Gear media toward millennials
Social media has completely consumed millennials. We share stories with our Facebook friends and retweet about what we believe is going on in the world. The problem? We’re not even checking for credible sources because we believe that if it’s on the internet it must be true. This concept will completely shatter print media. No longer will people read the morning news with their coffee but instead sign onto Facebook to read a status update containing a link to a “news” story that may or may not be true.
We can save print media, but we first need to change the way millennials see print media. Most millennials refuse to read a newspaper out of belief that it is “boring,” but they’ll click the same story if it’s shared online. That’s because it’s more “convenient” to click open a link to a story than it is to buy a paper at the store and read it. That’s only the first problem.
The second problem is the content. Yes, it is important to write about the important issues happening globally and locally, but millennials are interested in other content that most print media don’t focus on.
We need to make purchasing print media more convenient, which means we need to be producing content that attracts not only habitual consumers but millennials, too. There is hope for print media; it just needs to be shifted toward the values of newer generations.
Taylor Ronan
Bangor
Trump shows leadership in Syria
John Kerry said they were gone, and Susan Rice reported a few months ago that all chemical weapons had been removed from the Syrian bases. Well, we know former Secretary of State Kerry is often out of touch with reality and that Rice is noted for being a serial prevaricator: She said Benghazi was caused by a video, that Bowe Bergdahl is an American hero who served with distinction, that she knows nothing about the unmasking of the names in the Trump camp who appeared in intelligence reports and that Syria “verifiably” gave up its chemical weapons. Right.
For six years, President Barack Obama refused to show any military might, moral conviction or strategic leadership regarding Syria. Thousands died or were displaced because he did not act when the Syrian government crossed the “red line” that he promised would draw protective action from his administration. Obama was reticent, timid, always self-absorbed and, sadly, lacking in leadership abilities. The vacuum he created by doing nothing allowed the lions from the terrorist states to lunge forth.
Finally, we have a president who has responded to the Sarin gas attack that killed or maimed hundreds of Syrians. This attack killed innocents, among them tiny, helpless babies. Syria’s violation of the Geneva Protocol demanded a response, and the Trump administration sent a clear message to Bashar al-Assad and the world that chemical attacks will not be tolerated. We should be grateful for his quick action as he bravely took a moral stand in the face of this egregious act by a brutal dictator.
Elizabeth Printy
Damariscotta
Increase Maine CNA wages
People have short memories, including legislators. LD 1776 passed into law in 2014, bringing much needed changes to the nursing home funding mechanism. Just a few years later, the annual inflationary increase mandated by law was not made. When I inquired as to why not, I was told that legislative leadership had decided the nursing homes had received enough of a boost in the few years before, and that was all they’d be getting.
The Legislature appears to act only when things reach crisis proportions. The commission that wrote LD 1776 was created to investigate why some nursing homes in Maine had closed. For the 15 years before the commission met in 2013-14, annual nursing home payment increases had averaged about 1 percent per year while inflation was running at 3 percent. Losing 2 percent annually for more than 15 years is a more than 30 percent reduction in payments. I’ve seen this inadequate payment problem for many decades with an occasional funding Band-Aid. That is why certified nursing assistant wages are low. Every penny of MaineCare money paid to nursing homes has to be used to pay for care or be returned to MaineCare. Every nursing home operator I know spends more than they are paid to care for MaineCare residents.
I hope Democratic Sen. Troy Jackson’s legislation, LR 1387, for increased certified nursing assistant wages is passed and funded. This will be another Band-Aid that will help for a few years, until the next round of closures occurs, and then the Legislature will have a new crisis.
Phil Cyr
Administrator
Caribou Rehab and Nursing Center
Caribou
Collins an advocate for veterans
When visiting our nation’s capital, I take every opportunity to schedule an appointment with Sen. Susan Collins to discuss issues regarding our military, veterans and their families. Her philosophy remains that of an open-door policy for those wishing to share their views. She listens intently, asks questions when appropriate, and then acts always in the best interest of those who have, and continue to give, so much toward advancing the cause of freedom.
Collins is a strong advocate for all who are serving or have served in our nation’s armed services. She works extremely hard to ensure commitments remain intact. Collins continues to work to support the needs of veterans by protecting their access to rural health care, holding the Department of Veterans Affairs accountable, and expediting the administrative process for veterans, particularly for disabled veterans, increasing their access to benefits they have earned and so richly deserve. Recently, Collins reintroduced bipartisan legislation expanding the Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act making resources available to family and loved ones of veterans who have taken on a caregiver role.
I am proud of Collins and her continued devotion to her constituency and to the various committees in which she serves. Her record of never missing a vote speaks volumes not only to her character but also to the promises made to the people of Maine.
As a widow of a veteran, thanks, Collins.
Jeri Brooks Greenwell
Bethel