Katahdin-region’s future
In 1975, the graduating class raced to the Great Northern Paper Co. mill to get their seniority number. With the doctors’ approval, the young men soon to be followed by the young ladies would, like their parents before them, have their chance to enjoy the promise of a good living and a job with benefits. But for the generations behind them, the promise got smaller and smaller. Now the dream is over. The mill jobs that they had are long gone. The Katahdin-region towns teeter on the brink of bankruptcy. What is left are the remains of that dream. The well-built homes of that era still stand, and they are surrounding a decaying mill yard. The churches, the storefronts, the libraries, the schools and the hospitals are on the edge of falling into that abyss. Why let this infrastructure fall further? We have a chance to maintain the lifestyle that we have come to know. The expansion of tourism from a national park and recreation area may keep this area from going over the edge. Visitors may keep our doctors and nurses employed. The schools and churches may find a reason to continue. Our water and sewers may provide the comforts of that past century. Unless we do something as simple as vote yes, our economy will continue to go the way of that last paper roll. Tell our representatives we need the hope and that a national park can keep this dream alive.
Charles Cirame
Millinocket
Disease of addiction
I would like to commend and thank the families who have shared their tragic stories of losing a loved one to a drug overdose in an effort to educate Maine people about the deadly disease of addiction. As a MaineCare-funded methadone recipient, I too stand on the frontlines of Gov. Paul LePage’s war on Maine addicts, and it’s a very scary place to be. I have spent everyday of my recovery rebuilding the mess that was my life, dealing with the core issues of my addiction and becoming a productive member of society. Political policy already in place (a two-year cap on methadone) dictates that my life-saving treatment should come to an end. Luckily this year I got an extension, which means I can live for one more year and have time enough to recover from a life of trauma and addiction. But every statistic says no. Studies show that people who stop treatment before they’re ready rarely maintain a recovery and, as Coleen Singer’s story shows, often we don’t continue to live at all. LePage’s policies and callousness toward Maine addicts sends a clear message: “You made your bed, now die in it.”
Jessica Payne
Bangor