Helen MacTaggart.....yes agreed, But it sure would be great to have one summer without all you "Summer People".....PS I know Fla, SC,Az , and CA feel the same way about us Mainers in the winter.

Jan Rossi, are there any churches or other nonprofits in Milbridge? Maybe you should try to get those much-needed property taxes from them.

Helen MacTaggart: Glad you spend part of your year in Maine, and hope you find it welcoming for the most part. And I have heard the people from Maine who winter in such places as Fla, Arizona,etc. are welcome there as well, and the folks who live in those states usually have complimentary things to say about Maine.( I do not agree with the poster at 7:15 PM at all but then that is nothing new.) Once again, glad you like to come to Maine.

Fred Oney and Mary King: Thanks for your letters and stating the urgent need for healthcare reform. From the sounds of the majority of letters in the BDN written on the subject of healthcare, one can tell how the majority of people really want the changes.

Also, Mr Oney, I was impressed by your unselfishness. You have healthcare coverage you state, but some of your co-workers do not. Good for you, in thinking about others and not just your own self-interest. Glad there are people who think as you do.

Has anyone seen I Am Legend? Go ahead, bring on Nationalized Health Care.

In 1993 I needed to have day surgery but did not have insurance. I checked at all the hospitals in my area of Maine and came up with a cost of a minimum of $3000. I went to Canada and paid cash for the doctor and hospital. My cost for doctor and hospital was $700. I was able to arrange the surgery in a couple of weeks. Socialized medicine really sucks!

Jan Rossi - Mano en ma... still don't care

Fred Oney - Less talk more action on healthcare reform.

Mary King - Like I said earlier

Helen MacTaggart - I commented on the editorial so to do so here would be redundant.

Helen, thanks for making Maine your second home. Your contibution to our economy is really appreciated.

In response to On 7/29/09 at 10:24 PM, EJParsons - Yes I have seen the movie as I recall it starts out with a news broadcast, and they are interviewing a lady who has found a cure for cancer, not to ruin it for those who really want to see it but it goes wrong and people get all zombie-ish and what not. However I don't recall any mention of Nationalized Health care in the film (maybe I have forgotten admittedly it has been a while since I saw it) . I mean I think the point was that if something sounds to good to be true it probably is, and more importantly that people are far too content with hearing something on the news and believing it whole heartedly.

cm1113: Plus, it was only a movie, right??!!

robin: Thanks for sharing and your good remarks, as usua.

robin:..."as usual..." Hit sent too quickly!

has anyone driven down I 95 lately? It's seems like Maine is closed for business. I had to drive to Portland this week and I had to go to the bathroom. There wasn't an open rest area until Cumberland. There were, however, some ghost town oasis spots, giving I 95 a Route 66 kind of look, with Cigarettes and Sunglasses still printed on the dirty windows. Quite strange.

5:33 am, in Maine we consider public restrooms to be socialist.

Hello Ms. MacTaggart, and I say WELCOME TO MAINE! Don't worry, we're not all nasty and grumpy like some posters. Best wishes to you for a great summer.

1993, 16 yrs, things change.

2006 - broken ankle in Canada - no insurance - non-resident, 100% out of pocket for emergency room, three x-rays, immediate surgery with pins implanted (surgeon and anesthesiologist), 3 days hospital stay, two cast changes - $5000. In Maine, 2006, no insurance, broken knee, emergency room, day surgery, out of pocket - $15000. Agree with robin56, Socialized medicine really sucks. Telefunkinu47, if you didn't have insurance, where would you rather break a bone, Maine or Canada?

Jack B.

Helen MacTaggart - the "from away" stigma jokingly assigned to people who travel here to spend the summer or even move here to become year-round residents is only partly a joke. The part that isn't a joke comes from people who move here, supposedly because they like the lifestyle we lead, soon start to try to change things to the way it was "where I come from". If "where you come from" is so much better, stay there. Let us decide what we want based on our needs and we'll be more accepting of you as visitors or residents. And, to my fellow Mainers, the reciprocal holds true for you as you become snowbirds, headed for warmer climes.

Good for you, Jack B(free2bee)......another great reason to shoot down this Health Reform Bill in the USA....is to keep you in Canada.

This is kind of funny.

http://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/obama-health-insurance-cartoon-joe-biden-duck-commercial-takeoff/

JustKev1955 the only certain in life is change-suck it up and get over it.

