Mills making a difference
Last week, several of my patients spoke up, unsolicited, and said how wonderful it was to have a governor who cares about them. Thank you to Gov. Janet Mills for both expanding Medicaid and addressing those suffering from addiction as the “neighbors, colleagues, sons and daughters” that they are. What a difference voting can make.
Lisa Buck
Orono
Secure our border
I read with interest the recent letter, published as an advertisement, from Paula Sutton to Sen. Susan Collins about her personal experiences on her parents’ ranch in South Texas and the troubles they had with illegals trespassing and destroying private property. What a sad state of affairs it is that they could not rely on local law enforcement to help deal with the illegal immigrants disrespecting their property. When a man buys a ranch, puts up a fence and legally posts “do not trespass” in English and Spanish, it’s a shame he cannot be left alone.
Public safety is an important function of government. Sovereign countries defend and define their boundaries. The southern border needs to be secured, and citizens living on the border should not feel scared in their homes.
Legal immigration is a welcome and good thing. As a second-generation American whose relatives struggled to come to America legally, I understand the emotions wrapped around this issue.
Legal immigration works well for countries; illegal immigration does not. Let’s not confuse the two. In the meantime, let’s build that wall and secure our borders. For a country without a border is no longer a country. Build the wall.
Ann-Marie Grenier
Windham
Utility rates to rise — again
Attention Emera Maine customers. You were probably as shocked as I was to read the Bangor Daily News article ” Emera Maine eyes rate hike” on Jan. 23 detailing how the distribution rates in our electric bills may go up again, and this time by 19 percent. Raising electric rates for the fourth time in six years is not affordable for Maine families, especially for the tens of thousands of older Mainers on fixed incomes. I sincerely hope that the Maine Public Utilities Commission stops Emera Maine in its tracks.
We need to heat our homes. We need to eat and pay for skyrocketing prescription medications. If electricity becomes unaffordable, what do we do? The utilities commission has already approved higher standard offer rates for Emera Maine for 2019. Enough is enough, Emera Maine. Your customers are not ATMs.
Lynne Cudaback
Orrington
Border wall a waste of money
Sen. Susan Collins’ decision to give Maine’s support to the border wall is disheartening and seems yet another sign of democracy’s escalating erosion under the autocratic bullying of the Trump administration. I spent years working along the vastly beautiful Texas-Mexico border and there is a reason representatives from this region are against an environmentally devastating divide that will not serve its own purpose. This includes Rep. Will Hurd, a Republican and former CIA operations officer in Afghanistan who represents 820 miles of border communities from El Paso to San Antonio. Hurd has referred to walls as the most expensive and least effective way to secure the border.
We need $5.7 billion for infrastructure that will actually keep us safer: new roads, new bridges, updated water systems and better schools, not a massive dysfunctional symbol of presidential ego fueled by racism.
Sarah Loftus
Farmington
Trump is bad for America
President Donald Trump would not serve America yet now tries to rule America. He is a spurious golfer, narcissist extraordinaire, demagogue, racist and conman.
He has not drained the swamp but added many snakes and alligators who are unqualified, uncaring rich folk who only care for themselves.
The Mexican border is important but not a national emergency. The people who formed a caravan were from countries south of Mexico who were forced to leave their homes because they had no crops or jobs for a year and sometimes two years.
Climate change has affected those countries in a large way because their geography places them on the frontline of this change. Yet Trump claims indifference as to how humans have affected this change. Trump does not care about America or the people who support him because he only cares for himself and proves this every day.
“Apprentice” tactics, bullying and bluffing are not sound business practices nor using foul,
obtuse language, separating children from parents or abusing the powers of the presidency.
Our children are watching, listening and learning to be like Trump, which is extremely sad.
Supporters are wrongheaded to think a lifelong con artist will do the things they wish for. There are many ways to accomplish common goals, bring consensus, be fair and empathetic. Compromise is not a weakness, winning is not everything, and unity is a very good thing.
Dennis St. Jean
Chelsea
Oppose CMP transmission plan
I strongly oppose the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission corridor. Recent information reveals that the for-profit Central Maine Power Co., which is owned by a Spanish entity, can use eminent domain to acquire land. This is a pure for-profit scheme that will net CMP, a subsidiary of Avangrid, $60 million a year to send power to Massachusetts.
Hydro Quebec and CMP will profit excessively from this scheme with little or no benefit to Maine. This will not reduce our rates and will grant this company the power to acquire land without the permission of the owner. The transmission corridor will cut through one of Maine’s most pristine wildernesses for 53 miles. It’s very sad that this land is not protected to major development.
The fact that they can take land that doesn’t belong to them, now or in the future for expansion, is extremely discouraging. CMP is now one of Maine’s biggest extractor of funds for Maine’s future. Avangrid is owned by Iberdrola, a Spanish company. Most of its profits go to shareholders. Hydro Quebec, which reportedly will reap close to an additional $200 million a year from this project, is also a foreign-owned corporation.
The state of Nebraska has lower electricity rates than the national average, and its utility is truly publicly owned. Maine should follow its lead and put power back into the control of Maine ratepayers.
Edwin Buzzell
Pittsfield