Calling Waldo Dems
The Democratic Party in Maine needs some fresh people to step up and run for office at every level. As a former legislator, I understand the time commitment needed to run a campaign and then serve, but time is critical to the political process.
It’s time for people to sign up to run for the November election. Maine is in a crisis of confidence in its politicians. The 2010 election brought in a wave of far-right senators and representatives and especially the governor.
What the Democratic Party needs is to have people run for office who will fight for the people they serve and not for canned legislation seemingly sold to them by big, corporate money outside Maine. For years there has been a cadre of loyal Democrats who have kept the party vibrant and focused on Maine. Many in this group, myself included, have pressing issues that make high-level participation impossible for this election cycle.
I have been calling outstanding people in my former District 41 to run for office with no success. We need candidates in all but District 43. I know that anyone who steps forward now will get the help and support they need for a successful run. Please look into your hearts. If you are dissatisfied with state government, then run for office.
For information, contact Neil Harkness, Waldo County Democrats, email nwharkness@gmail.com.
Veronica Garvey Magnan
Sandy Point
Committee doesn’t listen
I attended the Transportation Committee’s public hearing last week on whether Maine taxpayers should fund for a feasibility study for an east-west highway. I was appalled at the disrespect shown to residents who spent their valuable time attending a hearing to protect the Maine they believe in.
After proponents (legislators, administration, lobbyists and others, including a 35-minute PowerPoint presentation) took up more than two hours, opponents finally were able to be heard. After they began testifying, it became obvious that most committee members had already made up their minds and were not interested in comments from the opposition.
Sen. Doug Thomas, the bill’s sponsor, was laughing with the representative to his right during some testimony; another representative was text messaging. A few committee members behaved as though their time was being wasted.
Committee hearings are the only opportunity the public has to speak on bills, and we should not be made to feel that our time is being wasted.
The Transportation Committee’s hearing procedure should be revamped. If proponents and opponents take turns testifying, committee members will not lose interest in the opponents’ testimonies.
Maine residents should be encouraged to come to Augusta and participate in our democracy. Meetings conducted like this one was will do just the opposite.
David Wood
Hallowell
Forewarned is forearmed
The recent death of a friend has prompted this letter with the intent to raise awareness about ovarian cancer.
My friend was a healthful, middle-aged woman who received regular preventative medical care. This friend was the fourth woman I have known to die from ovarian cancer in the past two years. All four shared common symptoms and sought medical care when their symptoms began, yet were diagnosed in advanced stages.
Statistics and research about ovarian cancer reveal that most women are diagnosed in late stages. Symptoms are vague and an accurate screening test has not been found. Risk for developing ovarian cancer is 1.4 percent, however, it is much greater for women with a strong family history of ovarian cancer alone or combined with either breast or colorectal cancer.
The five-year survival rate is significantly better when diagnosed in early stages of disease supporting the urgency to find effective screening and early detection for ovarian cancer.
Ovarian cancer symptoms are vague and can be attributed to other, nonmalignant disorders, but they should not be ignored. These symptoms include lower abdominal pain, abdominal distention, urinary frequency and vaginal and rectal bleeding. Women experiencing any or a combination of these symptoms should ask to be evaluated for ovarian cancer as part of the medical work-up. Those having a family history, with or without symptoms, deserve prompt attention.
My intent is to raise awareness, not create panic. Consult your health care provider if this letter causes any concerns about risk or symptoms of ovarian cancer.
Barbara Carter, RN, BSN
SAD 22 school nurse
Veronica Garvey Magnan, I agree that we need some fresh new faces running for office. Both parties need to be revamped. Hopefully by people who are willing to give and take in an open minded manor.
It is a shame that the Republican party has allowed the extreme right to take control of their party. There have been good and bad on the part of both parties.
By “extreme right’ I’m assuming you’re talking about people who talk openly about their faith. Everyone’s worldview is shaped by their faith. Since when is it “extreme” to openly state your position and why you hold to a certain view? Some may hold the view that two rocks collided 485.8 billion years ago and we are direct ancestors to George the gorilla. That might be your worldview, but if it is, it is more extreme in my opinion than believing in a God who created us in His image.
“Truth” will always be an extreme viewpoint.
what is your truth, might not be the truth of someone else. most truth is colored with shades of gray
Wrong – truth is truth regardless. Opinions are different for different people, but truths are the same.
Religion is not truth. It’s opinion.
Truth is subjective vs. Fact is objective. Fact stands on its own. Truth is interpreted from fact by the interpreter, just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty; that is all ye know on Earth, and all ye need to know.” — John Keats
Talk about your faith all you want just don’t try to stuff it down everybody throat thru the government. Remember seperation of church and state. Please!!!!!!!!!!
