U.S. House neglects vulnerable
The U.S. House is considering a bill that would be devastating to employment and training programs that serve vulnerable populations.
The Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012, known as HR 4297, is a bill that would eliminate the competitive process for funding certain programs and instead hand over these programs to the state.
Among the programs at risk are the Job Corps centers, the Senior Community Service Employment Program and the National Farmworker Jobs Program.
The greatest impact would be on the most vulnerable of the nation’s workers. Because there would be no mandate on amounts spent for training hard-to-serve and vulnerable populations, state governments would have little incentive to serve populations whose training would likely require more money and resources.
In Maine, the National Farmworker Jobs Program has for over 30 years helped hundreds of migrant and seasonal farmworkers achieve stable, year-round employment in our economy. The program has helped those who have worked in potato, blueberry, dairy and other industries achieve higher paying positions in agriculture, as well as enter community college and adult education programs to prepare for high-growth, in-demand occupations.
In order to maintain the National Farmworker Jobs Program as a strong, competitively granted program, it is imperative that HR 4297 not become law. Please contact our representatives to let them know that HR 4297 is a bad bill and the NFJP must remain a strong national program to help farm workers in Maine and the U.S. realize the American dream.
Christopher Huh
Fletchers Landing
Grammatical shift
It seems that we are seeing a grammatical shift and no one is going to stop it. Language changes with usage and thus there is often change over decades and centuries. Now not even the Bangor Daily News gets it right. The possessive of it is “its,” using no apostrophe. “It’s” with an apostrophe means IT IS and is just a contraction. Recently under a photo of a diving osprey we read “it’s talons.”
Recently I read online about the town, “it’s heartbreak.” The mistake is everywhere. Set an example and use the appropriate possessive — “its.” May I say it is (it’s) just good English to use the possessive (its) correctly. It’s (It is) everywhere.
Joan MacCracken
Brooksville
Insect repellents
While the article on insect repellents was informative ( Fed up Mainers say, “Shoo, fly. Don’t bother me,” BDN May 26) let the buyer (and seller) beware.
All products that make a pesticidal claim are considered pesticides and regulated accordingly. That is to say that they must either be registered on a federal and sometimes on a state level, or in some instances, may be exempt from registration. Exempted products are tested neither for safety nor efficacy.
Regardless of how well natural repellents may or may not work, the majority of them must be registered in order to be legally sold. Some of the products mentioned do not meet the exemption criteria and as such are out of compliance with FIFRA (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act).
Before you buy any repellent, check the label for either an EPA registration number or language that states that the product meets the registration exemption criteria.
While the market for “natural” products is increasing, so is the proliferation of snake oil products. Regulatory oversight is designed to protect a buyer’s health, making a product prove that the claims it makes are in fact true.
Brian Steinwand
St. Albans
Social insecurity
I am writing in response to the Bangor Daily News’ reprint of an editorial that appeared in the Sun Journal on May 20. Now, more than ever, Social Security must be protected for current and future generations. While the article paints a bleak picture and there is no doubt that we are going through challenging economic times in America, what emerges for me is that strengthening Social Security has never been more important.
Social Security protects seniors because it provides a foundation of income security to retirees and their families, workers who have become disabled and their families, and the spouses and dependents of workers who have died. When an economic storm hits, Social Security provides reliable protection. Social Security benefits don’t decrease when the stock market drops. Unlike most private pension plans, Social Security protects against inflation through cost-of-living adjustments. The program provides a guaranteed benefit over a lifetime. No one can outlive their benefit.
About half of America’s seniors have an income under $20,000 a year. Nearly one in four seniors relies on Social Security for 90 percent or more of their family income.
What is clear is that Congress needs to work together to strengthen this critical program. If you want to make your own voice heard on the future of Social Security, go to www.earnedasay.org and complete the AARP questionnaire. We all have a stake in the future of our earned benefits and it is time for Washington to hear what we have to say.
Charlene Thompson
AARP Maine Executive Council Volunteer
Saco
Political greed
Insatiable greed is an illness I understand. I practiced neuropsychiatric medicine for 18 years and treated those who, simply for not getting just what they wanted, suffer terribly. Their stories explain their suffering: patients unable to tolerate even minimal frustration were all emotionally abandoned children. No one had taught them what human parents have always taught their children. We are part of something bigger than ourselves: something good, something we can trust but must also respect and honor.
Taking time and patience to impart this message defines us as human. We honor life, the Earth and our word; we are generous and cooperative; we care for children and people less fortunate — all because someone helped us learn to do so.
