaths have not seen a similar reduction, mostly because the NRA lobby and it’s propaganda trumped the concerns of the less powerful.
Coronavirus has killed 173,000 people in this country in 7 months, more than drugs, motor vehicles and guns combined. Yet the response of 30% of the people on this is “Meh, it’s not that bad, and herd immunity will take care of it.” Trying to achieve herd immunity without a vaccine would require 200 million to be infected and millions to die. They lament the disruption of their routines and the economy, but don’t feel any responsibility to help save their fellow citizens. We know how to slow the spread and stop these unnecessary deaths; we are just not willing to do it. In countries where human life is worth something, the people have endured strict quarantines, mandatory face masks, and have beaten back the virus to the point of being able to resume more normal living. Here, many insist that wearing a face covering and practicing social distancing is too much to ask. Most of the ‘meh’ people also claim to be pro life yet recommend death to others for the good of the economy. It’s a sad shock to discover our lives don’t really matter. Only fetus lives matter.
When we faced invisible enemies in the past, be it flu, radiation or polio, we adhered to advice from scientists on how to survive. Now we equate evidence based medicine with the ranting insanity of politicians and quacks, prolonging our recovery time while raising the death toll.
Welcome to the 14th century.
Susan Chichetto,
Bath
Vote Horch
When a candidate for the Maine Legislature from Brunswick’s District 49 is as outstanding as Fred Horch, I want to share the information with every voter. There could be no better representative than this Green Independent who is an attorney, a business owner doing important energy efficiency work, and who is totally dedicated to his family, community, and state of Maine. I have worked side by side with Fred Horch in the Brunswick Rotary for nearly a decade, doing service and community projects and seeing this extraordinary leader’s skills first hand.
Fred Horch’s priorities for Maine are ones that many of us share. He is determined to work to implement full state funding of education at 55%, as voted on by referendum, to reduce the pressure of property taxes. He is committed to moving to renewable energy sources to help businesses thrive, and he is concerned about healthcare and will work toward every Mainer being covered with a public health insurance plan.
These priorities are well aligned with a majority of Brunswick voters and he will represent those views in Augusta. Go to Horch2020.org to see for yourself how thoroughly he explains his positions on every issue facing Maine.
This is the moment to elect Fred Horch to the Legislature. We need his honesty and character and sincere desire to build bridges between all political parties. He is an innovative thinker, totally committed to working to make Maine succeed during the difficult months and years ahead as we recover from a worldwide pandemic. Putting a Green Independent in the Maine House will help us all achieve our goals of working together for Maine and our community. This is the candidate. Vote Horch.
Peggy Siegle,
Brunswick
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