Letters

Published
March 25, 2017

Letter to the editor: Simple Gifts concert showed people at their best

What a joy and gift we enjoyed while attending a fundraising concert benefiting Simple Gifts, held March 18 at the Trinity Episcopal Church of Portland. The performers included the world-class bluegrass music of Seagrass, Pretty Girls Sing Soprano and the ukelele group Oompahlele, plus the a cappella group EckoVox. With all the confusing and frustrating […]
Published
March 24, 2017

Letter to the editor: View on education funding could link to LePage exit

I did not vote for the 3 percent educational tax surcharge last November. I strongly support the efforts to force the state to fully fund its 55 percent commitment to education, but after a lot of consideration, I felt that the microtargeting of the income tax, in both its collection and expenditure, was the wrong […]
Published
March 24, 2017

Letter to the editor: Mr. Ryan, ‘freedom’ means being able to access care

House Speaker Paul Ryan has said that the Affordable Care Act needs to be repealed. He wants Americans to have the “freedom” to decide whether or not to have health insurance rather than to be forced to buy insurance by the federal government. However, lack of health insurance results in loss of freedom to obtain […]
Published
March 24, 2017

Letter to the editor: Planet Earth needs us to act on its behalf – now

My 4-year-old nephew is learning how to write, and I was at first amused when he recently wrote, unprompted, “The end is here.” After I stopped laughing, though, I remembered how concerned I’ve been since the election, thinking about what kind of world he’ll grow up in. I started to worry that his words might […]
Published
March 24, 2017

Letter to the editor: School funding shouldn’t be a moving target

It’s school budget time and we hear, once again, the drumbeat of complaints over how the Legislature continues to shortchange education by failing to come up with their 55 percent of public K-12 school funding. In my view, this 55 percent mandate is fundamentally flawed. No right-minded business would, and no public entity should, commit […]

Published
March 24, 2017

Letter to the editor: Climate change backed overwhelmingly by science

I read, with interest, the March 22 article about state Rep. Larry Lockman’s recent sponsorship of a bill titled “An Act To Protect Political Speech and Prevent Climate Change Policy Profiling.” If I understand the intent of the bill correctly, a more fitting name would be “An Act To Protect Political Speech and Prevent Scientific […]
Published
March 24, 2017

Letter to the editor: Invasion of Okinawa should be remembered on April 1

Soon, April 1 will be upon us, and readers will associate it with April Fools’ Day. Many readers will not remember that one of the greatest battles in the Pacific was held on April 1, 1945: the invasion of Okinawa. John McLeod Portland
Published
March 23, 2017

Letter to the editor: No choking back outrage over abuse

I am writing in response to “Waterfront Concerts promoter arrested on domestic violence charge” (March 17), whose subtitle states: “Alexander Gray is charged by Portland police after allegedly knocking down his girlfriend, briefly choking her … .” “Choking” is not the correct word to use when reporting domestic violence incidents. “Strangling” is the accurate term. […]
Published
March 23, 2017

Letter to the editor: Let Maine’s development always be within reason

I must be the voice of reason on state mining regulations (“Lawmakers to revisit Maine’s rules for mining,” March 18). Granted, I’m not an extreme, “The United States of Business, all hail” Republican, but neither am I a radical, “save the worms, union and feminist” Democrat. And, conversely, that whole lawsuit boogeyman that permeates America […]
Published
March 23, 2017

Letter to the editor: Professor Brooks proving to be the voice of sanity

Kudos to professor Franklin Brooks for his timely commentary resisting the planned cutbacks in case management and community integration services for those deemed mentally ill (“Maine Voices: We need to support the most vulnerable people in our state – those with mental illness,” March 7). Let’s face it: With today’s many pressures and demands, an […]

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Letters