Amazing gift
This summer I explored, on a mountain bike, a small part of the 150,000-acre Katahdin Woods and Waters Recreation Area, the land proposed to become Maine’s second National Park and National Recreation Area.
There are many features of this land that would enhance the National Park System, but to me, the most important is that it is connected with other conservation lands, such as Baxter State Park. Research has determined that wildlife, including moose, bear, lynx and pine marten, do not follow the narrow “wildlife corridors” established by humans between wilderness areas. Maine’s iconic mammals require large, contiguous plots of land to maintain healthy populations.
Furthermore, I believe that the proposal would complement Baxter State Park. Baxter is beloved by residents of Maine and others, but the intentionally primitive and wild nature of the roads and overnight facilities, while appealing to many of us, are unsuitable and/or inaccessible for others. With national park designation, hiking, white and flat-water paddling, fishing, cycling, cross-country skiing and wildlife observation would be enjoyed by a more diverse population from around the country and world. An alternative outdoors experience just east of our very special state park would augment appreciation of the ecosystem of the North Maine Woods and provide a contrasting experience to Maine’s only other national park, Acadia, located farther south and on the coast.
I strongly encourage others to support the acceptance of this amazing gift offered by Elliotsville Plantation Inc. to the United States and to Maine.
Bonnie Wood
Presque Isle
Election season
It is the best of democracy, it is the worst of democracy. In August, I noted that so far the ads seemed to be all positive, and I felt good about all the candidates. It was the best of democracy. I knew the tide would turn.
The negative ads are beginning to appear. These ads, which are often based on distortion, gossip and even outright lies, make me feel doubly bad. First, they cast doubt on one candidate, but to me they tell me more about the character of the person running the ad, and I feel worse about them. It is the worst of democracy.
I wish that everyone would look at these negative ads and ask: “Is a person who runs an ad such as this the type of person who belongs in government?”
Fred Otto
Orono
Religion vs. politics
It seems that things have changed recently, and what was considered a moral absolute is considered to be a political no-no. It will be interesting when November voting time comes around again. Will Christians, both Catholic and Evangelical, put their religious convictions on the top burner, or will they cave in to the modernism of “political correctness”?
Gov. Paul LePage vs. Mike Michaud should prove revealing and could have profound ramifications for the future strength of the church and the nation or how weak we actually have become because of cultural differences. It seems we need to make our voices heard lest we lose our dearly held beliefs, religious or otherwise. Apparently half of those you would expect to vote fail miserably to do so. Let’s get out and vote our convictions.
I can hardly wait to see what Mainers do and how strong they actually are. This is “The way life should be”? I’m proud to be a Mainer and hope this election confirms that pride in the people of Maine.
Noreen Liebmann
Belfast
Medicaid expansion
I’m responding to the recent OpEd “ Expanding Medicaid is Good for the Economy, Health of Maine” by Sara Gagne-Holmes. This editorial spotlights the crucial issue of affordable health coverage for hard-working Mainers through the expansion of Medicaid. Maine has already missed several opportunities to make this a reality.
Many Mainers who would benefit from the expansion are between the ages of 50 and 64 who have lost their jobs. Some are working, but others are trying to make ends meet without adequate health care coverage. If Maine can help hard working Mainers obtain the health care coverage they need to get through tough times, then this is clearly of value to Mainers and to Maine itself.
Expanding health care coverage will give people without insurance access to preventive care, which could save lives. Many 50 to 64 year olds (who are too young for Medicare) have fallen into a coverage gap because they do not have access to subsidized coverage through the Affordable Care Act health exchanges.
On average, people 50 years or older have at least one chronic health condition. Before the ACA, loss of employer coverage spelled disaster for many 50 to 64 year olds. Because of their health and age, older adults had difficulty affording any available health care or had trouble finding an adequate plan. Maine must provide these people with access to both primary and preventive care such as medical screenings and treatment for chronic diseases.
Our Legislature and our next governor must work together and make the right decision in 2015: Accept the federal dollars already set aside for Maine.
John Hennessy
AARP Maine Advocacy Director
Portland
Justice for all
I read the Sept. 8 OpEd column “ Access to Justice for All” by Nan Heald and Jim Sandman. Sadly, I came away with a feeling of hopelessness for the dire situation they described: the lack of “justice” they described for those who cannot pay the going rate of $150 per hour for legal representation in civil controversies, controversies that abound these days it seems because organizations such as Legal Services Corporation are hopelessly under-funded.
It seems to me that as commendable as the Legal Services Corporation mission is, the solution Legal Services Corporation seeks is illusory and will remain so as long as it continues in its historic orientation of providing legal assistance to those who cannot pay the bill for the services they seek. As I see it, the inequities described will never be effectively addressed until the legal profession itself takes on the self-anointed mission Legal Services Corporation describes. And the only way that will ever happen in civil matters is for Legal Services Corporation to go for the jugular big time. Start going for punitive damages in grand style. Get your cases before juries and go for blood.
Once there is money in representing the poor by way of significant contingency splits, the legal profession will come down like the hounds of hell on those who flaunt the law in the knowledge that their victims cannot afford legal representation. Then it will end, but only then.
Phil Tobin Ellsworth