Being there for the heroes
It seems that in difficult times, the word hero emerges. It has never been more prevalent then in today’s world, but we should choose wisely in its use. This pandemic has clearly defined this word. We see it every day: doctors, durses, EMS responders — they lead the way.
These selfless individuals go to work every day, sometimes using inferior protective gear, facing the reality of potentially contracting this virus. This is the true definition of a hero.
However, there is a troubling matter regarding the folks who fit this description. Here in the
U.S., heroes seem to have a shelf life of about five years after the fact. Americans, in general, have short memories.
I know this first hand, because I wore that mantra after 9/11. I was a union carpenter/ironworker (Local 1456). I was at Ground Zero for the first three days as a volunteer, burning steel. By comparison, I never considered myself a hero. Yes, the dangers were real, and the integrity of the site was treacherous. But It was the firefighters, police and civilians who carried the wounded out of those buildings — and the souls that perished — who were the true heroes.
Some 25 years later, heroes from 9/11 are still dying from what we were all breathing down there, and it took until the eleventh hour for some members of Congress to be convinced to reauthorize the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. I fear that today’s heroes will be forgotten, when things get back to normal. There are already deaths and serious lingering illnesses in this proud group.
Politicians call them heroes today, but will they be there for them when the smoke clears tomorrow?
Doug Davis
Windham
Our governor is a gem
The letter in Thursday’s paper from Bob Jean made my day. He wrote the letter I didn’t get around to writing myself, perhaps better than I could have.
Our governor is a real gem. She has taken over during a crisis and is handling it with calm confidence, intelligence and amazing competence. We are in good hands.
Cheri Walton
Eastport
Dangerous message in commercial
One would expect an insurance company to promote safe driving. However, in a recent TV advertisement, one insurer essentially promotes dangerous driving.
A car siren and revolving light introduce the ad. But this is not from an emergency vehicle — just an advertising car. This could encourage people to ignore the lights and sirens of real emergency vehicles.
To promote sales, the insurance salesman takes his eyes and attention off the road for significant periods of time in order to talk a lady in an adjacent car into taking a paper advertisement. Texting while driving is now illegal in Maine for this very reason.
So he can hand the advertisement to the lady, the salesman has to drive dangerously close to the other car, probably 5 feet or less. One pothole and there could be a side swipe and perhaps a lost arm.
This salesman stretches his arm way out of his car to reach the lady, twists his body so his eyes are not looking to the front, has only one hand on the steering wheel and has his body in an awkward position. Therefore, the salesman is hampered if he has to rapidly respond to avoid a disaster.
The salesman has a pet emu in the front seat next to him. Pets should be secured and in the back seat so they don’t interfere with the driver, and for the pet’s own protection.
To sell insurance, this company is willing to endanger an emu, its salesman, and everyone else driving on the road. This insurer should acknowledge its errors, apologize to the public, and try to undo the damage this bad advertisement has done.
Richard C. Engels
Presque Isle
Historic moment for disability rights
Recently the Maine Legislature passed a bill, which Gov. Janet Mills signed, that bans companies from being able to pay adults with disabilities less than minimum wage. At Goodwill Northern New England, our staff is celebrating this historic moment in disability rights and in Maine’s history.
Currently, there is a federal law that allows companies to pay people with disabilities less than minimum wage based on their productivity. Maine has now banned businesses in our state from using that program.
At Goodwill Northern New England, we believe the federal subminimum wage program is outdated and we hope other states take note of what is happening here in Maine. When we attended the public hearing about LD 1874, we heard from self-advocates who said what we’ve heard for almost 200 years: Jobs provide dignity.
Most people know about Goodwill stores, but may know less about the many services we provide to folks living with a disability. We of course employ people in our stores and programs, but we also have 23 homes in Maine for adults with disabilities, we operate two brain injury clinics — one in Lewiston and one in Scarborough — and we offer enriching community support for adults with disabilities as they pursue their independence and dreams.
We also help people with various barriers to employment get job training and career placements in Maine businesses. Although we are a member of Goodwill Industries International along with 156 other Goodwill nonprofits in the world, Goodwill Northern New England is an autonomous nonprofit run by a volunteer board of directors from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Although some of the other Goodwills in the U.S. still do use the federal subminimum wage certificate, we do not and have not for many years. At Goodwill Northern New England, it is our policy and practice to always meet or exceed minimum wage for all our nearly 2,000 employees. This practice is core to our principles and is essential to the well-being of our employees and the communities where we all live.
Rich Cantz
President and CEO
Goodwill Northern New England
Windham