I am a regular reader of Jim Fossel’s column in the Maine Sunday Telegram. His piece in the Oct. 23 edition ran side-by-side with Katie Hill’s thoughtful guest column on the tragic and inexcusable lack of adequate addiction treatment programs in rural Maine (“Opioid epidemic’s undue burden on rural Maine requires our full attention”). Ms. Hill lists five ways that we could correct this problem, starting with “evidence-based treatment for substance abuse disorders in rural areas using medication-assisted treatment for opioid and alcohol use disorders.”

She concludes with a call to our empathy and constructive energies: “Imagine a Maine where all people have access to opportunities and resources that allow them to thrive.” This is exactly what is lacking in U.S. politics and political discourse today: the willingness to imagine a better future for everyone – even “the least among you,” as the Good Book says.

I wonder if Mr. Fossel would devote a future column to a call that all state legislators – and the next governor – come together in a cooperative spirit to make Ms. Hill’s recommendations a reality.

Many of us, outside the Republican and Democratic party structures, are tired and disgusted with the constant fighting for the upper hand, with no regard for the duty to serve the common good once in office. Politicians who are always in campaign or fundraising mode have little time to enact good laws, oversee their execution and improve or replace them when needed.

Andrew Stevenson
Belfast

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