The Mills strategy
Much has been made of the fact that a large block of Maine citizens are not represented due to not being enrolled in either major party.
My solution: Enroll any time right up to Election Day as a Republican. On Election Day go and vote for Peter Mills. He, as governor, will do more for the state than any of his competition, either Democrat or Republican.
However, the first step is for him to win the Republican primary. Enroll now. Vote in June, and he just might make it. He can beat any of the same-old, same-old candidates the Dems put up in November.
Edwin Berry
Hudson
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Toxic lawns
Each day now as I walk in my neighborhood, I dread coming upon the numerous lawns being prepped by supposed safe, green-sounding application companies who offer and provide a weedless lawn. I walk cautiously, anticipating the toxic fumes of freshly applied weed killers.
Soon, small children and teens will roll around and play on these weedless, “perfect lawns,” breathing in the killing toxins, absorbing them on their skin. Imagine what it is like to be breathing a few feet above a lawn toxic enough to kill “weeds, crabgrass, dandelions, grubs, ants, bugs…” These are living creatures! Isn’t this a simple thing to understand?
Is it so important to have a weedless lawn that it’s worth a child’s or pet’s or our own physical and mental well being?
“DDT is harmless,” they said as they sprayed everyone and everything in the 1950s. “Agent Orange is only an exfoliant,” they said in Vietnam in the 1960s.
The national news has warnings regarding a possible link to ADD-ADHD in children who had pesticides in their systems apparently from some frozen foods. Must we always learn the hard way or have others suffer for our negligence? How soon will we realize that the problem may be our own back yard?
Elizabeth Busch
Glenburn
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Emrich, ready to serve
When I learned that Bob Emrich of Plymouth had decided to run for the Legislature, I was thrilled. You see, Bob possesses what it is going to take to be a very effective legislator. I say that from the benefit of knowing him for nearly 30 years. He has been my pastor, teacher, employee and friend for all that time.
I am convinced Bob knows what it is going to take to bring Augusta under control. He clearly understands the huge effect high taxes and runaway spending has on Maine’s business and Maine’s working people. He believes deeply in the value of the family, and what role good morals should play in government and everyday life. Truth and honesty are the hallmarks of his life.
Voters will find Bob the most accessible legislator they have ever had.
His warm personality and his deep care for people are evident to anyone who has been associated with him. Whether working as a public school teacher, a pastor, a legislative aide or a leader in the statewide movement to protect traditional marriage, Bob Emrich has left a wake of honesty and integrity that is unmatched anywhere.
I urge the voters of Newport, Corinna, Exeter, Plymouth and Corinth to vote for Bob Emrich to be their new state representative.
Paul Davis
Sangerville
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Rowe does right thing
Integrity, courage and doing the right thing for the right reason — these are traits considered by many in the political world to be quaint and antiquated. I observed these characteristics on a daily basis while Steven Rowe was our attorney general.
He led the fight against domestic violence, sexual assault and other violent crime. He went to every corner of the state sounding the alarm about underage drinking and the necessity to intervene positively in the lives at young people at risk.
I have been a public prosecutor for 25 years, and I have seen a lot of politicians come and go. I have been very impressed with Steven Rowe’s leadership and even more struck by his honor, integrity and passion for doing the right thing.
I encourage everyone to take a close look at Steven Rowe and join me in voting for him on June 8.
Evert Fowle
District Attorney
Somerset-Kennebec Counties
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Not-so-healthy system
A recent BDN op-ed by John Alexander, a retired University of Maine civil engineering professor, writing about political “hate speech and racism” irrationally connects those evils to opinions without facts.
Arguing for a government-funded health care system he cited “reputable” studies and “reputable” economists supporting his position. He didn’t reveal the names of the studies nor who the economists are. But they were “reputable.” Mr. Alexander’s “reputable” is a matter of opinion.
According to a front page AP article in the BDN on Sept. 1, 2009, the Canadian health care system is one of the best systems in the world. Everyone is guaranteed health care. However, the Canadians themselves are complaining about long waits to see specialists and for surgery. There is a shortage of doctors and nurses, especially in the rural areas.
The Fraser Institute, a Canadian think tank, says, “It is in fact a very poor health care system that regularly fails Canadians.” They went on to say, “The Canadian system is the second most expensive universal health care system, only after Iceland, yet lags behind other industrial countries in access to medical technology.” They added, “The Canadians are paying dearly for this free coverage.” The average Canadian family’s net income is taxed at the rate of 48 percent, which is more than twice the average American family. The Fraser study also found that the average wait time from the general practitioners referral to a specialist, was 17.3 weeks!
Donald Howard
Millinocket
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God help us
We just had the warmest January ever recorded followed by the warmest February ever, which was then followed by the warmest March ever and, you guessed it, the warmest April ever recorded. I bet those global warming deniers are hoping for at least a second place for May.
And while it will be hundreds of years before we can determine the damage done by this oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, it won’t be long before people begin to see the magnitude of this catastrophe. (Note to self: Eat more seafood now.)
As we watch this nightmare unfold before our eyes, day after day with no end in sight, I can’t help but wonder about the mental stability of anyone that would continue to support offshore drilling.
So now I start thinking that there is probably going to be some Americans who are going to continue to deny global warming and support offshore drilling. What can you say to those folks other than, “Hang in there, I’m sure Pfizer or Merck or one of the others will come up with a cure.”
I heard they had one now, but the side effects were just too risky. They included such things as you might start thinking George Bush wasn’t so great, you may begin to realize what a mistake it was to invade Iraq. In some extreme cases there were reports of this pill causing these people to become liberals.
I never think, “God bless America.” I always think, “God help us.”
Gerald Eldridge
Franklin