Paper not plastic
Passing legislation on any level to reduce the use of plastic is central to our cleanup of the environment. Straws and shopping bags are a good place to start, but they are just a start. Industrial packaging — particularly those indestructible, double-duty wrapping of some items — should be banned except where it is necessary for regulatory reasons.
Yet one culprit in the refuse stream that we ignore, though it is right in front of us, is municipal disposal bags: large, extra-thick containers for all our garbage, including other plastics. As with alternatives to plastic elsewhere, paper is the answer.
Perhaps some of our trash is wet enough to pose a problem for paper disposal, even despite our best efforts at composting. Nevertheless, towns and transfer stations ought to offer households the option of using an environmentally sound choice. It might cost an extra nickle or dime for each one, but that is a small price to pay if we are to prevent a world of more pollution.
Steve Colhoun
Addison
Disappointing sports coverage
The main reason that I subscribe to the BDN is for local sports. I enjoy reading about the local teams. That is changing, especially this spring. The coverage of spring sports has been just awful. There has been statistics, and no commentary. From talking to coaches, apparently all the game information is computer driven and the statistics of the game is all that is taken. It seems they do not, as we did in the past, talk to a person to take the game commentary. There is more coverage of national and international events than local events of which I have little or no interest.
That being the case, the only reason for me to keep my subscription is my wife reads the obituaries.
Bob Mercer
Bucksport
“Death with dignity” not the way life should be
Regarding the just-passed “ death with dignity” law in Maine: Is it to help terminally ill, or is it to simplify killing of vulnerable defenseless elderly “legally”? I fear that elderly people who still want to live — who are not terminally ill but also not self sufficient — will be put at the mercy of fake terminal diagnoses. If they have families who don’t care, or know not what the doctors are doing, they’ll be on their own. They’ll face forced starvation and dehydration by drugs like Morphine, Ultram and Lorezapam.
This law, supposedly for the really terminally ill, could open the gates for the state to patch its budget by starving defenseless nursing home patients and make it look like they died of natural causes. Maine passes it and claims that Maine is the way life should be.
Jozef Nielubin
Brewer
Sober living saves lives
I am currently a resident at Journey House Recovery in Sanford. I am writing you because as I travel the state, I am surprised by the lack of support from community leaders and many of their constituents in regards to sober houses opening up in their communities. Sober house like Journey House, that belong to a self governing association, are invaluable to the recovery man and woman through the state.
Although my substance of choice is not the cause-celeb, it was nonetheless incredibly destructive. Trying to get sober since Clinton was president, after entering Journey House, I have lived a life of recovery because of the patience and support from this sober house. Give sober houses an opportunity to save lives.
Dan Zak, The Washington Post
Sanford