Letters

Published
November 23, 2019

Letter to the editor: Remember that the issue is soliciting foreign interference

After watching last Wednesday’s Republican defense of President Trump, I hope we all weren’t distracted by whether or not a “quid pro quo” existed in Trump’s interaction with Ukraine. Have we stooped so low? The issue is whether the president of the United States solicited help from a foreign country for his re-election campaign. He […]
Published
November 23, 2019

Letter to the editor: Stories, editorial point to fallout from ignoring safety warnings

The Nov. 4 editorial page (Page A4), and news articles on the facing page (Page A5), taken together, describe the frightening consequences when safety warnings are ignored. Perhaps 346 lives might have been spared had Boeing executives reacted to the email from a 737 Max test pilot questioning the reliability of a new guidance system […]
Published
November 23, 2019

Letter to the editor: Subpar U.S. health rankings make case for universal care

The United States ranks 43rd in the world for life expectancy, according to the CIA World Factbook. The same source has found that 55 countries have lower infant mortality than the United States has. Shockingly, most of the world, including all of Europe, Australia, most of South America and most of Asia, have free and […]
Published
November 23, 2019

Letter to the editor: There’s more than one way to gauge a college education’s value

Georgetown's recent middle-of-the-pack ranking of a UMaine campus that has trained many teachers doesn't reflect the true importance of educators.
Published
November 22, 2019

Letter to the editor: Infrequent Portland transit stymies affordable housing

Accommodating the automobile has been the bane of cities everywhere. Reliable 24-7 public transportation has been the only solution, especially when combined with stringent in-town parking restrictions. But Washington Avenue (for example) can never serve as an affordable multiple-unit housing corridor as long as bus service stops at 8:10 p.m. on weekdays, and is reduced […]

Published
November 22, 2019

Letter to the editor: Move to Maine had negative impact on family’s dental health

I moved to Maine with all the confidence of an independent, secure woman who could care for her family. My employer in Massachusetts offered benefits that included low-cost health and dental coverage. When signing for our new home, I was notified I would lose insurance coverage at the end of the month. My husband, my […]
Published
November 22, 2019

Letter to the editor: Why not take USM back to its ‘POGO’ years?

As an alumna of the University of Southern Maine, I was interested to read of the trustees’ approval of the name change to the University of Maine at Portland. In case anyone is interested, “UMPO” does not seem like a better marketing tool than “USM.” Why not bring back “UM-POGO”? (For the University of Maine […]
Published
November 22, 2019

Letter to the editor: USM name change benefits marketers, not Mainers

What will happen when out-of-state students get to Portland and find out about the high cost of housing, studio and performance space?
Published
November 22, 2019

Letter to the editor: Margaret Chase Smith would not have tolerated a president like Trump

Mainers from both sides of the political aisle have honored the legacy of our beloved senator, Margaret Chase Smith, in the 69 years since her “Declaration of Conscience” against the demagogue Sen. Joe McCarthy for the tactics of his communist witch hunt. On July 1, 1950, our then-freshman senator had the courage to condemn McCarthy’s […]
Published
November 21, 2019

Letter to the editor: Distrust government? Then encourage whistleblowers

Supporters of Donald Trump who focus on “outing” the whistleblower reveal their ignorance (in some cases) or their hypocrisy (in others). These, remember, are the folks who have lately voiced extreme distrust of “the government.” They either don’t understand or they ignore the original motivation for the whistleblower law itself: namely, to ensure that when […]

Sign In:

Letters