LePage of Hearts
Every time I read about the antics of Gov. Paul LePage, the Queen of Hearts from “Alice in Wonderland” pops into my head. The queen is a foul-tempered monarch, who Lewis Carroll described as “a blind fury,” one who is quick to decree death sentences at the slightest offense. Her most famous line, “Off with their heads,” appears frequently throughout the book.
The queen would be proud of our governor. His attacks on legislators who don’t support his agenda exceed the boundaries of civilized behavior and wise governance. By vetoing virtually every bill sent to him, he ignores the people’s business.
Fortunately for her subjects, the queen’s soldiers humored her, but did not carry out her orders. Fortunately for us, there have been no beheadings. Instead, Democratic and Republican legislators reached a bipartisan consensus and sent his vetoes to the shredder where they belong.
Our Legislature has delivered LePage a blunt message: Maine is not a monarchy; it’s a democracy.
Bill Everham
Bath
EMMC-union negotiations
The nurses union and Eastern Maine Medical Center have been at odds about the nurses’ contract for months now. EMMC is the largest hospital in central Maine with some of the best specialists in the area. Because EMMC is the “best” hospital in the area, I believe this topic should be on people’s minds more. As one of the largest media sources in the area, I believe the BDN should publish articles on this topic a little more and with more detail.
It would be nice to hear what nurses that are part of the union have to say. As a reader of the BDN, I have read what EMMC says about the matter, but I have read little about what currently employed nurses say about the matter. I am a volunteer at the hospital and have heard both sides of the contract debate from talking with people at the hospital.
It seems like media is not doing EMMC nurses justice when it comes to publication of the matter. When I have talked with nurses, they say people on the EMMC board against issues, such as more staffing, haven’t even stepped foot on a hospital floor during busy hours, to see what nurses are dealing with.
As members of the community who want to feel safe when going to the hospital, I feel that we should know a little better about what is actually going on with nurses, as they give us most of our care while in the hospital.
Marie Miller
Orono
Thanks to Collins
I am writing to thank Sen. Susan Collins for once again standing up for Maine’s small businesses. Collins’ recently signed on as a co-sponsor of the PACE Act, legislation that would preserve a state’s ability to maintain or expand the definition of a small group health insurance market.
This legislation is critical because it will help prevent a discrepancy in the Affordable Care Act from going into effect that would redefine the small group market here in Maine and across the country. Changing the definition of the small group health insurance market will have serious consequences for Maine’s small business community and could force many employers to change health plans due to higher premium costs.
Time and time again, Collins has proven that her support for Maine’s small businesses is unwavering and for that I am grateful. I hope Sen. Angus King will join her in supporting the PACE Act. I am confident that with their combined leadership, this important legislation can make its way to the president’s desk.
David Plowman
Hampden
Bully pulpit misunderstood
Surely, it is now time to fire Gov. Paul Lepage. While his previous abuses of power — removing artwork that was not his to remove, threatening (illegally) to withhold funding for voter approved spending (twice) — was enough in my opinion, his latest antics are beyond the pale. Except they aren’t antics anymore. His actions are not becoming of anyone, but we expect more from a state leader than the vindictive blackmailing of an opposition leader. And his words to the son of a cartoonist at a high school display such bad judgment it calls into question his ability to govern.
To suggest, after all that has happened in recent weeks, to 200 high school students no less, that the resolution of any issue, much less the free expression of one’s opinions, should be handled by summary execution, is not only not funny, it is dangerous. Suppose someone were to mistake his “joke” for a suggestion. (“Will no one rid me of this troublesome cartoonist?”) Just imagine if that student had suggested as a “joke” that Lepage be shot. That student would now be in serious trouble (and rightly so).
Being the leader of a state or nation is considered to be a bully pulpit. This is taken to mean that the leader should use his position to persuade the public on issues for the greater good. It does not mean, as LePage seems to think, that he has a license to abuse his power and become a bully. He should be removed.
Lunn Sawyer
Southest Harbor
National park proposal
Regarding the proposed national park: It seems to me that we’re going to be assaulted, once again, by a media campaign so someone can get her way. We will hear over and over and over about all of the supposed benefits of the proposed park, yet none will address the real question — What is the additional attraction of this park versus the state park that is already there?
How does this benefit Maine residents? Is there another instance in which a national park has been established next to a state park? If so, what have the economic advantages been?
As a teenager I’m sure I drove my parents nuts with constant dunning to get my way. I know our children exhibited the same behavior to achieve their goals. It drove me crazy, too. Now I’ve seen this same tactic used to permit gambling and same-sex rights in the last several years. I just might start voting no every time the type of campaign starts.
John Ogilvie
Carmel