Education funding formula
Gov. Paul LePage said in his Nov. 2 BDN OpEd that the passage of Question 2 would not improve K-12 education. Now that Question 2 has passed, the Legislature should accept the governor’s challenge and dedicate all the Question 2 money to address statewide early childhood education — literacy, in particular.
There were 6,456 Maine fourth-graders from low-income families in the 2013-2014 academic year, according to the state’s 2014-2015 No Child Left Behind report. About 46 percent of these children did not achieve proficiency standards in reading. A lack of reading skills will cripple their progress in school and diminish their chances for success as adults.
The Legislature needs to accept the challenge of early childhood literacy and do something bold and meaningful instead of politics as usual. It should come up with a new funding formula for the Question 2 money. The new formula should be based on the number of economically disadvantaged children without regard to property taxes, race or citizenship. The new formula should distribute the new money solely to improve literacy in public schools, starting with early childhood education, because all of our children deserve an equal opportunity to a good public education.
Stephen Freeman
Presque Isle
Trump not part of founders’ vision
I still love my country, but I am disturbed by the notion that I don’t know it at all. Does the country lit from within by a dream and a vision of a better life for all people still exist? My dad died three weeks ago still believing in the basic goodness of America, and it was that which he defended when he served in the Navy during World War II.
But the unruly, hate-spewing crowds who elected Donald Trump are not part of that America. I feel like a stranger in this country I have loved all my life.
Carolyn Bower
Surry
GOP has no mandate
House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should take notice that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than 650,000 votes and it is poised to rise as the final votes are tallied in several states. So, let me be clear: The election is not a mandate in any way, shape or form for the GOP agenda. They would be totally incorrect when they speak about what the American people want because in reality they are only referring to some Americans.
Democracy is majority rule, so no matter how they spin or twist it, they will always be wrong.
Edmond Labore Jr.
Cherryfield
Marijuana opponents step aside
Those who are opposed to Question 1, marijuana legalization, just need to give up. Nobody else is demanding recounts for the other ballot questions. The bill specifically states that one must be 21 years of age or older to purchase marijuana. If alcohol is legal and thousands die from drinking every year, why can’t marijuana, which hasn’t killed a soul, be legal?
Tim Ashlock
Orrington
Veterans sacrifices
From firsthand experience I know that long after the Veterans Day parades end, the delicious pancake breakfast, which is free to veterans, that there is a terrific place to learn that “freedom is not free.” It’s a place to learn about the thousands of veterans who gave their lives so we could enjoy freedom.
It’s a place where 4,000 kids and 19,000 visitors came this year. They were able to sit around a table, listen and ask questions of men and women who served in World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and in other global conflicts.
None of them would call themselves heroes, but they are, and they are still serving. Every time they get a call that 40, 50 or 60 students are coming on a school bus from all over the state. I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to meet many of them. When they leave, they know freedom isn’t free.
Why not plan a visit to Cole Land Transportation Museum in Bangor any time from May 1 to Nov. 11 and hear Galen Cole, veterans and staff talk about our country’s proud history.
Audrey Higgins
Bangor
Media got Trump supporters wrong
In media reports about the presidential election, the supporters of Donald Trump were portrayed as less educated blue-collar people, perhaps wearing overalls and carrying a lunch pail.
But this does not describe me very well. I am a graduate of George Washington University, with extremely high graduate record scores and general high intelligence, as scored in the past. Also, I have experience with the federal government in Washington reflecting difficult assignments before I left years ago.
Feeling Hillary Clinton is not the right person to dwell in the White House, I supported Trump from Day One, and I ignored any criticism of him. I now have the opinion that the supporters of Clinton, even if college educated, come under the category of not-so-bright woolly thinkers who overestimate their capabilities.
Robert Palmer
Bangor
Democrats fight for the people
Honestly, does anyone care at this point whether U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison is the right person to lead the Democratic National Committee? Bernie Sanders let us down by not winning delegates to get the Democratic nomination, and he would have beaten Donald Trump. The pundits squawk about third-party candidates, so we never get a real one because their cameras ignore any possibilities. So we all lose.
If Ellison is the next Sanders, then I hope he’s young and bring him on. Let him fight. Trump fears no fight and says what he wants. We are a nation proud of our government of peaceful revolution. That is what we need. That is what Sanders represented, and that is what he failed to realize.
The Democratic National Committee should open their mouths and fight for the people. Trump is just starting the fight now so look out. He’s a New Yorker, and no one beats a New Yorker when it comes to speaking without filters. That is how he won. The Democratic National Committee needs to put on the gloves or just slip away and leave the people to fight the good fight.
Stanley Levitsky
Old Town