Letters

Published
March 27, 2014

Letter to the editor: Federal government intervention won’t help the uninsured

Cait Vaughan of the Southern Maine Workers’ Center describes health care as a human right and says the sole qualification required for eligibility is being “born human” (“Letter to the editor: Every person has a right to health care,” March 10). And for this distinction, President Obama decided the best avenue for these humans to […]
Published
March 27, 2014

Letter to the editor: Guard initiative to refurbish Maine Scout camps subsidizes bigotry

I was dismayed to read in the Press Herald of March 10 that “a Department of Defense initiative … is leading to new facilities at Boy Scout camps in Maine. … National Guard units will build and refurbish the facilities” at camps in Raymond, North Belgrade, Sabattus and Acton (“Maine Boy Scouts to benefit as […]
Published
March 27, 2014

Letter to the editor: Legislators shouldn’t mix lawmaking and parenting

I’m a parent and a legislator, but I know better than to mix the two. The Maine House recently took up a bill, L.D. 1698, allowing the Department of Labor to issue student work permits when school is not in session and to lift the prohibition on teens working in bowling alleys and movie theaters. […]
Published
March 26, 2014

Letter to the editor: South Portland lighthouse caption runs aground

I would like everyone to know that the lighthouse in the photograph on Page B1 of the March 18 edition of the Press Herald is not Bug Light, as was stated in the caption. Bug Light is the small, white lighthouse situated in Bug Light park. Its official name is Portland Breakwater Lighthouse. The lighthouse […]
Published
March 26, 2014

Letter to the editor: Good and generous man helped build Portland community garden

The people of southern Maine lost a good and generous man with the recent death of Rocco C. Risbara Jr. (Obituaries, March 17). The gardeners at Brentwood Farms Community Garden in Portland lost their benefactor and dear friend. Mr. Risbara was a rare combination of visionary and hard worker who was willing to give so […]

Published
March 26, 2014

Letter to the editor: Laying off USM faculty akin to cutting profits

I am a University of Southern Maine professor. I also support two children and live in the state’s most expensive region, so I understand fiscal responsibility. To that end, I have been researching finances in the University of Maine System, and I have two simple facts to share with you. • First, the only earned […]
Published
March 26, 2014

Letter to the editor: To chronically ill man, being cut from MaineCare feels like death sentence

I’m one of the thousands of Mainers who were cut from their MaineCare coverage Jan. 1. The past three months have been extremely difficult for me. As I no longer have MaineCare, my relationship with my doctor is gone. I’ve been with this doctor for six years – he knew all of my medical concerns […]
Published
March 25, 2014

Letter to the Editor: Maine bill would block access to treatment for epilepsy

I am one in a growing number of mothers in Maine who has turned to medicinal cannabis oil to treat my child’s intractable epilepsy. Current legislation threatens to block access to this medicine, which holds promise in alleviating my 10-year-old son Calvin’s seizures and improving his quality of life when multiple pharmaceutical drugs have failed […]
Published
March 25, 2014

Letter to the Editor: Removing wisdom teeth not always wise

About four weeks ago, a high school senior from Long Island, Maine, died two days after wisdom tooth surgery. As a parent, I ache for his family. As a physician, I wonder about the circumstances. I have no direct knowledge about the student’s condition prior to his surgery, the surgery itself or what happened afterward. […]
Published
March 25, 2014

Letter to the Editor: Ageism – not older food servers – at work in Portland’s restaurants

Portland’s otherwise wonderful restaurant scene suffers from prejudice. One of my friends is a professional food server. Former co-workers, managers and customers testify that she’s great at her job, but her boss axed her, saying: “You are a pro and a hard worker. But I have to let you go – you’re just not the […]

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Letters