University system priorities
Calling Chancellor James Page a “nonacademic” was perhaps high praise in the Bangor Daily News’ view, but as I recall Page was formerly a philosophy professor. As for the University of Maine System’s priorities I suggest two.
Find a football coach who will build a career here, as Jack Cosgrove did.
Restore the Onward program cut several years ago. This program helped low-income Mainers and re-entry students, especially women, go on to earn degrees. Some of my best students were from Onward.
Recently, I met a man who told me his daughter and son-in-law enrolled in Onward and went on to get degrees in mechanical engineering. They are now taxpayers in Maine.
Cutting Onward not only killed dreams but hurt Maine economically.
Peg Cruikshank
Corea
Lobsters feel pain
As a veterinarian, I have no doubt that the lobsters at Maine Fair Trade Lobster who are dismembered while fully conscious are in pain, “PETA lodges complaint against another Maine lobster processor” ( BDN Dec. 19).
The lobster industry likes to point out that lobsters don’t have a centralized nervous system, but that’s no indication they don’t feel pain. In fact, because lobsters have ganglia, or masses of nervous tissue, spread throughout their bodies, they may feel even more pain than we would in similar situations, which makes it even more challenging to kill them humanely. With a nervous system that perceives pain in much the same manner as human beings, a lobster who is dismembered or boiled alive undoubtedly suffers immensely.
Other companies have switched to less cruel slaughter methods, and Maine Fair Trade Lobster should do so, too. But of course the best way to prevent lobsters from suffering is to stop eating them.
Heather Rally
Sebastopol, California
Paid sick leave is good business
What a great column by Rebecca Millett, on Dec. 20, on sick pay. My dad started our company in Lewiston in 1914. Treating people kindly was always a major priority for us, be they customers or associates. Friends are friends, and if you are not one, you will probably not be in business 104 years later.
After a year in our company, full-time people have five days of sick pay available at two-thirds their pay rate. Any days they don’t use provide them with a one-third day’s bonus pay, and those days are added to the next year’s five days. Sick pay can accumulate up to 13 weeks in our company.
Sick and hungry and homeless is nothing we should allow. It’s no way to treat people, to treat friends, or to set as a way for society to act. Maine people have good instincts, and do the right thing. Let’s have paid sick leave. It’s good for people and good for business.
Jim Wellehan
Auburn
CMP shortchanges customers
As a Central Maine Power standard offer customer, I’m concerned about the news that I will see another increase in my monthly bill.
Maine’s largest electricity provider is CMP. The utility giant serves 600,000 electricity customers like me in central and southern Maine.
Earlier this month, we learned the Public Utilities Commission approved a rate increase for most home and small-business electricity standard offer CMP customers. Rates are due to increase 14 percent in 2019. CMP customers’ bills currently average about $88 per month, which will go up to about $94 per month under the new standard offer rates. That may not sound like a steep increase, but when you are low-income, perhaps living on nothing but Social Security as we know one-third of Mainers over 65 do, that extra cost is going to be tough to absorb.
The rate increase is coming at a time when CMP has yet to distribute the savings it received from the 2017 federal tax bill directly to customers. This should have happened at the beginning of 2018. Instead, the company wants to hold on to that money, saying it will offset an additional proposed customer rate increase to be determined by the PUC in 2019.
Access to electricity should be fair, affordable and transparent. The experiences that CMP customers have weathered in 2018 and will continue to face in 2019 are anything but that.
CMP needs to do better for their customers and we urge all Mainers who are served by CMP to make their voices heard.
Liv Toftner
AARP Maine Advocacy Volunteer
Mount Vernon