You need to learn what separation of church and state really means. No government imposed religion, nothing more complicated than that. And I’m all for it btw.
… and no religion imposed on government. There are at least two sides to every wall.
That would disqualify everyone.
How so?
You can’t really separate religious precepts from government. After all, thou shall not kill is a religious tenet of many faiths and is a foundational law of this country. Welfare to the poor comes from a religious conviction that the less fortunate demand our help. As long as morality is part of a human being’s decision making, religion will be imposed in some way on the government. It just couldn’t be otherwise.
Most people just like to complain when the religious precept they don’t like gets imposed on government.
Religion and morality are not the same thing.
Religion and ethics aren’t the same thing either as the Catholic Church is so adequately illustrating right now.
But in the great Venn diagram of life, religion and ethics/morality have a huge overlap. And politics has a large pie slice that cuts into both of them as well.
That is why we have the Rule of Law.
Thank goodness for that.
So there is a Venn diagram. Big deal. There’s a Venn diagram for stupidity and religion also.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or the free exercise thereof;”
The connstitution is pretty straight forward about this. It does not explicitly say anything about the separation of church and state beyond this. The phrase comes from Thomas Jefferson and a few others referring to the wall of separation between church and state that these clauses establish. Reading this, laws that the government makes cannot be in preference to any religion, including christianity, but it cannot make any laws that prevent the free exercise of either. I think they have been going too far with the respect to the second part of this by preventing individuals from doing things in public places. A student can do a report on their religion, but a teacher cannot assign a report on their religion sort of thing.
Correction, it’s “…or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…” You left out the word prohibiting.
Yes, sorry I was typing kind of quickly.
By extreme, I’m talking about people who have no ability to see any point of view but their own. That will stop at nothing to force others to conform with their view of life. That think in black and white. I really don’t care if they are considered left or right wingers. In my life time I have discovered that most situations involve shades of gray.
”
That will stop at nothing to force others to conform with their view of life”
Using your own logic wouldn’t homosexuals and pro-abortionists fall in the extreme category then?
I would much prefer a candidate that is open and honest about his or her convictions than one who decides it based on which way the wind happens to be blowing that day or one who bases it on what happens to be convenient for them. Standing up for what you believe to be the truth very often goes against whats popular. As a Christian I believe Jesus when he said He was THE way, THE truth and THE life and NO ONE comes to the Father but through HIM. If that is the truth, it is as true now as it was two thousand years ago. If its the truth, its true for me and its true for you and everyone else. There are no shades of gray there.
Homosexuals that I have met and gotten to know just wish to be left alone and to have the same rights and privileges that heterosexuals want. I have yet to see one telling anyone that they have to be homosexual.
Pro-abortion seems to be a term that the extreme right hands to anyone who mad that choice. I much prefer the term pro-choice. Personally being of the male persuasion, I don’t feel that I have the right to imose my choices on any woman. That is up to them. I am also grateful that I won’t have to make their choice for them.
Any candidate, when they take office should keep in mind that they are taking an office that has duties and obligations. They are obligations to everyone of their constituents.
Agreed. I hate to disagree with Ms. Magnan from Sandy Point, since I was raised there, but I will. I tend to vote Democrat because I feel those of us toward the bottom of the “economic food chain” have a slightly better chance with Democrats. But we don’t need more Democrats coming into the political process. We need candidates, regardless of political affiliation, who care more about the state of Maine (and the U.S.) than they do about a political career. We can dream, can’t we?
I’m with you in that I tend to vote Democratic, if they have a viable candidate that isn’t from the fringe left. If not I’ll chose whate I believe is the lesser of two evils. We have two Senators in Maine that at least seem to have some commons sense and aren’t totally blind to the machinations of the extreme right of the Republican Party. The Dems haven’t really put anyone up against them that captures my favor. Time will tell.
No matter who runs and for what party, that person will do well as long as they pander to the public wants and leave honesty and integrity at the door.
I am reminded of an old DC comic. in it an Alien is drafted on his home planet. Drafted not for the military but for public serice. That person would complete their one term and then be done.
I believe that it was Douglas Adams who said that anyone that wants to run for public office should automatically be disqualified because they are obviously insane.
found it :“The major problem—one of the major problems, for there are several—one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them. To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.” ― Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
While on the subject of “calling Waldo Dems,” let me introduce Roger Reed, a conservative Republican man of integrity running for District 23 State Representative. He is a man many of you know as the long time, very respected teacher and varsity boys’ basketball coach at Bangor High School If you live in Hermon, Levant, Stetson or Carmel, then get out to vote for Roger Reed in the primary election.
