Sen. Susan Collins fights fraud

In her capacity as chair of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, Sen. Susan Collins has developed a new resource concerning scam and fraud awareness for older adults. AARP Maine hosted a news conference with Collins Feb. 17 at our state office to officially announce the release of this important publication: “ Fighting Fraud: U.S. Senate Aging Committee Identifies Top 10 Scams Targeting Our Nation’s Seniors.”

This informative resource is designed to inform and help protect older adults from some of the most pervasive and malicious scams and frauds.

As part of AARP Maine’s work to raise awareness about consumer fraud and identity theft, we collaborate with federal and state legislators, law enforcement, community partners, agencies and organizations. AARP Maine believes that through enhanced collaboration and communication, we can raise awareness about these crimes and work together to empower Mainers and their families as fraud fighters.

Identity theft, investment fraud and scams rob millions of Americans of their hard-earned money every year. Collins is working tirelessly in her role on the committee to not only raise awareness, but to crack down on these criminals. AARP Maine applauds the senator’s efforts, and we look forward to further collaboration with her office on scam and fraud prevention.

Lori Parham

State director

AARP Maine

Portland

Support public education

The Maine Legislature and governor have shown a lack of support for public education, so it is time for Mainers to exhibit genuine support for public education. Our public schools provide education for all our youth regardless of their abilities. I and thousands of Mainers have received a good public education that has served us well.

Educators do the best they can while our legislators and governor make educators’ tasks more difficult. Test and retest, which takes away valuable learning time. Paperwork and more paperwork, which interferes with appropriate preparation time. I think it is time for the governor and legislators to go into our public schools and see what our educators are faced with day in and day out. It would be a valuable learning experience and would hopefully lead to newer, more logical rules and laws to assist, rather than hinder, the educational process.

I also ask that parents be more attentive to their child’s education by making sure that homework is completed and that support is in place on a regular basis toward their school. Educators have a very difficult task when the Legislature and governor seem to do everything possible to make their responsibilities more difficult to achieve.

Richard Leonard

Veazie

So long, Family Ties

The announcement in the Feb. 1 edition of the Bangor Daily News that Roxanne Moore Saucier would no longer write her Family Ties column for the newspaper came as a regretful warning. This paper is losing a unique contribution and a local icon. Her column has informed local historians and future genealogists for 30 years and will be greatly missed.

For many, this is one more nail in the coffin for a local paper that once tried to meet the needs of all its readers. Understanding this area’s local and family history is no easy task, but Saucier did just that.

Carol B. Smith Fisher

Camden

Rural veterans’ health care at stake

According to a Feb. 17 St. John Valley Times article, there is a danger that the Access Received Closer to Home program that serves rural veterans will disappear from the Cary Medical Center in Caribou if federal funding lapses in August. If this happens, it would be bad for veterans who would have to travel long distances to obtain medical care covered by the Veterans Administration.

I hope the program will remain in Caribou for the good of local veterans and this issue is brought to the attention of Maine’s political leaders.

Irvin Dube

Madawaska