The secret to fighting addiction
If we could harness Bill Ellsworth’s recovery coaching model, as reported in the Jan. 7 BDN, to help people get off drugs, we would have more than a million dollars in savings in all directions.
This is what this country needs: Help people help themselves, and they will feel better about themselves and be productive, happy people. It’s infectious.
Coaches are needed everywhere, not just in sports. Hopefully, Maine will adopt Ellsworth’s approach.
Carolyn Hallee
Hampden
Republican policies exploit the poor
When reading the Jan. 11 BDN article, “Probe of state lottery to proceed,” it struck me that Republican Sen. David Burns might consider how the tax cuts endlessly promoted by Gov. Paul LePage and the Republican Party might actually be the culprits “exploiting Maine’s poor.”
The Maine Center for the Public Interest report finds that lottery sales jump 10 percent for each 1 percentage point increase in unemployment. “Trickle down” economics promoted by conservatives does not produce jobs, but cutting taxes to benefit the wealthy forfeits opportunities to repair infrastructure and is a disincentive to make new investments. Instead of stigmatize the poor for hoping to escape this Dickensian economy, better to improve our economy and infrastructure by demanding a return to the progressive tax policies that allow every Maine resident to prosper.
In the same newspaper edition, Rep. Bruce Poliquin portrays the “war on terror” as though the situation in the Middle East arose today. After the attack on Sept. 11, 2001, some suggested the terrorist threat demanded a police-style response. President George W. Bush declared a “war on terror” that has become perpetual war.
Politics as usual has decimated the middle class, given us catastrophic climate changes creating unending waves of refugees, while the war on terror continues two centuries of colonial exploitations. American voters must ask, is more of the same viable? I don’t believe the world or America can survive more of the same. Do research, then caucus for Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Jay Skriletz
Perry
Donald Trump plays the media
As a first-time voter, I am intrigued by the vast differences each presidential candidate displays week to week, as well as how the media displays these candidates. It is particularly interesting looking at Donald Trump, whom fellow Republican candidate Jeb Bush describes as a “chaos candidate.”
Although I do not agree with many of the opinions, beliefs and political strategies he has put forth during his campaign, Trump’s blunt and shocking statements and views have continued to keep him in news headlines week after week.
Trump has made a political reporter’s job much easier and juicer through his constant remarks about current and future crises of our nation — one of the most baffling being his remarks on the banning of Muslims entering the United States.
As he is continuing to make these outrageous statements, he is doing what every presidential candidate hopes for: attracting substantial media coverage.
Whether Trump says what he says to get media coverage or actually intends to implement his so-called “policies” if he were president, one can never be sure until the election is over. But it is certain Trump knows just the right strings to play to get the media, as well as the nation, in constant chatter around his candidacy.
Julia White
Orono
Thanks, Obama
Car sales are a realistic indicator of economic health, and 2015 beat all records with 17.7 million vehicles sold. Remember 2009 when jobs in the total economy were disappearing and banks were failing? Job losses, plant closings and vehicle sales plummeting within the auto industry were a significant part of the broader economic collapse.
In early 2009, President Barack Obama had the intelligence, courage, realism, patriotism and optimism to know that to rebuild the broader economy he needed to help the auto industry. The government worked with the auto companies, supply-chain firms, unions and lenders to restore our vital auto industry with new management techniques and lending them about $80 billion. Of that, $70.7 billion has been paid back to the federal government. Since June 2009, more than 500,000 jobs have been created in the auto industry, just some of the 15 million jobs created over the 70 consecutive months of job growth in the American economy.
Thanks, Obama, for your faith in America.
Pam Person
Orland