Letters

Published
March 22, 2017

Letter to the editor: Grateful for life-saving Planned Parenthood screening, woman urges Sen. Collins to fight defunding

In 1987, I reluctantly went to Planned Parenthood for a routine Pap test. I hadn’t had one in years. I was young and healthy, but broke – why would I bother? Because the test was free, I could have it done. So I did. The call I got two weeks later was a shock. I […]
Published
March 22, 2017

Letter to the editor: Ranked-choice voting delays will weaken or repeal much-needed Maine law

I have just read the editorial in the March 15 Portland Press Herald regarding ranked-choice voting (“Our View: Maine election officials shouldn’t delay ranked-choice planning”). Some 400,000 Mainers (Republicans, Democrats, independents, Greens and Libertarians) voted to approve ranked-choice voting last November. The law took effect in January of this year, ideally to be implemented by […]
Published
March 21, 2017

Letter to the editor: Maine delegation members should work as one on federal issues affecting state

With just four federal lawmakers, we (meaning Maine) ought to be a powerhouse of action. Can you imagine what could happen if our four representatives were to meet once a week to discuss and work together on federal actions that affect Maine? There are a multitude of problems to be addressed. I know somebody is […]
Published
March 21, 2017

Letter to the editor: Remove insurer, drugmaker profiteering from health care system

When Donald Trump was running for president and he was asked about the Affordable Care Act, he said that the pharmaceutical and insurance companies are what is wrong with our health care system. Bingo! Correct answer! Today, the Republican-controlled Congress and President Trump are trying to convince us that their health care plan is the […]
Published
March 21, 2017

Letter to the editor: Legislators have duty to fix voter-approved citizen initiatives

Here in Maine we are living through an explosion in the number of ballot questions. Activists around the country have learned that Maine is an easy target for social experimentation. In 2016, out-of-state money pushed five sweeping measures onto the November ballot, by far the most aggressive use of the process we have ever seen. […]

Published
March 21, 2017

Letter to the editor: Pre-K education a vital service for children, businesses, society

Maj. Gen. Bill Libby’s op-ed on the importance of investing in quality early education (“Maine Voices: Lack of early education funding is becoming a national security issue,” March 3) provided spot-on analysis of why backing high-quality pre-K is so crucial for national security – and for society. But it isn’t just the military that presents […]
Published
March 20, 2017

Letter to the editor: Pruitt putting a torch to the environment

On June 22, 1969, the Cuyahoga River caught fire. It was not the first time, nor the worst time, but the 13th time. This section of the river in Cleveland was literally the city’s sewer system, and Lake Erie was its cesspool. This dramatic display of environmental disregard became the bedrock for combating water and […]
Published
March 20, 2017

Letter to the editor: Let’s get drug rehab funds to county jail prisoners

It’s imperative that Mainers understand and support the idea of being able to rehabilitate as many individuals addicted to substances as we possibly can. L.D. 377 seeks to establish drug rehabilitation and treatment programs in Maine’s county jails with grant funding from the state. Those incarcerated in county jails will benefit from grant funding that […]
Published
March 20, 2017

Letter to the editor: Drug problem must also be attacked at the source

I am writing in regard to the heroin epidemic plaguing this country. I hear a lot about addiction treatment centers; there are way too few of them. It seems to me that nothing or very little is being done to the countries and people responsible for supplying opium. I don’t hear anything from our elected […]
Published
March 20, 2017

Letter to the editor: Voter ID bills represent a solution seeking a problem

Two bills are before the Maine House on voter ID and residency verification requirements: L.D. 121, submitted by Rep. Bradley Farrin, R-Norridgewock, and L.D. 155, submitted by Rep. Kenneth Fredette, R-Newport. They claim that our elections are vulnerable to fraud, and these bills will help. What is frustrating is that these bills did not come […]

Sign In:

Letters