Allow me to share a story. In the 1980s, my father was a consultant to an Italian car designer. He had a good working relationship with the managing director, so it came as no surprise that he was invited to attend a meeting with one of its suppliers to discuss modifying a car’s part. When […]

Law enforcement, EMTs, postal workers, teachers and more, time is running out, and Sen. Charles Schumer holds the key to receiving full Social Security benefits when we retire. We can applaud Rep. Golden, Rep. Pingree, Sen. King and Sen. Collins for supporting H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, which would repeal the Windfall Elimination […]

The Dec. 11 issue of the Press Herald included the following headlines: 1. “Israeli warplanes pound Syria as troops reportedly advance deeper into country.” 2. “’Dreamers’ shut out of the health care marketplace in 19 states.” 3. “Court may sharply limit environmental impact statements that block energy development.” 4. “Chinese gold mining threatens a protected […]

The recurring and contentious and divisive theme of substituting “holiday” for “Christmas” reached its apotheosis in the caption for the Portland Christmas tree on Nov. 21 that described it as the “holiday tree.” And at the risk of offending all our lovable warlocks and wizards, and pagans and atheists, and in particular, the widespread media […]

In a Dec. 8 Sunday Telegram op-ed (“To appoint Hegseth would be a grave dereliction of duty“), authors Jim Settele and Kenneth Hillas warned that Peter Hegseth’s appointment would make the world a more dangerous place because he lacks “senior level” experience. Mr. Settele’s “senior level” experience as aide to Donald Rumsfeld was so destructive […]

I write to alert firefighters, teachers, state workers and other public employees about legislation that is presently hung up in the U.S. Senate and how it would help these workers and retirees. The Social Security Fairness Act (S.597) would eliminate unfair penalties on public workers: the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset. These laws […]

Some thoughts on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and my beloved city of Portland. From Longfellow’s journal: “March 29: At night, as I lie in bed, a poem comes into my mind – a memory of Portland – my native town, the city by the sea.” Our city is the city of Longfellow, whose statue, enthroned, sits […]

In 2017, I came down with a serious illness. It took weeks for the doctors to find a correct diagnosis. I was in and out of three different hospitals. Finally, I had surgery and slowly recovered. During this difficult time, the doctors and nurses who treated me were – to put it simply – kind. […]