Transportation woes

I just read the Jan. 7 OpEd by Jo Cooper about the elderly and their need to being able to drive. The prospect for those of us who are old now is not good. Even though we are safe drivers, we are faced with the need for alternative transportation if we lose that right.

The article mentions the bus system in Bangor. How are we supposed to get to the bus in the first place? If you live a mile from the bus, do you walk? I don’t think so.

Catherine Goodnoh

Bangor

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Driver courtesy

This is a response to the letter, “Can’t drive after 75” (BDN, Jan. 8).

While in line at a store, two teens were discussing their plans. The boy wanted to know if the girl had informed someone else of their plans. Her answer was: “Oh, yeah, I texted her driving over here.” She had her keys in one hand and the cell phone in the other.

I would rather see a cautious 75-year-old in front of me on the road then anyone with a cell phone, no matter what the age. They seem to don a self-important attitude while disregarding everything and everyone around them.

I realize this occurs off the road as well as on, but we are discussing driving here. When did society drop courtesy like an old sweater?

There isn’t a person on the road that doesn’t need to look at their own driving habits each and every time they get behind the wheel; I repeat, no matter what their age.

Mary A. Eastman

Brewer

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Thanks for nothing

Thank you, federal government, for stealing the public airwaves from us, and forcing us to buy new televisions, antennas, and converter boxes. Blessings on you also for creating millions of tons of obsolete electronic junk, which will end up in Third World landfills.

Most of all, thank you for mandating digital transmission, which will leave large numbers of us in outlying areas without a signal unless we pay for cable or a dish.

Oh, federal government, what would we do without you?

Henry Smith

Sorrento

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Learn from the Irish

The BDN’s Dec. 29 editorial, “Maine’s Population Woes,” was right to cite the negative economic impact a stagnant population has on our state.

Unfortunately, its analysis of the factors that contribute to Maine’s population challenges was seriously lacking. It cites weather and sociology as the primary forces driving our current situation but ignores the underlying role of economic incentives. Taxation policies for individuals and businesses have a significant impact on population growth and migration.

One need only look across the ocean to Ireland to see how this works. Long mired in declining population — from 8 million people in 1841 just before the famine, down to 2.6 million in 1961. Ireland’s population today is estimated at almost 4.2 million. In 1990, Ireland’s total work force was 1.1 million, and this year 2 million people are left with minimal unemployment.

Many factors have contributed to Ireland’s reversal, but the primary reason is that businesses have been attracted to invest in Ireland due to continued bipartisan support for fiscal austerity and the lowest corporate tax rates in Europe.

Today, Ireland enjoys the second-highest per capita income in Europe.

The model it uses is being copied by many Third World and Eastern European countries. This model works, and easily could be emulated by Maine. So, before we sink completely to Third World standards ourselves, let’s stop blaming the weather and instead fix our tax policies and improve our business climate. We just may find that our population woes will vanish.

Richard Malaby

Hancock

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Senior drivers responsible

“Driving while elderly,” as the BDN’s Jan. 8 editorial put it, is not synonymous with driving irresponsibly. The tone and tenor of the editorial leaves me baffled! One has to assume that at some magic age we, the elderly drivers, take leave of our senses and forgo our responsibilities as drivers to ourselves, our families, and the entire driving public.

I applaud Jo Cooper’s Jan. 7 letter to the editor for raising our awareness to the fact that “simply being a certain age does not make us less able to drive well.”

In a recent trip downstate, I encountered many drivers on their hand-held cell phones or their BlackBerry text messaging with both hands off the wheel, navigating with their knees. Not one of those irresponsible drivers was white-haired and wrinkled.

I take exception to the impression that senior citizens should be re-evaluated, with written and driving tests, and even having their license revoked at the young age of 75. One need only take a drive down I-95 to see that inattentive drivers using cell phones and text messaging are the ones driving irresponsibly no matter what their age.

Lorraine Redwine

St. David

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Small hospitals ailing

State and federal governments currently owe Waldo County General Hospital more than $12 million for the 2004-2008 period. No interest is being paid on this money. The state and federal governments owe more than $400 million to Maine hospitals. This debt has caused two-thirds of our hospitals to borrow from banks and use their investments to meet daily operating costs.

In addition, patient bad debts and charity care at WCGH has increased by 30 percent in the last quarter of 2008. This amounts to well over $3 million annually that WCGH incurs without payment for services.

The 16 percent cut to Maine’s 15 critical access hospitals along with the hospital-based physician cut will be devastating. For WCGH, this is a reduction of approximately $2 million equating to more than 40-50 jobs. These cuts will have severe consequences for access to health care services and to the smallest and most vulner-able hospitals in our state. It is predicted that a half-dozen will close because of these cuts.

WCGH employs two-thirds of its physicians and these cuts will restrict the recruitment of doctors at a time when our state has more than 240 vacant physician positions. Patient access to physicians will become severely limited and emergency department use will increase.

Patient services will be eliminated or reduced as a result of these reductions in reimbursement. The hospital may have to consolidate or reduce staffing. Annual preventive health screenings, wellness clinics and chronic care services may be reduced or eliminated.

I urge legislators to oppose these cuts to critical access hospitals and hospital-based physicians.

Mark A. Biscone

WCGH executive director

Belfast