Bad news about Maine
I am a proud resident of Maine and am saddened by its declining population. But the Bangor Police Department made national news for all the right reasons with their blizzard tips for the mid-Atlantic region, unlike that (in)famous guy who works in Augusta.
Unfortunately, when I read the State section of the Tuesday edition of the paper I read the following headlines: “Fairfield woman held without bail”; “Dismissal of protection order approved”; “Couple indicted on murder charge”; “Husband accused of killing wife”; “Police seeking driver suspected of striking and killing turkey” (my favorite); “Woman charged in connection with hit-and-run”; “Man indicted in high-speed chase”; “Man accused of bomb threat at McDonald’s”; “Two overdose deaths in two weeks”; “Woman pleads guilty to federal drug charges”; and “Four plead guilty in Dexter drug ring.”
These are not good reasons for wanting to stay in Maine. I will switch from Cap’n Crunch to Cheerios and see if that helps.
Sue Whipple
Hampden
Food a human right
An enthusiastic group of Maine residents on April 30, 2015, visited the Legislature with a message: Food is a basic human right. The right to know what is in that food and who is producing it is part of that right. Thirty people testified about the right to food constitutional amendment, LD 783, put forward by Rep. Craig Hickman.
One of them was Joel Salatin, a food hero from Virginia who came to Maine to support our efforts to get this amendment out to the voters for approval. He testified about the need to know what is in our food and where it came from.
He addressed the need to have that right enshrined in the constitution of the state: “The only reason the founders of our great republic did not include food rights alongside the right to bear arms, to speak and to worship was because no one at that time could have envisioned a day when citizens could not acquire the food of their choice from the source of their choice.”
The work session for this constitutional amendment is Thursday, Feb. 4, in the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee. Please contact your representative, especially if they sit on this committee, before the session and let them know the people of Maine have a right to food of their choosing.
Betsy Garrold
Knox
Protect Mainers’ landline service
In 2008, FairPoint Communications made the decision to purchase Verizon’s rural landline operation, becoming the provider of last resort in Maine.
FairPoint, which generates a third of its revenue from phone service, is investing in fiber-optic broadband service to business customers, which is showing the first signs of paying off. To support its broadband expansion, FairPoint has accepted federal Connect America Fund money to support its broadband expansion.
Its net income in the third quarter of 2015 was $48 million and analysts at Zacks Investment Research in November gave FairPoint’s stock a high rating. These positive financial trends have occurred while FairPoint maintains its role as Maine’s provider of last resort.
What does this say to Maine residents? FairPoint is showing positive financial trends, has taken federal funds to expand its broadband network and yet it still wants to dump our rural lifeline service today as the provider of last resort. What are Maine residents to do when they are left with empty promises and no life-sustaining phone service?
FairPoint’s corporate profile states it is dedicated to its customers; is a responsible, honest and caring provider and that customers choose FairPoint because it delivers the overall best value. FairPoint needs to stand up and prove that it stands by the thousands of Maine residents who rely on it as their provider of last resort.
Our legislators need to stand behind and support Mainers and hold FairPoint to its promise to deliver the best value to Mainers as the provider of last resort.
Bob MacDougall
Augusta