Respect the tribes
Clearly a major shift in relations between the tribes and the state took place May 26 when tribal leaders withdrew their delegates to the Legislature.
This dramatic gesture was triggered in part by Gov. Paul LePage’s rescinding his 2011 executive order, which acknowledged aspects of tribal sovereignty and pledged to consult the Wabanaki in advance of decisions that would have impacts upon them.
Yet, the current breach has a much longer background in the tribal-state relationship over years of neglect and disrespect of the tribes and their rights.
The governor and most legislators cite the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980 as the defining framework for the relationship but they interpret the act to mean that all tribal people, lands and resources fall under the jurisdiction of the state government (in the words of the governor). Tribal entities are seen as equivalent to “municipalities.” Wabanaki leaders are not seeking to abrogate the act but to insist upon a full and correct interpretation of it.
A full reading of the act binds the state to comply with and respect long-standing treaty and legal rights granted the tribes which cannot simply be ignored or overridden by state action.
The necessary starting point to resolve the impasse is for the governor and the Legislature to acknowledge the traditional rights of the tribes as equal partners in governance and problem-solving. Such respectful recognition would not only be historically and legally correct but far more likely to result in positive and cooperative responses to the many challenges facing the Wabanaki and all people of Maine.
James Matlack
Rockport
You’re a Socialist
Socialism is a dirty word in our society. So, it’s ironic that many people support socialist government.
For example, did you send your kids to public schools? That’s socialist. Did you use a Pell Grant to go to college or take a Stafford loan? This is another socialist program. Do you collect Social Security or use Medicare to survive? That’s socialist. Do you support veteran’s benefits, disability for the sick, garbage collection, public parks, sewer systems, or libraries so all people have access to knowledge? That makes you a socialist.
Now some of you may say that private enterprise can do these things better. I disagree. In private health care, we pay double per person in this country compared to others, and our health outcomes are the same. Private health care and Internet access is an expensive rip off that hurts working people.
Socialism is not a dirty word. The United States has always been a Socialist Democracy to one extent or another, whether it was the poor house pushed by President George Washington, the canals and public universities pushed by John Quincy Adams, or the major public works projects of Franklin Roosevelt that reforested most of the country after two centuries of tree clearing.
Socialism is just a word. It is not communism. It is people banding together to collectively solve problems they cannot handle alone. It’s communities working together to provide the necessary services we all need to live safely, prosperously and happily.
Jaric Fontaine
Hampden
Bangor’s apathy cloud
The vote on the Bangor school budget was held on Tuesday. It was a tragedy. No, it was not tragic because of the result, but because of what it said about our city.
There were some 1,939 ballots cast. Of these, the “yes” vote total was 1,478. Given that there are some 600 employees in the school department, I would surmise that most of the “yes” votes were cast by those folks and their friends and family members. That is certainly understandable. It is reasonable to vote in your self-interest.
The “no” vote totaled 458. So, the status quo prevailed.
What was really lost in the discussion was the fact that only 1,939 voters turned out to vote, a mere 8.7 percent of the some 22,234 registered voters in the city. This, over an issue that represents about one-half of Bangor’s total budget.
I can only conclude that, like a bank of fog, a cloud of apathy has enveloped the city. It is a sad commentary that fewer than 2,000 voters would get off of the couch and participate in the process. Perhaps we have reached the point that we are no longer capable or willing to be a self-governing population.
Am I the only one who is saddened by the loss? A population that refuses to participate in their own governance is headed to a very dark place.
Paul Trommer
Bangor
Three-legged budget
With the SAD 27 school budget having been overwhelmingly voted down June 9, it is time for everyone to work together to come up with a sustainable budget that everyone can live with. Consider the school administrative district as a three-legged stool — the students, the teachers and support personnel and the taxpayers. When there is a disruption of one of the legs, the stool cannot stand.
As a family practice physician with an interest in geriatrics, I am especially concerned about the effect of higher property taxes on the elderly folks. These people have worked their entire lives hoping to live their senior years without significant worry.But it is clear that with an increase in property taxes that some of them would have to sell their homes, homes that they have lived in for years with their spouse and children, in a depressed market. Burdening these people is not fair and needs to be kept in mind during school budget negotiations.
The children are our future, and we must look outside the box for solutions to their education with less money by decreasing waste and increasing efficiency in every way possible. Doing things in the usual manner may no longer be financially feasible. It would be wise for those who make decisions to poll interested community members for creative ideas.
We all want the same thing — well-educated children, productive staffing and a less painful financial support. Keeping that three-legged stool standing can be accomplished if we all work together.
Adele L. Carroll
Eagle Lake