Wrong post
Mr. Wood, the legislators who would not listen to you had one thing in common: they are Republicans who only listen to ALEC, the right wing American Legislative Exchange Council.
Doug Thomas does not listen to anything but Fox News. He talks waaaay too much.
It is Faux News.
I know—he’s awesome, isn’t he? I am so glad he represents my district.
Posted like a sheep bleating contentedly as it is led to the slaughter. ALEC will be feasting on mutton soon.
Wood-this smacks of some company wanting to dive into public money and they have some reps support. This road is for Canadians-let them pay for it.
This road will support businesses in Maine. Building it will be funded privately. We would be foolish to not do what we can to help see this through.
What businesses will it support? There aren’t many businesses along that route. Just saying businesses will support it is not very different from those in NY that said businesses will develop. There isn’t any plan here. There is just hope that something good will happen.
This road should have been done 50 years ago. If it had we would have a totally different downeast Maine. With business’s that actually pay living wages.
Instead we have a county that has to beg for crumbs from the rest of Maine, only to be told no on a regular basis.
This is impossible to quantify.
David Wood, one of the most important things for this state economically will be an east/west highway system. We really should have at least two major highways going east/west. We are a port state without adequate transportation across this state to the rest of the nation. If we are going to grow and be able to support a working population we need to expand our transportation system.
This stuff is way above “my pay grade”, but I think the idea of the E-W highway is worth looking into, although I’d vote against it right now if I had a chance. One of the arguments for it is that it’ll open the state up to “the rest of the nation”. I haven’t seen a definite proposal on what the road would be like or where it would go exactly. But the proposals I’ve seen said the road will go, generally, from Calais to Coburn Gore. I can see how such a road might spin off a little business along its route, but if it goes out at Coburn Gore, it seems that it’ll just connect two parts of Canada, not Maine to the rest of the U.S.
The good thing about this one is that we are not be asked to build this road. This is just preliminary things that need to be done whether we are building it or if a private industry builds it. we are going to save the cost of building this road, we will be stupid to not do this.
This E/W highway situation in Maine is very similar to the NYS Rt 17/I 89 fiasco. That route was supposed to bring prosperity to small, poor isolated villages in the southern tier of NYS. The highway has been completed, except around Elmira for 30 years. It’s still a region of small poor, isolated towns with no jobs and kids leaving to go elsewhere.
This roads connects major highways and ports. It’s 4 divided, limited access lanes for hundreds of mile. You could hold a party on it and not be disturbed. In fact there haven’t even been the standard motel, diner, gas station developments around the exits west of Elmira. In the stretch between Elmira and Jamestown you better not need a meal or gas after 7PM It’s desolate. There is no development.
How will Maine’s be different?
you have to ask yourself what did the other location have to offer? Is there a reason for people to go? In our case there are a few things. The proposed goes through Bangor, we now have a full fledged casino here and the easier it is for people to get here the more that will come. It will also allow an easier route for people to go down east. Both of these are big draws and the more people coming to town means more money spent at peripheral businesses.
The similarities are many. The idea was the highway would develop something, anything. There was no solid evidence that anybody knew what would develop. They just knew something good would come along. It hasn’t.
The area is very similar: small isolated towns that used to exist because of a small factory or as a farm service center. The farms and factories are gone. There is a lot of unemployment. The local schools are the biggest employers in town. There are few resources in the area. There is little dynamism, enthusiasm or sophistication in the area. It’s pretty much conservative, insular and resistant to change.
The only new development that took place on that entire stretch was an Indian casino, which draws local folks only. Nobody comes up from NYC or Pittsburg or over from Cleveland to the casino. And the casino has fostered no, zip, nada, development. It’s still a dreary little town with no other business than the casino. That’s it 30 years and one Casino later and the region is almost exactly the same as it was before the highway went in. How are we different?
voting a democratic majority back in will really work this time, really, promise change and hope really. Definition of insanity
Barbara Carter, great letter and thank you for the info.
David Wood you are not the only who has been shown disrespect during a public hearing. I have seen the same thing happen to social conservatives when they speak up regarding abortion, homosexual marriage and other moral issues. Is it right, no, these committee members need to show respect and listen to all points of view.
I have attended several legislative hearing dealing with reproductive issues. Conservative view points have never been treated disrespectfully by either the audience or the committee members. I have heard testifying conservatives use extremely pejorative words about those people trying to preserve legal abortions.
I haven’t attended any same sex marriage hearings. Perhaps they are different but I doubt it. Having people question your position is not disrespectful. Not getting your way is not disrespect.
Veronica, why not run again for your old seat?
Patom1: not wrong post–should have prefaced with “while on the subject of ‘calling Waldo Dems.'”