Bipartisan state
I was heartened to read in Tuesday’s paper that Sen. Roger Katz and Rep. Patrick Flood spoke out against Gov. LePage’s most recent diatribe against our state workers. As the Republican chairs of the Appropriations Committee, such a protest is both brave and appropriate. Lawmakers from either party are in a difficult position when they feel their party leader has misspoken.
Early in my work on behalf of very young children and their families, I went to our state Legislature from time to time as an advocate. Sen. Katz’s father, Benjamin, was then a Republican senator. He, too, was a man of honesty and integrity. I have been gratified and not at all surprised to find his son Roger, to be following in his father’s footsteps.
I have always been a committed Democrat. However, I plan to support Angus King as an independent in our upcoming Senate race. Reasonable people from both parties need to come together to support thoughtful and reasonable legislation. I find the hostility between the two parties, at both the state and national levels, most disturbing.
I anticipate that I will support Eliot Cutler as an independent if he runs for governor in 2014. If Maine ultimately elects independents to the U.S. Senate and as governor, it seems likely that other states will take some notice. “As Maine goes, so goes the nation,” may be heard again and become a bellwether for finding common ground and levels of compromise that will benefit all of us.
Jane Weil
Steuben
Misleading letter
Letters to the Editor, by their nature, are mostly opinion. But stating falsehoods as if they are fact is beyond misleading; it is damaging and irresponsible and must be corrected. Bishop Malone is not keeping secret a list of priests who are credibly accused of sexual abuse as stated in a recent Letter to the Editor. On the contrary, every claim is reported to law enforcement and all substantiated claims are made public (example: Bishop Names Accused Priests, BDN, Jan. 29, 2007). Cases where priests are removed from ministry pending investigations of claims are also made public by the diocese, even if the reports ultimately are not substantiated (see Two Maine priests accused of sex abuse, Portland Press Herald, March 18, 2010).
As a result of the Diocese voluntarily opening its files in 2002, offending priests were named by the attorney general’s office (see the attorney general’s report “On the Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Children by Priests and Other Clergy Members Associated with the Roman Catholic Church in Maine,” Feb. 24, 2004). Their list was not complete but rather named priests who authorities believed may have posed a public risk.
The church in Maine has reported all claims to authorities, removed all clergy with substantiated allegations and widely publicized those cases. Bishop Malone encourages anyone who has been harmed by a church representative, no matter how long ago, to report to law enforcement and the church. How could this process be keeping anything secret?
Stating anything else is beyond reckless speculation, it is completely untrue.
Sue Bernard
Communications director
Diocese of Portland
Portland
Student loans
I was reading an OpEd in the May 2 BDN, ” Student loan debt not government’s fault” by Sam Adolphsen, and wanted to send him along some kudos. Isn’t it time that individuals stop relying on the government and taxpayers and take personal responsibility for themselves?
The example of the social worker having student loans for $97,000 clearly shows that the program is out of reality and in need of repair. It would be interesting to see where all $97,000 went. I know of a person who received student loans and purchased a car. I also know of a few young ladies that received money that funded spring vacations. Student loans should be paid directly to the respective schools so abuse can be limited.
The schools are another issue. It seems like they are more and more like businesses than educational systems. A very large number of colleges are sitting on millions and millions in endowments, yet they keep increasing tuition. Why?
The student loan program is out of control, just like the welfare system and just like the mortgage industry when it almost brought down our economy.
When will our elected officials do the right thing?
Dave Kennedy
Dedham
All hunters are not alike
How refreshing to read the intelligent and humane comments of a hunter about his injury from a coyote bite ( May 2 BDN, “Coyote Bites Down East Hunter”). Instead of the usual ranting about exterminating the “varmints,” Bill Robinson figured “I don’t blame the coyote. It was doing what coyotes do: hunting.”
If more hunters took that attitude toward the coyotes, wolves and foxes that are so essential to a healthful, balanced ecosystem, what a different world it would be.
Cherie Mason
Sunset
Get involved
The Medicare Savings Program and Low Cost Drug Program are vital to Maine’s seniors and need to be protected from the cutting block. Without these programs, many people, both elderly and disabled, would not be able to afford Medicare part B, which essentially pays for all medical services not administered as an in-hospital patient. Potential side effects of this would be that many people would not go to the doctor for routine preventive care but instead wait until they are very sick or develop a chronic disease, warranting hospital admission.
