Collins should back Clinton
I congratulate Sen. Susan Collins for having the courage to publicly place the fate of her country and the world above her party allegiance.
But do I understand that she’s simply going to sit this election out and see what happens? I wonder if she really wants moderate Republicans to follow her lead and just stay home on Election Day.
There are plenty of Republicans and Bernie Sanders Democrats who will be voting for Hillary Clinton. Too bad the risk of a President Donald Trump isn’t enough incentive for Collins to vote for Clinton, like many of her fellow Republicans are publicly planning to do.
Diane Smith
Holden
Trump’s bombastic blowback
Sen. Susan Collins is the latest Senate Republican to withhold support of Donald Trump because of his bombastic comments that have become comments of fear and backlash.
Now, if Trump were normal, he may not have made these bombastic comments toward a lot of people. Because he has done this, many feel alienated by what he said and the tone of his rhetoric.
But it is his rhetoric that is an issue between him and the Republican leadership in the U.S. House and Senate. But with his treatment of Muslims and Mexican-Americans as well as women, he has made poor comments that do not make him presidential but that make him out of sync with voters.
John Huerta
Warren
The choice for president is clear
Some choices are easy, like should I clean the garage or go to the beach? Some choices are hard, like which car should I buy? The choice for president is easy.
I have 10 reasons not to vote for Donald Trump. He is unqualified. He is dangerous and wants to abandon our allies. He is racist. He believes in torture. About 70 percent of what he says is a lie, according to fact checkers. He would abolish the Affordable Care Act, leaving 16 million Americans without health insurance. He uses obscene language and insults people. He is too unstable to put in charge of nuclear weapons. He cheats his employees. His vice president choice has far right views.
I have 10 reasons to vote for Hillary Clinton. She is qualified and experienced. She favors common-sense gun measures. She would raise the minimum wage. She would work to pass paid family and medical leave. She would add a public option to the Affordable Care Act. She would lower the Medicare age to 55 for those who want to opt in. She would work to reverse Citizens United. She wants debt-free public college tuition. She would fight climate change. She would reform Wall Street banks.
Kathryn Bourgoin
Orono
Lyme disease devastates lives
Thanks, BDN editorial board, for the Aug. 9 editorial on Lyme disease. Another horrific aspect of Lyme disease is this: Undiagnosed and untreated long-term Lyme disease can devastate lives, careers and finances.
Over five years, I experienced one inflammatory episode after another, each in a different part of my body. These were accompanied by severe nightly headaches that caused long-lasting sleep deprivation, dizziness and cognitive impairment. I had all the classic symptoms of Lyme disease. But when I presented these to one doctor after another, each said, “You don’t have Lyme disease. You tested negative.”
Miraculously, a brand new doctor of mine this spring put the pieces of the puzzle together and said, “Would you consider having the Western blot test for Lyme disease?” Bingo, I thought. Previous doctors had denied my request to have this test.
The results of the test, along with my classic list of symptoms, were the basis of a definitive clinical diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease.
I am self-employed and have had to take frequent medical leaves from my work, which involves long-distance travel. In November 2015, I had to stop altogether, after having had relapses after every trip.
Today I am four months into treatment. I am so exhausted I cannot work, hike, garden, take a walk or attend many events. My story is not unique.
Let’s all take a strong stand against the medical system’s refusal to research, treat or even acknowledge this life-changing disease.
Angela Maniak
Northport
Poliquin’s record on taxes
Rep. Bruce Poliquin claims he cares about tax relief for all Mainers. But if you look closely at his voting record, that is not true for you and me. Poliquin has voted to repeal or reduce taxes that only significantly apply to himself and his millionaire buddies on Wall Street. For example, Poliquin has voted to repeal the estate tax and the generation-skipping transfer tax and reduce the top marginal rate for the federal gift tax from 40 percent to 35 percent. Guess who will suffer from that tax loss: you and me.
Collectively, these changes mostly benefit the top 0.2 percent of Americans — or two out of every 1,000 families — and would add $269 billion to the national debt by 2025. If we are looking for an honest representative in the 2nd Congressional District, we should look to Emily Cain, who as the minority leader in Augusta succeeded in passing a bipartisan budget that cut taxes and balanced the budget. Cain cares about the average citizen.
Deborah Ferrell
Newport
Take a stand against violence
The summer of 2016 is steeped in violence: mass killings of innocent people here and abroad, the cruel and interminable war in Syria, the drowning of thousands of refugees fleeing that war, the escalating toll of gun deaths in this country and shockingly inflammatory rhetoric on the part of a presidential candidate. Fear leads to rage, which leads to violence, and violence creates yet more fear and rage in an increasingly destructive spiral.
Perhaps even more consequential is the “war” between humanity and nature, with humans continuing to produce greenhouse gas emissions that warm the atmosphere and nature responding with record-breaking heat, drought, floods and ferocious fires.
One might feel inclined to throw up one’s hands and say, “I can’t do anything about this,” but we can, at least, make a stand for nonviolence. It’s time to do that. End Violence Together, a rally and march to build a culture of peace, will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, in West Market Square in Bangor, with speakers, music, children’s activities and a march downtown.
Numerous local organizations, including the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine, Pax Christi Maine, the Maine Discovery Museum and Maine Citizens Against Handgun Violence, are sponsoring the event, which is part of a national movement to mainstream nonviolence.
Christina Diebold
Bangor