Our tragic vaccination story
Recently, I delivered the Republican radio address about the vaccination debate happening in Augusta right now. I believe coverage of the topic has been disappointing and one-sided. While it is easy to dismiss those in favor of the current law that provides for exemptions to vaccination requirements as “anti-vaxxers,” many of us have legitimate concerns that should not be dismissed.
My wife and I were parents of a 2-month-old daughter who died just 36 hours after receiving her first set of vaccinations, including the DPT shot. There is not a person who will ever convince us that those shots did not play a significant and vital role in our daughter’s untimely and unwarranted death.
Fortunately, my wife and I had two other children after our daughter’s death, both similarly healthy, but neither of them had the vaccinations so early in their lives and neither had the DPT shot, just the DT shot. We did not start vaccinations until after six months and never multiple injections at a time.
We were frightened and determined not to lose another child. As a result, my wife and I used the philosophical exemption so our children were not required to be vaccinated under the same protocol.
I do not wish a child’s death on any parent; that pain is still with us today. Unless you believe that healthy babies simply die for no reason, I ask that you understand the difficult decisions that parents who have had tragic vaccination reactions like ours have faced.
Sen. Robert Foley
York
Climate inaction should be impeachable
I suspect I am not the only person fed up with all the hype, speculation, semi-facts,
fake news, reasonable doubt, redactions and hypertensive blathering about the Mueller report, collusion and obstruction of justice.
Not that the charges didn’t need to be investigated, but wasn’t it predictable that the conclusion would only be more noise? That’s our political and media world now — fair and balanced, actionless hysteria between advertisements for drugs.
I believe there is, however, a rock solid ground for impeaching this president. President Donald Trump’s refusal to act on climate change is not an obstruction of justice, but an obstruction to survival. The science is conclusive, the clock is ticking, the indictment is a crime not just against humanity but a crime against all living plants and animals. A crime against the future. The first responsibility of any government is the public trust doctrine — to ensure that the environment we pass to future generations is healthy and sustainable.
We know that without immediate alleviating action we are headed for disaster. Any president, any elected official, not urgently insisting on all things green, has betrayed the public trust and should be impeached.
A perfect example of the status-quo as a suicide pact is the christening of the new multi-billion dollar destroyer at Bath Iron Works on Saturday. Launching several billion dollars worth of solar panels would have made us a lot more secure. And peaceful. I hope the ship’s commander will know how to aim his torpedoes and missiles at climate chaos.
Robert Shetterly
Brooksville
The cost of moderation
We’re only in for decades more failure, medical bankruptcies, and unnecessary suffering and death if we go with Sen. Angus King’s (probably well-meaning) proposal to “fix” the Affordable Care Act and stay with health insurance companies.
It sounds middle of the road to say we can’t afford Medicare for all. We can afford the cost, though it may turn out to cost citizens a lot less for much better coverage for a lot less money than we are paying now.
The insurance company trend is to have golden policies for the wealthy, and sell junk policies, especially to employers, for the illusion of lower premiums.
If King doesn’t give up the veneer of moderation now, he surely will be one of those honorable people who stand up later and admit they caused great harm.
Mark Baldwin
Surry
Take action against taxpayer-funded abortions
A bill being considered in the Legislature, LD 820, would force insurance companies that provide maternity services (our premiums) and Medicaid (our Maine tax money) to pay for abortions. Remember, federal funds cannot be used for most abortions, so all money to pay these abortions will come from our Maine taxes.
If you do not want to pay for abortions in Maine, you must call your representatives and senators immediately. If you do not do something, you may find you are paying for many abortions that you do not want your taxes going toward. Please take action.
Constance Craven
Corinna