Voters can bring civility back
When former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell was asked earlier this month what Maine residents can do to make politics more civil, he said: “Vote.”
“It is through the ballot box that we not only can choose our public officials, but we can show our values as a nation,” Mitchell said.
The Maine Council of Churches sponsored Mitchell’s speech at an event in Waterville because we too are greatly concerned about the crassness, untruths and vulgarity of elected officials and candidates this election season.
As part of our effort to make politics more civil, the council has asked congressional and legislative candidates in Maine to sign a pledge that they will be respectful to each other. Nearly half of them have. It’s time to stand up and say, “America is better than this.”
Bonny Rodden
President
Maine Council of Churches
Falmouth
Send Cain to Congress
The media should challenge Bruce Poliquin more forcefully on his refusal to take a stand on Donald Trump, his party’s nominee for president. I expect our elected representatives to tell their constituents where they stand on important issues, especially on controversial ones. Being silent is not just cowardly, it is a disqualification for office.
I think Poliquin expects Trump to carry the 2nd Congressional District but does not want to offend anti-Trump voters. This strategy may work. Smearing Emily Cain, his opponent, with falsehoods two years ago worked, unfortunately, with the result that the more-experienced, more-ethical candidate lost. Cain would be an outstanding member of Congress, as she was an outstanding Maine legislator.
Peg Cruikshank
Corea
Why deny Mainers health care?
Voters who are represented by Republican Rep. Richard Campbell in District 130, Bucksport and Orrington, and Sen. Kim Rosen in Senate District 8, Hancock County, should ask both of them why they voted against LD 633 in the spring. This bill would have lowered the financial burden of all residents by providing medical coverage to our uninsured neighbors with low incomes.
When an uninsured individual is ill, she is more likely to postpone seeking medical treatment with a less expensive visit to a primary care setting and more likely to seek treatment through an emergency department at a much higher cost. The cost is ultimately passed on to all of us.
The fact that the bill was sponsored by a Republican, Tom Saviello of Franklin County, and rejected by two fellow Republicans may suggest that Saviello is more concerned with the financial burden of his constituents, than Campbell and Rosen. It may also speak to a more compassionate caring individual who is in favor of more Mainers having access to health care.
Before casting votes this November, voters in these districts should ask themselves if they want to continue paying more for medical costs than necessary and if they truly want to deny their neighbors health insurance. Before voting for Campbell or Rosen consider the alternatives.
Laura Bouzan
Orrington
Spread McMullin’s light
Evan McMullin is an independent conservative. In Maine, when we write-in his name for president, our votes will be counted. We must support virtue. Mainer’s can. Let’s spread light among us with news of McMullin.
Elizabeth Hutchins
Bangor
Trouble at Union River Dam
The federal licensing for the Union River Dam in Ellsworth comes up soon for renewal. The license renewal, if approved, would be good for 30 years. The dam is owned by a company based in Bermuda, and it uses the dam on the Union River to produce electricity. This dam is the cause of thousands of fish deaths as salmon and alewives attempt to migrate. In addition to these facts, the dam interferes with the very lucrative local elver harvest that could help many fisherpeople in the Ellsworth area to augment their livelihood. Do we want to give away our river?
Gabrielle Wellman
Blue Hill
Veilleux for House District 127
In an especially frustrating election season, I am so pleased that a great friend of mine, John Veilleux, has decided to run to represent House District 127, Bangor’s West Side, in the Legislature. I have known Veilleux and his family for more than 20 years.
Every politician says that they support the middle class and small-business owners, but while many of them say this, they support policies, laws and mandates that make owning a small business or earning a living very difficult. Veilleux has worked as a mason, a skill he learned from his father, and he has owned a masonry business for 20 years. He knows what it’s like to struggle to pay for workers’ compensation insurance, health insurance and taxes. He will truly be behind the working family in action, not just in words.
Veilleux is a supporter of helping Maine families. He has five children and nine grandchildren, and he and his wife have two foster children, so he is familiar with the struggles of the foster care system and how the opioid crisis in Maine is destroying lives and families. Once again, he hasn’t just complained about the system, but he has actually done what he can to help.
I look forward to casting my vote for Veilleux, and I encourage everyone from District 127 to do the same.
Lisa Norsworthy
Bangor
Democracy 101
It has come to this. Under Gov. Paul LePage’s administration, Mainers need to be reminded that autocratic rule is a bad idea (isn’t that what the Declaration of Independence is about?) and that the U.S. Constitution prohibits officials from assassinating or jailing people who disagree with or criticize them (it is called rule of law).
Annlinn Kruger
Bar Harbor
Ranked-choice complicates elections
While I oppose ranked-choice voting for many reasons, one real possibility should give everyone pause. Recounts are common in elections. Consider a very close race with multiple candidates and the possibility of recounts as names are dropped from the ballot. Throw provisional ballots into the mix and consider the time, money and rancor that could well come into play.
Gwethalyn Phillips
Orono
Election notice
The BDN is no longer accepting letters and OpEds related to the Nov. 8 election. Not all submissions can be published.