Good job, DOT
I would like to take this opportunity, as a veteran commuter, to thank the Maine Department of Transportation and local plowers of Chester and Lincoln for a job well done once again during the recent nor’easter.
I have been commuting from Lincoln-Chester to Bangor for my work for nearly 19 years and truly expected my commute Monday morning to be a very long one. I was pleasantly surprised to see both lanes of the interstate completely plowed by the start of my commute at 6:30 a.m.
It was evident by the DOT truck stuck off the side of the crossover at Howland and the DOT truck off the side of I-95 further down that visibility during the worst of the storm was slim to none. I hope that there were no injuries for those two dedicated drivers. I know it is their job to be out there all night and I just wanted to let them know that it is truly appreciated by many drivers who do that commute on a daily basis. My family and I are grateful for getting me safely to and from my home to work.
Beth Audibert
Chester
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Disputed auto numbers
The Dec. 17 editorial “Memo to Detroit” attempted to justify criticism of Detroit’s automakers but had incorrect sales data concerning automotive sales in America.
Subaru sales through the end of November are just over 170,400 units year to date in the U.S., far below the 200,000 units mentioned. Subaru, like Saturn and Suzuki, sells five models in the U.S. and its sales are up only 1.1 percent compared with a year ago, not the 4.5 percent the editorial stated. Subaru is one of a very small minority of automakers to enjoy any kind of sales gains over last year.
Chevrolet sells two separate car models that exceed the sales of all Subarus: The Impala sedan has recorded sales of over 244,000 units so far in 2008 while 175,000 compact Cobalts have been sold.
Chevrolet hasn’t sold the Geo for more than 10 years, but it does have a full selection of other offerings.
Executives at Ford would be pleased to hear the BDN thinks they sell more trucks than GM, but the actual sales numbers reflect a different reality. Again, year to date, GM has sold over 1.2 million assorted trucks while Ford has retailed just over 1 million. If you count just pickups, GM exceeds Ford’s sales levels by over 115,000 units.
The Toyota Camry and the compact Corolla did sell better than the Ford F-series pickup this year, but only for two months.
Last month, Corolla sales were down 16 percent from November 2007, while Camry sales were off by 28 percent. With trucks still leading the industry with 51 percent of overall new vehicle sales, sales of the Ford F-series were off by only 20 percent.
Tim Plouff
Otis
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Forward to Al Gore
Special announcement for all readers within the northern Maine area: Due to unusual nationwide frigid, wintry conditions, all global warming demonstrations, protests and meetings are hereby canceled until further notice.
Check back in the spring.
Tim Haas
Holden
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‘What are you doing?’
I was born in Houlton on a cold day in March. As a child, I remember snow banks that neared telephone lines on a street filled with large maples, aptly called Maple Street. In the summer, fishermen came to town to fish East Grand Lake and fall brought the potato harvest and hunting season. My uncle would come home and always shot a buck, and to this day I wonder how he did that in a couple of days while everybody else hunted all season and never seemed to shoot such a big deer as he. Winters were long. And cold.
This winter presents greater challenges than we have seen in a generation. Our economy is struggling in the midst of a slowdown not seen since the Great Depression.
Basics like prescription medicine and heating fuel have become luxuries. And while growing up in rural Danforth seems a long time ago, I find myself yearning for its simplicity, the “hellos,” smiles and greetings on the church steps Sunday morning.
We seemed to be more of a community back then. Martin Luther King said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
There is no doubt that much is being done to improving the lives of others, but are we doing enough?
Open your eyes. You will see a child in poverty, senior citizens peeking out beyond the window shades of their lonely home, or working parents struggling to do the best for their children. The great strength of Maine is her people — Ask yourself today: “What are you doing for others?”
Ken Fredette
Newport