For those who qualify, MSP pays the $99.90 Medicare part B premium that would otherwise be deducted from their Social Security check and also pays their Medicare Drug Plan monthly premium, keeping their co-pays at the pharmacy low. Those who qualify at the lower income level would also receive MaineCare as a supplement to fill in the gaps for what Medicare does not cover or pays a share. The Low Cost Drug Program for the elderly and disabled program wraps around their Medicare Drug Plan and reduces their co-pays even more at the pharmacy.
Mainers are traditionally a proud people; for them to actually accept this help speaks volumes, because really, if they did not “have to” they would not. The Appropriations Committee is due to vote on these programs May 9. Get involved and let your voice be heard.
Gloria Rhode
Spectrum Generations
– Jane Weil,
It isn’t “bipartisanship” when the Politburo conspires against us, it is called treason.
– Dave Kennedy,
Why do private college institutions ask for more tuition money when they’re still getting grants from the government? Uhhh, hello, greed maybe? Maybe people know that the whole system is going to crash, so they’re all taking advantage of it while they can. Maybe you should too.
OR
Maybe we can all do the right thing and stop being greedy, lazy, and ignorant.
The college Bubble is coming . Harvard has almost $40 billion again in thier endowment fund . Made as much interest as the state of government is run on. We are going to have a problem. College cost keeps going up higher than inflation . Nothing can rise higher than inflation for ever the math does not work.
The private college institutions are the cause of the whole problem?
The problem exists because of the entire higher education industry.
That is over-simplifying the situation. People make the “education industry” work, and without people it wouldn’t work at all. So the problem must be with the people running it, whether it be greed, laziness, apathy, pride, lust, etc. etc..
And that is only one facet of the problem. Bob mentioned the rising cost of inflation, because yes, inflation is a cost like a hidden tax. It erodes a person’s savings, because the money you had today is worth less tomorrow. This is why interest rates are so high, because they know that in x amount of time the dollar will be worth y% LESS. So, now your twenty-thousand dollar loan accrues more debt that you owe to whoever every year.
It’s basically a mix of predatory lending, and idiocy.
“I know of a person who received student loans and purchased a car. I also know of a few young ladies that received money that funded spring vacations.”
Well, that goes against specific provisions of an educational loan and is likely illegal. But you don’t dismantle a subsidized loan system because of a few bad apples. Would you argue a ban on firearms if a few people misuse guns?
But it is a good idea that monies given for tuition for example and room and board be sent to the billing office.
The loan money is already disbursed to the school directly. They take the money they need to cover the bills (tuition, on campus rooming, meal plans, etc.) and send a refund check of the residue to the students (if there is any). The extra money is to be used for costs related to school and living expenses, like books or a computer for example.
Thanks for the clarification
No student should be allowed to borrow $97,000 without a cosignee guarantee. The problem with student loans is that loans are handed out without regard to the ability to pay it back. If banks were actually liable, and students were allowed to use our bankruptcy system, reality would return.
There is no way to discharge the debt, so a co-signee is not really necessary. What they do is garnish wages, withhold income tax refunds, and as a last resort collect when the student turns 65 by withholding SS. The tax payers get their money back.
My guess is these laws were passed because student loans were guaranteed for all. If banks/government can’t loan based on risk, then you need to mitigate the risk.
So payback on a student loan can take more than 45 years? In theory only, I understand.
Many in this state and country do call for the banning of firearms.
Yes.
Re student loans, nothing said about the car, new,used, value. Maybe it was needed to commute to school. Might have been cheaper than paying room and board at the school. No comment on the Spring Vacations.
June Weil, Gloria Rhode: good letters.
Great letter Jane. I have come to the same conclusions.
“I have always been a committed Democrat. However, I plan to support Angus King…”
That says it all. Angus is a de facto Democrat and everyone knows it.
And he will win handily over any candidate the Republicans are going to field.
Could be – he and the Democrat run newspapers have many people fooled.
The conservative definition of a Democrat run newspaper (ie. liberal press) is one that does not tow the Republican line but instead prints the news as it occurs and as factually as possible.