Congress needs to fund WIC program

If Congress fails to fully fund the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) by Jan. 19, states will need to reduce WIC participation by about 2 million young children and pregnant and postpartum adults nationwide by September, with harm falling disproportionately on Black and Hispanic families.  We can do better.

Extensive research has found WIC to be a cost-effective investment that strengthens both our local and national economy and improves the nutrition and health of hard-working low-income families — leading to healthier infants, more nutritious diets and better health care for children, and subsequently to higher academic achievement for students.

Joanne Hardy,
Brunswick

We need popular vote

As we gear up for the next presidential race, imagine if this were our reality: every vote in every state has equal weight, every state in the nation is equally important to every candidate, and every winner is the first-place winner. Pipe dream? It doesn’t have to be.

This year, our state legislature will have a chance to add Maine to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPV). NPV is a constitutionally legal way to ensure that every vote in every state is equally relevant to the presidential selection process. NPV changes the way we use the Electoral College, assigning all Compact member states’ (and there are now 16) Electors to the winner of the overall national popular vote.

Here in Maine, in 2020, our “winner take all” district allocation of electors meant that 43% of Mainers’ presidential votes didn’t count because they did not vote for the winner of their district. Mainers not voting for Biden in the First District totaled 176,736. These votes didn’t count. Mainers not voting for Trump in the Second District totaled 179,657. These votes didn’t count. With NPV, every Mainer’s vote would count — not be discounted because it was among the minority in their district. Candidates would pay attention to Maine because every vote counts, and we would never have a second-place winner for president again. It doesn’t have to be a pipe dream.

Please encourage your legislators to vote yes on LD 1578 and add Maine to the NPV Interstate Compact.

Betsy Williams,
Brunswick

Gun control as a campaign issue

Recently, Republican candidates for Congress Austin Theriault and Mike Soboleski blasted Rep. Jared Golden’s switch to supporting legislation banning assault rifles, saying he was “using this tragedy (Lewiston shooting) to advance a liberal political agenda,” at time when people need to “begin the difficult process of healing.”

Theriault further accused Golden and Biden of trying “to score political points by attacking the 2nd Amendment.” First, the Second Amendment does not prohibit an assault weapons ban. These weapons of war, the only use for which is to slaughter a lot of people quickly, were legally banned by Congress in 1994 until President Bush let the law lapse in 2004. The slaughter has continued. Second, and more importantly, tell us a better way to honor the memories of those lost and their grieving families than by renewing the ban on these killing machines.

Bill and Heather Higbee,
Brunswick

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