Conservation of Lands in Maine

A week ago, I listened to our not-so-great governor in his State of the State speech lambaste those who conserve land in the great state of Maine; and in so doing, were not paying their fair share. I have placed my land in a conservation easement with KELT as the holder with the sanity of the generations following me in mind. I have continued to pay my fair share in taxes as I did prior to my taking that step.

It is unconscionable that our governor continues to be so uninformed after 7 years on the job. But what can you expect from someone who takes pride in out-trumping Trump.

Paul Dumdey,
Woolwich

Mental Health Must Be Addressed

Thank you to Jonathan Crimmins who is consistently a breath of fresh air and common sense on the opinion page. His column regarding mental health care in this country should inspire people to sit up and take notice.

Any restrictions levied against guns will have no effect until we treat the mental health behind the humans possessing them who wish to do others harm.

Patricia Leary,
Harpswell

Support BIW Tax Benefits

I would like to express support for the proposal currently before the state Legislature to extend tax benefits to General Dynamics Bath Iron Works and to thank Representative DeChant and Senator Vitelli for their efforts to move the legislation forward.

Much has already been written in favor of and in opposition to this question. My reasons for supporting this measure stem from having served in the mid-1970s as a U. S. Navy Officer on a BIW-built ship, as a BIW retiree after a 33- plus-year career at the shipyard, and as an individual who is concerned about poverty, homelessness, and many other social issues that plague our troubled society.

BIW is important to our nation. We would all prefer to live in a peaceful world. Unfortunately human nature is flawed and the world can be a dangerous place. History has proven that we need a strong Navy. History has also proven that Bath-built ships make our Navy strong.

BIW is important to the state of Maine and the city of Bath where I live. Others have already provided statistics on BIW’s economic impact and employment. Regardless of the outcome of this debate General Dynamics will remain a strong, highly diversified company. However, should BIW not win future shipbuilding programs for failure to submit competitive bids, there will be a direct correlation to employment and many of the social needs and problems we now face in Maine and in Bath. Addressing these important issues will become an even greater challenge.

So, are these tax benefits “corporate welfare” or a prudent investment in our future? I believe the latter is the case.

The question before our law makers is deserving of our collective attention. Whatever decision is reached will have far reaching implications for our country, state, city and more importantly for our fathers, mothers, sons and daughters who serve aboard Navy ships. My hope is our legislators will extend these tax incentives.

Jim DeMartini,
Bath

LD 1406 Transparency

On Jan. 1, 2018 my Social Security income was increased by 30 cents per month. (I’m still trying to think of ways I might spend that $3.60 per year.) Since neither of us has a pension, my husband and I live on our Social Security and our savings and needless to say many of our other expenses have risen and will continue to do so.

As we age, our dependence and need for medications is also on the rise and we do respect the need for pharmaceutical companies to earn a profit. What we do not understand is the seemingly out of control enormous increases in prescription medication that has occurred.

Happily, our Maine State Legislators are considering passage of a bill (LD 1406) that might bring us some relief and certainly would offer us all a glimpse of what has caused the increases. Under this bill, any prescription that has increased more than 33 percent in the past year (or 60 percent more in 2 years) will have to report several factors including how much the company spent on R&D and marketing, and how much of the drug’s R&D was paid for with taxpayer dollars.

At least it offers up transparency. We hope our legislators will pass this bill.

Sandra and Ole Jaeger,
Georgetown

First Steps

We live with the inconvenience of childproof caps which greatly reduces toddler poisonings. Why can’t gun owners live with smaller magazines to reduce the harm in mass shootings? Ammo has a limited shelf life and this step will be a start while we argue over the 2nd amendment.

Cynthia Muench,
Bath

Concerns Over Food Trucks

I have some concerns about the proposal to allow food truck vendors to remain overnight on the mall in downtown Brunswick.

While I understand that town councilors having been working very hard to address many of the issues raised when the proposal came up last year, I’m not sure it is possible to let this move forward without creating a substantial public safety hazard.

The ordinance essentially permits adding four or five points along the sidewalk where potential attackers could conceal themselves at night. This may sound silly to some, but it definitely won’t seem that way after it actually happens to someone.

One of my jobs as a member of our town’s Recreation Commission is to weigh in when I think something might make one of our parks less safe, and, even though our commission no longer oversees the mall, that space is still very much a park. I would not be able to forgive myself if I didn’t say something when I had the chance.

Further, the town’s original master plan for the mall may be several years old, but the people who developed that plan recommended against allowing vendors to remain overnight. I think we should respect the work of that committee, whose members likely spent many hours combing through the details to arrive at its recommendations. Maybe they knew something we didn’t.

I do think it’s important that our town council works hard to find ways to welcome and support businesses. I love the food trucks, and my son really loves Danny’s and the taco place. There is no joy whatsoever in advocating against something that would make the truck owners’ lives easier. I just don’t know that passing this ordinance is a net positive for our town.

Finally, I want to just make it clear that I’m speaking for just myself and not any of the other four members of the Recreation Commission.

Dan Ankeles,
Brunswick