Water logged
I would like to know how Mike Michaud spent a lifetime protecting our waters when he spent 29 years working for a mill that was polluting our waters and atmosphere. Could it be possible someone may not have all the facts? I worked in the water industry for 33 years and never once heard his name mentioned.
Marcel Whitney
Bangor
Product disclosure
This letter is in response to the Sept. 3 article “Despite study linking formaldehyde to cancer, Maine agency not requiring its disclosure in products.”
I am disappointed that the Maine Department of Environmental Protection is still not taking steps to protect Mainers from toxic chemicals. The science is in on formaldehyde. It is a carcinogenic toxin. The only group that ignores that fact is the chemical industry. They profit from selling chemicals so they have a serious incentive to downplay health concerns.
While action on formaldehyde is stalled, there is another class of toxic chemicals that the DEP can tackle. It is currently considered a rule that would require manufacturers to disclose the use of phthalates in their products. Phthalates are a class of chemicals that can be added to plastic products to make them flexible or to beauty products as a fragrance. Unfortunately, they have been linked to serious health issues, like birth defects and learning and behavior problems.
Will the DEP do the right thing and require phthalate disclosure, or will they bow to industry pressure and kick the toxic can down the road like they did with formaldehyde?
Time will tell.
Andy Jones
South Portland
Suicide coverage
As someone who grew up in the greater Bangor area, I am very surprised to see the lack of news coverage about a groundbreaking report released by the World Health Organization about suicide around the world. This report explained that one person in the world dies by suicide every 40 seconds. This means there are at least 800,000 suicides a year. And many are not reported, so there are likely even more suicides actually happening.
Reading this article made me think about how this information will affect Mainers. It was stated, for example, how suicides in modern countries like the United States are done impulsively, with guns or by hanging, and are most common among elderly males. Maine has generally older individuals and therefore might have a high suicide rate compared to other states.
Do we need tighter gun laws? Decreased access to toxic pesticides by farmers? Perhaps we should focus our research efforts and mental health resources to determine ways we can help prevent suicides in Maine. Given the high number of seniors living in Maine, it is in our best interest to increase awareness of all aspects of suicide, especially ways to help those who are contemplating suicide.
Monica Alborg
Falmouth
Bear interests
I am writing to urge Maine voters to listen to the biologists, not the activists. It is important that Maine not let outside interest groups influence us; it is important to make decisions based on rationality instead of emotions.
A couple of facts: Only about 2 percent of hunters are successful when still-hunting or stalking bears, which move very quietly and much faster than one would think. On average, 30 percent of hunters are successful with bait and hounds, and on average only 20 percent of trappers are successful. These are all numbers from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s own website. You will notice that none of these tactics even approaches a 50 percent success rate.
Since 2005, there has been a decrease in the number of hunters, and this has led to a slight increase in human-to-bear contacts. Prior to 2005, there were on average 400 contacts a year. That number has risen to average 500. This is still lower than other eastern states, an indicator that our state’s biologists and wardens are doing a good job. So we too can have over a thousand bear contacts a year, the average for some other eastern states with bear populations.
That fact is that there is no reason whatsoever to change our bear hunts. In November, I urge Mainers to say no to out-of-state interest groups and their irrational arguments.
Joy Aikey
Biddeford
Working together
Our U.S. Congress has had as low as a single-digit approval rating over the past year. However, in the upcoming elections, most of us will still vote our own congressional delegates back in. Statistics prove this. We think our delegate is special. However, when this happens the message our Congress gets is: “You and your colleagues may be unable to run this country by working with others, but we’ll send you back anyway.”
How about if, regardless of party affiliation, we voted for someone else? What message would that send to Congress? “If you can’t work together with others, your job will be history.”
Imagine how an entirely new Congress would feel about its position and its compelling need to work together.
Back in 1820, Congress agreed on the Missouri Compromise. Despite this hot-button issue, slave states and free states were able to hammer out a working agreement about this extremely passionate subject. Why is it that today our senators and congressional delegates can’t come to some agreement on immigration, discrimination, voting rights, reproductive rights, religion and belief, women’s rights, unemployment and jobs, health care, decline in real income, the federal deficit, climate change, taxes, guns, terrorism, national defense spending?
If you had a company with employees unable to work together, what would you do?
Fire ”da bums!”
Jack Savona
Kennebunkport
Energy plans
I wanted to say thank you to Eolian and Waldo Community Wind for their dedication to openness and willingness to work with the residents and town officials of Frankfort. The other night, Waldo Community Wind took the time to hold an open house to answer any questions and address any concerns about their six-turbine wind project planned on Mount Waldo.
Waldo Community Wind is working hard to ensure that the residents of Frankfort have a voice in the process moving forward. During the drafting phase, Waldo Community Wind spent two weeks knocking on every door in the town with a survey asking how best to spend the guaranteed $100,000 annual community benefits package.
I believe that Eolian is dedicated to creating a project that is beneficial for our town. I urge my fellow Frankfort residents to take the time to reach out to Eolian, share your ideas and work with them to help create a stronger future for our town.
Valerie Stone
Frankfort