Collins genuinely cares about Maine

Sen. Susan Collins took the time to visit our YMCA in February and met with people from all ages, from our 2-year-olds to our seniors in our Second Wind Program. The genuine caring she showed every person was visible and heartwarming.

She couldn’t walk 10 steps while at our Y without being stopped by an adoring fan or someone who wanted to discuss our current state of affairs. She listened to every single person and showed her authenticity, knowledge of the issues and her heart. This is a woman who understands our challenges and our needs and is willing to stand up for what is right, no matter if she goes against the majority in her party.

I was a fan long before I moved to the great state of Maine, just as I was of Sen. Angus King. I admired their independence, passion and courage. I thought the state of Maine was lucky to have people like this in their corner.

After moving here, I’m only more convinced how lucky we are. Maybe it takes living in lots of other states to truly appreciate someone like Collins. I know the unbelievable hours she puts into her job, the depth she goes to fully understand those issues important to us and the bumpy roads she travels to do what is best for us. We may not all agree with every position, but at the end of the day I am one “wannabe Mainer” who is proud to have her as my senator.

Diane Dickerson

CEO

Bangor YMCA

Bangor

Reject anti-immigrant bill

I came to the United States as an immigrant during happier times when this country was viewed as a welcoming place for people from different lands and cultures. Today’s immigrant community is not so lucky and faces challenges the rest of us can only imagine.

LD 366, An Act to Ensure Compliance with Federal Immigration Law by State and Local Government Entities, promotes fear and mistrust among the immigrant community toward law enforcement, a feeling that can have only negative repercussions. It also fans the flames of hatred toward foreigners, to perceive us as “other.”

As a country made up of immigrants, this is completely antithetical to the founding principles of our country. I urge our state representatives to reject this bill.

Geeta Ramani

Portland

Disappointed with Collins

I’m no conservative, but I was briefly betting on Sen. Susan Collins. I admire moderates whose voting records suggest not so much the safety of centrism as the wisdom of party-agnosticism.

Into which camp does she fall? The answer, at last, is neither. What she’s attempting, bizarrely, is a kind of partisanship that denies itself. It worked for as long as she seemed to break with the herd and do her own thing.

I’ve read some of her old statements and thought they bore the mark of discernment. Increasingly, though, they doth protest too much. They’re revealingly over elaborate and frantic, as it becomes apparent that her choices are herdish, despite going the long way around.

Hence my disappointment. Whereas before I thought there might be moral logic in the unconventional path she’s cut, now it’s all clearly justification post hoc, a sales job for a reckless party platform she’s accepted in bulk but to which she pretends only partial loyalty.

Trying to preserve the legislative filibuster is a Hail Mary pass for her credibility. I’ll grant her this: It almost appears she’s making a principled distinction. But she voted to eliminate a crucial check on lifetime appointments to our highest court. She’s doing no such thing.

She’s lost her improbable friends, like me, and squandered her broader appeal. Moreover she’s irreparably damaged the Senate and the United States. Worse than losing my support, she’s lost any genuine claim to the attribute of leadership. I once defended her. I will no more.

Joe Pinto

Portland