Where credit is due
I am appalled to see how much my auto and home insurance bill increased this year now that the insurance companies use a “credit score” to determine an “ insurance score.”
I wouldn’t mind so much if those scores showed me to be untrustworthy with finances. But I am being penalized because I carefully live within my means. I do not borrow enough or keep high enough balances owed on credit cards.
I have paid off every car loan and credit card bill on time. The last two cars I saved for and paid cash. I have never had a mortgage nor borrowed money to furnish my house. Though my income has been low, I have found ways to live frugally.
A system than lashes back at me for good money behavior should not be allowed by laws that govern insurance and credit.
Sharon Bray
Orland
Letters to Congress
I recently wrote to Susan Collins, Jared Golden and Angus King referencing the New Zealand response to its recent mass shooting and suggesting it would make sense for the U.S. to return to pre-2004 gun regulations, when assault weapons with large capacity magazines were effectively banned.
I got a detailed carefully reasoned response from King. I got an auto-reply from Collins saying my message was important to her, but nothing else. I got absolutely nothing from Golden.
This is a pattern I’ve observed over the past three years in the case of Collins and King — not a unique experience. It may be too early to tell in the case of Golden, but the signs are not promising.
Whether or not you agree with my suggestion, guess who I’m not likely to vote for in the next election.
Donald Holmes
Sedgwick
Another warship
On April 27th, the third Zumwalt destroyer built at Bath Iron Works (BIW) will be “christened.”
The USS Lyndon B. Johnson joins one of the largest warship fleets in the world. Our military budget has skyrocketed since 9/11, when President George W. Bush declared the global “ War on Terror.” But can we honestly say that we’ve become safer as a result? Have our lives improved? Have we become better citizens of the world?
The Costs of War project housed at the Watson Institute of Public Affairs at Brown University has researched and collected data since 2011 with a goal of detailing the overall costs of the United States’ decision to respond militarily to the 9/11 attacks. The findings are disturbing and shocking to say the least: more than 480,000 dead; 244,000 civilians killed; and 21 million war refugees and displaced persons.
Equally devastating are the direct and indirect effects of war on our planet. We are in the midst of a climate crisis that is fueled by U.S. foreign policy.
In her March 28 letter to the editor, Carolyn Coe wrote, “converting BIW from building weapons of war to green technologies would benefit BIW workers and people worldwide.” I couldn’t agree more. We are so fortunate to have here in Maine the highly skilled men and women who work at BIW. Imagine what they could accomplish if they were able to build for life and not for death.
Connie Jenkins
East Blue Hill