Libertarian Party forming
Thomas Jefferson is generally credited with saying “That government is best which governs least.” Our modern politicians seem to have forgotten the concept of limited government as both major parties seek new ways to expand it and the budget that supports it.
Now there is an alternative to the tweedledum and tweedledee parties. Any Maine resident eligible to vote can now register as a Libertarian. You simply fill out the registration card and, in selecting your party affiliation, check the “other” box and write the word “Libertarian.” It’s that simple.
If 5,000 people enroll by Dec. 31, the Libertarian Party will achieve official status on future election ballots, giving Mainers a real choice.
Less government means more freedom and individual liberty.
Roger Sproul
Augusta
So, this is a letter
So what is it with the gratuitous use of the word “so” at the beginning of a sentence? In the last few months, I have noticed that many people, usually under 40 years old, begin sentences this way. When and from where did it originate? Is it an affectation acquired from mimicking some show-biz person?
It seems to add no information to the sentence, and seems to have arisen fairly recently. So I hope that someone among the highly literate readers of the BDN can provide some insight into this annoying phenomenon.
Norman Blake
West Baldwin
Pay-to-play art
I was disappointed by Chris Busby’s misrepresentation of my opinion in his Jan. 29 blog post “The sorry state of Portland’s art scene.” Busby wrote, “Among those offended by this pay-to-play model was Press Herald art critic Daniel Kany.”
I don’t have a problem with pay-to-play. Pay-to-play isn’t even remotely new. Many museums, non-profits and galleries have long charged artists to submit to exhibitions. Many galleries charge to participate and the line between “co-op” galleries like Saccarappa and “pay-to-play” venues like The Portland Gallery is very blurry. I don’t sanction pay-to-play, but it certainly doesn’t offend me.
Busby acknowledged his mistake via email. He wrote “I saw your posts about the ACM controversy and did not read them closely enough to discern your view on pay-to-play vs. other aspects of the issue. That’s how I made an incorrect assumption.”
In my comments on social media about Art Collector Maine and Maine Media, I have made it clear I don’t think pay-to-play is the problem but a “smokescreen” diverting attention from owner Kevin Thomas’s apparent eroding of the firewall between editorial and advertising.
It’s bizarre that Busby complained that I — a freelance art writer — invited the public to a free discussion about the pay-to-play controversy since it’s currently such a passionate subject in Maine.
But I still think pay-to-play is a diversion from more pressing problems like the eroding of journalism’s ethical walls: Advertising shouldn’t be treated like editorial and writers should do their best to not make misleading statements.
Daniel Kany
Cumberland
Landline is lifeline
I’m writing in response to the Feb. 5 editorial “FairPoint failures point to need for new telephone strategy for Maine.” This issue is not just about FairPoint and its poor quality of customer service, although that, too, is of concern to AARP Maine. The more urgent issue, however, concerns the need for Mainers to have access to reliable basic landline service. Across the country, phone companies that provide landline service are trying to force residents to switch to a new wireless phone plan even though this option is notorious for not being compatible with home security systems, many medical monitoring devices such pacemakers and defibrillators, and sometimes even 911.
Recent reports from the Office of the Public Advocate in Maine show us how important a landline can be. Despite common statements that people are moving in large numbers to cellular service, this is not the case for older Americans. Data from the 2013 Centers for Disease Control/ National Health Interview Survey show that the vast majority of older adults live in households with landline phones, even if they also own a cell phone. In addition, six out of 10 adults — roughly 140 million people — continue to live in households with landline phones.
Today, landline phone service is still a lifeline for seniors’ health and safety — and that’s why AARP Maine is fighting to make sure the people who need landline service have access to it. AARP embraces the use of new technology, but when it comes to replacing reliable, affordable landline service, any new technology must be as good or better than the current service. We are not yet living in a cell phone-only world.
Lori Parham
AARP Maine State Director
Portland