All the BDN has done is remind us why we neither live in or visit Milbridge. It's not the paper's fault that Milbridge is the way it is, they're just reporting the stories.

Beanie baby sales must be up today.....Nice weather must be helping business.

No chuckle today, only a lament. To all you lefty libs, I feel sad that you have become slaves to a socialist political philosophy which is attempting to make slaves of us all to “Massa” government. However, some of us have a real life with real responsibilities and cannot afford the “luxury” of sitting at a computer day and night, pumping out socialist, liberal, punditry [that means...O, look it up yourselves] and sniping at real people while hiding behind a false name. I find that you lefty libs are, if nothing else, very predictable and very easy to manipulate. Just remember the old saying, “The only thing worse than not getting what you want, may be getting what you want!” “So, don’t worry, be happy!” So, I am out of here, at least for a while, but who knows, if I need a chuckle or two, I may well be back!

cm1113 - 10:58 PM - I'm gonna' have to watch it again, but I seem to remember a government involvement related to the vaccine or something like that. I'll have to watch it when the wife isn't around, because she hates that flick.

As for government healthcare, how come noone ever mentions the many programs that went on from WW1 to Viet Nam on certain groups of people throughout America? How many people died or were changed for life from these experiments? Some people didn't even know they were guinie pigs. All of these programs were wrong, but conducted anyway, just because our government thought less of certain minorities then others. Do you really think the govenment has changed? Believe me, it's only gotten worse. There are ways to make the system better, but government takeover is not one of them.

DougRichards - Apparently slavery has become envogue as of the second Tuesday in November, 2008. Of course, since the first Wednesday in November, 2008, it is rumored that at least 3 trillion dollars has made its way off shore to join with the nearly 20 trillion that already left the country. Much of the American wealth is moving out to escape the outrageous and unconstitutional taxing that the Obama administration is planning for them. It's apparent that the whole administration flunked Economics 101, because they're so far off base that it's pitiful. Bankruptcy and revolution are in our future.

There is too much money to be made in healthcare for anyone to actually fix it. All supposed fixes will only be disguising the billions that are being raked in by the industry. They will still make all their money and we will pay and pay and pay one way or the other. Remember...any money the government spends comes from the people. If we're government insured we are really self insured. The government is us and we will still have to pay whatever the healthcare system charges. All the fixes should be aimed at the money makers...not at the money payers.

free2bee: Hope you are doing better, and very interesting ......the account of your medical treatment and cost in Canada. I have heard this from others so sure cannot be an isolated incident. And , come to Maine anytime you wish.(don't listen to that poster who wrote otherwise, of course!)

Helen MacTaggart: Once again, welcome to Maine.....anytime!!

Ladyslipper, still an American Citizen, still vote in the USA and Maine, still pay taxes in the USA and the state of Maine. Of course there are problems with the health care here and many people also pay for private coverage along with what is available to ALL residents. All people living in Canada pay for their health care - kind of a prepay system is the way I think of it, for basic care. Again, don't know of anyone as of yet here going bankrupt because of health care costs.

2008, Maine, within 3 months of chest x-ray cancer had spread from lung to brain without any inkling from physician etc that there was a problem in the lung, death 2 months later. If you haven't known anyone with cancer of the brain, you won't know how bad it is for the patient and the family.

Thanks chersully, the broken wrist my son received in 2005 cost $5500 for emergency room, x-ray, manipulation (not surgery) and a cast change. We had insurance however there was a $2500 deductible per person on the policy. Had we known, we would have taken him across the border for treatment.

Jack B.

Telefunkin, Thanks, I neded that. LOL

This comment section seems to be dead over here.

Tazers section is where it's happening.

I guess if this was an article on gays people would be all over here,,

Dave did you see this video, its clean don't worry guys... I wouldn't lead you down the dirty road.

http://sendables.jibjab.com/originals/hes_barack_obama

Just to clear up the "I am Legend" question.... Ej , you are off just a bit. CM was pretty close. Lady comes up with a cure for cancer, to big of a hurry to save people means not enough long term testing, zombie type side effects as mentioned. Ej to be fair the government didn't become involved till after all the problems started. Will Smith plays the head army scientist. Very good movie though.

Thanks, duckwa, and it was an interesting movie. I've yet to see the alternative ending version, but have it in my collection.