Malloy editorial missed the mark

The BDN editorial staff have obviously been reading too much of their own stories. The recent editorial concerning the new University of Maine System chancellor missed the view from inside the campuses. In reality, the system office is quickly absorbing college responsibilities and growing staff while taking work from long-term employees who have worked diligently for decades. The next hires are typically much younger and lack knowledge requisite of their positions. Budgets have been blown under the guise of improvement when in reality the situation is much worse and morale is low. What’s really needed is to cut the bloated upper management and push the salaries down to the workers who actually perform vital functions.

Chris Hayden

Brewer

Push back on tariffs

I voted for Susan Collins, Jared Golden and Angus King – all three of them. If they want to represent me now, and in the future, they need to publicly oppose the irrational Mexico tariff “strategy” that President Donald Trump is proposing to supposedly control the very real immigration problems at our southern border.

There are alternatives that would not hurt the economies (and citizens) of both our countries, which the tariffs will likely do. One is to send many more administrative staff to the border to provide efficient processing of those claiming asylum. Rapid decisions would help prevent the inhumane treatment of thousands of immigrants whose cases need to be heard under U.S. law before asylum decisions are made.

The fact that thousands of desperate families are being held in spaces intended for much fewer is utterly disgusting. Despite the current situation, I believe the country I grew up in and love is far better than what has emerged since the 2016 election. We definitely need to make America great again, and that will require Congress to retake the prerogatives it has abdicated for the last several decades. My representatives need to do their part!

Don Holmes

Sedgwick

Maine-made clean energy

Could you imagine a world without polar bears? That is what could occur if climate change continues. After some research, I discovered that there are solutions to this problem. For example, renewable energy such as wind, solar and hydropower. These energy sources can help Maine become 100 percent carbon neutral by 2040. Maine has energy sources, but they need to be improved to emit less greenhouse gas.

Firstly, wind will help Maine in the effort to become carbon neutral. Maine gets an enormous amount of coastal wind. If Maine permits off-coast wind turbines, Maine would be emitting fewer greenhouse gases.

Secondly, solar power is a logical energy source for Maine’s future. Solar panel costs have fallen 99 percent since 1977. Solar panels can last up to 40 years. Clearly it’s not only cheaper, but also long lasting. Solar power is energy that comes from the sun, so Maine will be able to access this energy source for a long time.

Finally, hydropower would be a superior energy source for Maine. Maine has a considerable amount of water. Hydropower is clean energy and was used by ancient Greek farmers to turn wheat into flour, and now it’s used for the world’s future.

To conclude, humans should do something about what is occurring to our planet. As Eldridge Cleaver said, you’re either part of the solution, or part of the problem. Humanity started the problem, so let humanity be the solution. With wind, solar and hydropower, Maine and the world can become 100 percent carbon neutral by 2040.

Bilisa Abdullahi

Portland

Coastal jobs matter

There was a court ruling a couple months ago that said that because seaweed wasn’t a fish, it belonged to the person who lived nearby on the shore — like their trees.

LD 1323 is the result of our elected legislators finally saying, wait a minute, people have been harvesting seaweed for centuries, and there are many jobs and dollars on the line if this marine resource (or “fishery”) were no longer available to the public.

LD 1323 simply reaffirms what has been the “law of the land” since Maine split off of Massachusetts. If LD 1323 doesn’t pass, it is even more troubling that the same “it’s not a fish” reasoning could become the basis of more court rulings related to the other marine resources in the intertidal zone. Clams, mussels, snails, dulse and worms aren’t fish either.

There were laws on the books about seaweed that got ignored, so I don’t think it’s a stretch to worry about the clams.

Whether you live on the coast or in The County, all jobs matter. Please ask your senators and representatives to support LD 1323.

George Seaver

Waldoboro

Vote Yes on Orono school bond

On June 11, Orono voters can choose to invest in a school auditorium. We have waited 40 years. In 1979, 66 percent of voters approved a $3 million school bond that included an auditorium. When all bids exceeded the authorized amount, the auditorium was eliminated. In 1981, a proposed $275,000 bond to restore the auditorium to the project was denied. Nineteen percent of registered voters participated. The notion prevailed that UMaine facilities could substitute for a school-based performance space. Let’s not repeat that mistake!

It is impractical to share performance space across the Stillwater River. As technical director for the Orono High School drama program, I watched music teachers load and unload timpani into U-Hauls and Kiwanis vans to support students unprepared to perform in a space they’d never seen. I know that students working behind the scenes in their own space gain worthwhile skills building scenery, rigging lighting and operating sound equipment. Since 2001, small but steady donations have accumulated in the Orono High School Auditorium Fund, established to keep the dream alive that some day, students would benefit from a space of their own where creativity, collaboration and confidence are nurtured and can thrive. Please vote yes on June 11.

Sandra Cyrus

Orono