Insatiable greed currently dominates the agenda of the Republican Party. Mainers, nationally known to reach out a hand to neighbors in need, have just learned a hard lesson about the ruthlessness of this agenda. Controlling the national media, with unlimited funds and with disregard for the truth, the agenda of insatiable greed is now focused on “winning” the White House.
With deep respect for a time-tested Maine tradition of not meddling with other folks’ politics, I also know Mainers read the newspapers and take seriously the obligation to vote one’s conscience. In talking with neighbors I’ve learned that, if expressed with compassion and without blame, this understanding of insatiable greed resonates with their own observations of bullies and of those with great wealth but empty lives. More information is available at www.bornforjoy.com.
Sara Stalman, M.D.
Brooklin
Not sure what Sara Stalman, MD is trying to say.
Glad that the “it’s (it is)” and “its” was set straight; we are seeing this error in so many writings and from journalists who should know better.
AARP? –remember, this organization has supported Obamacare from day one, knowing that it will benefit from this endorsement.
Supporting a plan to ensure that more Americans are covered should they fall ill is an awful thing. Stay away! Everyone knows that letting the poor and sick people wither away will just make what’s left of America stronger!!!
I’m hoping those who hit the ‘like’ button did so because they enjoyed the sarcasm. The thought that some may not have understood the sarcasm is too depressing to contemplate.
How funny. I hope you’re right!
Sara Stalman, M.D. – You deal with disorders of the mind, preach being non-judgmental, then turn your talons on the Republicans as being the crazies. You might want to rethink your specialty.
There are greedy and power-seeking politicians in all parties. And, even though you are obviously incapable of seeing it, there are some good politicians in the Republican Party. If you look really close, you just might find more good Rs than Ds.
E.J.–You and Dr. Stalman are both right. There are certainly greedy power seeking democrats but todays republican party has made exaltation of excess it’s–whoops, its foundation. This, coupled with demonization of the poor is tearing the fabric of our country apart. There is nothing conservative about shifting all the wealth to just a handful of our citizens.
The Republicans are not “shifting all the wealth to just a handful of our citizens.” The wealth is shifting because of decades of policies being written to favor the wealthy, the unions, and the lobbyist. These policies have been written by BOTH parties, but by the Dems in particular. Just look at the policies that Charlie Rangle and Barney Frank put in place while in charge of the purse strings on their committees. When Obama and Hillary Clinton were Senators, there wasn’t spending bill that they didn’t vote for, and nearly every spending bill favored the rich and powerful. McConnell, McCain, Alexander and Boehner are all establishment Republicans and have done much damage in their efforts to aid their rich supporters. The problem is rampant, and Obama is promoting it, especially in an election year when he relies on the wealthy to donate to his re-election bid.
The “Republicans favor the rich” scheme is nothing but a pack of deceitful lies. It should be rephrased as follows: “The establishment Republicans and the bought-and-paid-for Democrats favor the rich.”
You can say that republicans favoring the rich is deceitful but facts say otherwise. Tax policy is the biggest driver of wealth inequality and St. Ronnie and Dubya are the two worst perpetrators of tax burden shift–all under the fallacious argument about “job creators”.
I don’t know what union backed laws you are referring to but there is an inverse correlation between union membership and wealth inequality. Needless to say it is primarily republicans busting the unions. We are seeing that first hand here in Maine with the first republican triple majority in decades and their demonization of public employees and the theft of their earned retirement funds to balance a budget that includes tax cuts that benefit the wealthy.
http://www.epi.org/publication/unions-decline-inequality-rises/
I don’t often agree with you but on this one I do. I would just change your last sentence to bought and paid for politicians favor the rich. It is so very discouraging to see what lots of money does to one’s humanity. I do have to agree with Sara on that one.
Really, it’s ridiculous to continue such partisan one-upmanship like that. I don’t think there are more good republicans than democrats or more good democrats than republicans.
First of all, “good” can be very subjective.
I think it might be better to say that there are more good Americans than we think.
There are a lot of good, caring, and America-loving citizens in this country. Most of them belong to the Tea Party.
Really???? The group that doesn’t want health insurance extended to those that can’t afford it, the group that wants to repeal the income tax because they don’t want to pay their fair share, the group that says the poor and disabled are simply wasting tax money, that same group that thinks taking away unemployment insurance will make people work harder. That group is loving and caring? Well, bless my soul, I’ve had them wrong all this time.
I will say that I have corresponded with some TEA Party members, such as the leader of the Waco, Texas group (whom I heard on NPR a few years ago), who are not like that and take a more libertarian approach and less social conservative. Unfortunately, the more vocal members of the TEA Party are more like what you describe and really, I can’t tell the difference between them and the socially conservative Republicans.
I think of EJ as the spokesperson for the Tea Party.
