Thank Bangor bus drivers
The Community Connector is a needed service for people who are disabled, or have to get to and from work or appointments. Some of us couldn’t get where we need to go without the bus service.
The Community Connector bus drivers are very pleasant and helpful. They often make sure that riders get off at their right stops, let us know about route changes that happen so we don’t get stranded, assist people getting on and off who need a hand, and even clean up at the end of the day.
I make sure to thank the bus driver every time I get off the bus. They deserve a kind word.
Gail Crowley
Bangor
Independents for Cain
I am an independent voter, not enrolled in a political party, in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District who votes for independents, Democrats and Republicans. Having followed the presidential campaign rather closely so far, I am frightened by the thought of an irrational Donald Trump presidency, and shocked and sickened by his recent introduction-by-innuendo of political assassination into the campaign.
That Rep. Bruce Poliquin has not yet summoned the courage to repudiate all that Trump stands for troubles me greatly. The other members of Maine’s congressional delegation have had the integrity to do so, including independent Sen. Angus King and Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
There is no ambiguity about Poliquin’s challenger, Emily Cain, who has come out forcefully against Trump. I intend to vote for Cain in November, and I urge all other 2nd District independents to do so as well.
Lenny Reich
Belgrade
America can do better than Trump
We have a presidential candidate, Donald Trump, who just suggested assassinating his opponent. He has mocked the disabled, blamed Mexicans for rapes and Somalis for crime, seeks to ban Muslim immigration, suggests killing the families of terrorists, wants to punish women who have abortions and has claimed he likes war.
Has our disgust about how elected officials do not care about us transformed our country into a seething angry mass that finds gratification in a political candidate who attacks all others? If so, remember Trump is not attacking the people like him who have exploited the system to gain wealth at others’ expense. He is not attacking the political representatives who have voted to support corporations and harm the people. Trump is attacking people who are hardworking and abandoned by our government. But just because our government has abandoned us does not mean we have to support a candidate who suggests gunning down a presidential candidate.
If people don’t want to vote for Hillary Clinton, they do not have to vote for Trump. They can vote for the Green Party candidate, the Libertarian Party candidate, or write in a candidate. If enough people reject Trump and Hillary and write in candidates, that will be a powerful statement about how we believe our system is not working and needs candidates that represent the best in people. But a vote for Trump will be vote for a candidate who represents the worst in people. Americans, no matter how angry, can do better than that.
Naomi Cohen
Hope
LePage’s assault on public health
Thanks, Bangor Daily News, for Matthew Stone’s thoughtful, in-depth reporting on the cutting of Maine public health nursing services in an Aug. 9 BDN article. It is another example of how our public sector is being eroded.
In Maine, the LePage administration consistently assaults programs that promote the health and welfare of our citizens in favor of — I don’t know what — his own unkind philosophy of “if you’re poor or ill, it’s your own fault”? Or is it to funnel public funds (our tax dollars) to corporate interests in the guise of “luring business” to Maine?
Whatever the reason, when disaster strikes — such as an epidemic, industrial accident, climate event, or ongoing substance abuse — there are too few trained boots on the ground to step in and help.
Those with means will take care of themselves. Those without — the most vulnerable of us — will be left on our own. Think Hurricane Katrina. Think Hurricane Sandy. Think also Citizens United, which legitimizes and raises the private over the public sector.
I encourage everyone interested in this slow process of decimating the public sector to take the time to read Stone’s article. Then I encourage them to write their legislators.
Gerry Gross
Bangor
Don’t stop flossing
Recent news reports have questioned the benefits of flossing because of the lack of scientific evidence that it’s effective.
So I Googled “studies showing benefits of washing your socks.” Turns out we don’t need to do that either because there are no studies that show that washing your socks is beneficial. But if you don’t, they get kind of gross and really dirty. And after a while, they smell like something is rotting.
While we are waiting for the scientific community to design a study to prove something we already know, here’s a little experiment. Don’t floss for a week, then floss and smell the stuff that comes out from in between the teeth. That will make people believers in no time.
So from me to you, please keep flossing. I’ve seen hundreds of patients who have started flossing and see how much better their mouths feel, look and smell. Even though there hasn’t been a properly designed study yet, keep flossing and keep those socks clean.
C. Bradford Rand, DDS
Bangor
Send Poliquin back to Wall Street
I would support Democrat Emily Cain for the 2nd Congressional District seat even if her opponent were a reputable person who paid his taxes on time, knew the difference between a tree farm and his backyard, and didn’t need to be bankrolled by big money.
In the election two years ago, Bruce Poliquin tried to link Cain to terrorism, a smear worthy of the slime master himself, Donald Trump. Now that Sen. Susan Collins has belatedly denounced Trump, will Poliquin follow her lead? I hope the 2nd District voters will send Poliquin back to Wall Street.
Peg Cruikshank
Corea