Support universal pre-K
I am the proud mom of a little girl. Too soon, she’ll be an adult, and we’ll hand off the world to her generation. What kind of world we hand her is our decision to make today. Without action, we’ll hand her a world where the glass ceiling can still hold her back.
The United States stands alone among developed nations for not providing paid family leave to new mothers. We allow women to be forced out of jobs when they have children and force them to start their careers over every time they have a child.
We continue to force mothers to choose between expensive childcare and forfeiting their career opportunities. This holds women back from achieving their fullest potential, and holds women in an inferior economic status, as they send large portions of their pay to private day care centers or are forced to live without an income or only one income. As a result, women face economic insecurity in retirement because they are unable to consistently contribute to Social Security.
Maine voters will have the opportunity to create universal pre-K, putting a devastating crack in the glass ceiling and ensuring that the lives we give our children will be better than our own.
Pam Tate
Bangor
Legislators’ PACs no big deal
Diane Russell has a political action committee (PAC). So does Speaker Mark Eves (Eves Leadership PAC), House Majority Leader Jeff McCabe (McCabe for Leadership), Senate President Mike Thibodeau (Senate Republican President’s Fund) and Senate Minority Leader Justin Alfond (Alfond Business, Community and Democracy PAC). If one had time, they would find that many state legislators have a PAC. In his March 17 BDN column, Chris Busby reminded readers — again — that Rep. Russell has a PAC. Then, with unabashed innuendo, he lets us know — to the penny — how she spends her PAC money.
Everyone with an understanding of modern politics knows the purpose of a PAC; to raise and spend money to elect and defeat candidates. With the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, there are now Super PACs with the ability to raise unlimited funds to spend for or against a candidate. Unfortunately, in this political era, many candidates rely on PACs get elected.
For Busby to single out and take another swipe at Russell — and her PAC — was petty, if not personal. Russell is a devoted public servant whose passion to serve her constituents and Maine is almost unrivaled. Many may not agree with her politics, her party, or her tireless work on ballot initiatives; but, make no mistake, any other person or organization — political or otherwise — can admire (or envy) her unyielding drive and unwavering commitment.
Mike Turcotte
Bangor
No problems at DEW Haven
I read Aislinn Sarnacki’s March BDN 18 article about the “Yankee Jungle” TV show with great interest. My wife and I have visited DEW Haven a couple of times and we have taken our grandchildren to visit. We are both animal lovers and I know that if my wife had seen anything amiss, she would have shouted to high heaven.
Our visits were always in warm weather and we saw no rotting carcasses lying around. I still don’t know what the petitions and all the fuss is about or what crimes against animals the Miners are supposed to have committed. Where are these older and injured animals who cannot survive in the wild supposed to go? I think we should be thankful for people like the Miners who give and care so much.
Wallace Seavey
Canaan
Refighting old wildlife battles
I recently learned of the opportunity to publicly comment on the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s turkey, moose, deer and bear management programs, and like many others, wanted to offer my input. When I went to the bear forum, however, the majority of what I read was not helpful (turkey, moose, and deer were not as bad).
The purpose of the forum was not to separate who is a bleeding heart, tree-hugging, tofu-eating liberal who agrees with the Human Society of the United States on the practices of bear trapping, baiting and hounding, or a narrow-minded Sportman’s Alliance of Maine, National Rifle Association supporter who has hunted bear this way for generations and is not about to be told how to do it in the future.
Yes, these three practices have been utilized for years, but that does not necessarily mean that is how it has to be in the future as times change. Despite these methods being used for bear management, the population continues to increase, so is it really working? That aside, fear rather than education is used to support these practices by stating that human-wildlife interactions will increase if bears are not managed properly. I am not denying that possibility, but altering human behavior is another way of managing wildlife as well.
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is offering a chance for input on a natural resource that many have an interest in, so rather than airing grievances and posting snide comments, how about using this opportunity in a more productive manner.
Emma Raye
Kennebunk
Solar bill must pass Legislature
LD 1649, An Act To Modernize Maine’s Solar Power Policy and Encourage Economic Development, is a solar electric bill. If this does not become law, the Maine Public Utilities Commission, all three members appointed by Gov. Paul LePage, can rule to modify or kill net metering in Maine. Without net metering or LD 1649 there will be no compensation to producers of solar electricity. That means solar companies leave the state, 400 solar jobs may be lost, and solar installations will stop.
There was a public hearing on LD 1649 before the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Technology on March 16. An overflow crowd attended the hearing, the vast majority in support of the bill. Supporters included solar installers, environmental organizations, the public advocate, Central Maine Power Co. and a large group of private citizens. The only negative comments came from the chairman of the Public Utilities Commission, who testified neither for nor against the bill, and two members of the Governor’s Energy Office, who were opposed.
If you want to actively support the effort to transition to clean energy call or write your state representative and senator and urge them to support LD 1649.
Mike White
Georgetown