That’s BS EJ
Yes, that’s just nonsense. Closed-minded and prejudicial. TEA Party members are “Republican, white, male, married and older than 45” according to this NYTimes article:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/us/politics/15poll.html . So that means that most non-Republican, most non-white, most women, most single and most young people are NOT good, caring, and America-loving. Which means that with me, I suspect that one out of five means that I, too, am bad, selfish, and hate America…
EJ Parsons, Joe McCarthy, and Father Coughlin all would find you to be un-American. On the other hand Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and FDR would welcome you as a true patriot.
The more you write about the Tea Party, the more obvious it is that you really don’t know anything about us at all. Quit listening to the left wing media and actually go to a rally. We are true Americans and want whats best for the country and the American people. All the claptrap about us being hateful, obstructionists is just that, claptrap.
The left wing media depends on people being and remaining ignorant. From the comment from many on here concerning the Tea Party, the left wing media is succeeding.
Good and caring? What I hear coming out of the mouths of Tea Partiers is anger and hatred. They care for no one but themselves; they blame the poor, the elderly and children for problems created by greedy corporate “citizens.” They block progress in Washington by refusing to work with others (a la our brilliant governor).
They are the opposite of good and caring.
He must be yanking our chain at this point. I mean, really!
If you want the opposite, then you’ve got the 99. That is if you can keep them out of jail or keep them from raping each other or setting fire to things or ruining the parks or obstructing traffic or spewing hate or just plain being idiotic and ignorant.
It is so kind of you to suggest that your opponents don’t love America. That is the inescapable logical result of the above claim. I haven’t read such demonization of one’s opponents as unpatriotic since I labored through a Joe McCarthy speech in college. You are not in good company, EJ.
I believe what the Democrats say about the Republicans and what the Republicans say about the Democrats. Both are concerned about wealth and power for themselves. One need look no further than their ridiculous efforts to “reform” health care in Maine while securing for themselves full time health benefits for a part time job.
I wonder if Dr. Sara deduced after 18 years of careful research….”if someone is greedy then they must therefore be a Republican.”
Apparently she never heard of Violette or McCormick.
“It’s” is just the beginning!
TOO many times I hear people saying things like “Here’s a picture of Betty and I” but that same person will say, “Me and Joe went to the store.’ Ack!
Or, “He had went to the store” instead of “He had gone to the store.”
It seems that people just don’t care about proper grammar.
I care about grammar, just axe me!
Sara Stalman, M.D.
Is there a clinical term for the disease of insatiable greed? Is it genetic in its origin or based on a life style choice?
Affluenza.
LOL Now that’s funny. Request permission to use the term when the occasion calls for it.
Cute
Joan MacCracken: Next, why don’t you tackle they’re there and their? Those are the ones that drive me bonkers. I guess it all comes down to some people get it and some don’t and I suspect a lot of people just don’t care. Thanks for your input, I appreciated it.
Let’s not forget to, too and two while we’re at it…….
And my personal favorite, improper use of lose and loose…
It drives me batty to see should of, could of or would of instead of should’ve, would’ve or could’ve.
Sara StalMan M.D…. Insatiable greed is an illness in Washington. It is rife in the Democrat and Republican Parties. Banks, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and other special interest lobbies control 548 leaders in Washington with money. These people were elected to represent us. They do not. They represent money. They are bought and paid for. Every last one of them. Take your your rose colored glasses off and understand that there is no difference in a label, the result is the same.
Christopher Huh…From what I can see the National Farm workers program is for migrant workers who come to the US on visa’s. While the program should not be dispensed with American workers need first opportunity at jobs. The legislation needs to be looked at before anyone jumps to any conclusion and contacts their congressman.
Charlene Thompson…It is my understanding from news reports that AARP supports cuts to Social Security which got seniors, including myself concerned and many are now against your organization because you failed to obtain our input before hand. Now you are looking for input because you have been losing members. Doesn’t work that way. Yes the program needs to be revamped. Do we need AARP. No
Joan MacCracken – There, they’re, their everything will be all right (or is that alright).
I care about grammar, just axe me!
When selfishness is vigorously advertised and promoted for decades, as a positive characteristic people will behave selfishly.
It is time to recognize that greed is destructive. It is not good for the individual. It is not good for our country.
I think it is a big oversight that Mr. Huh did not acknowledge that as a manager for the National Farm Workers Program that passage of the legislation directly impacts his job. My concern is that as a manager, his request to the public to support the legislation is inappropriate.
…
Did I read that right? Turning over more control to the government? Greed is ruining this country.
http://www.socialsecurityofficelocation.net/
Thank you Brian. Finally someone that is willing to bring to light some of the regulations that are in place to protect us, not circumvent.
Way to go Brian.