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What we can do as voters
The president has finally made it official through another error, stating that he will not support funding of the U.S. Postal Service because of its impact on mail-in voting. I believe this will be yet another attempt by this president to sway the fall election to favor him.
The president has appointed a big financial supporter of his to run the Postal Service and has even gone as far as to appoint Republicans to the Postal Service’s board of governors.
People need to consider what restricting the Postal Service’s ability to deliver mail means. Besides mail-in ballots, we rely on the Postal Service to handle medicines, receive support monies and receive mail that has a time stamp on it. All these could be held up.
I don’t believe the Postal Service will come to a grinding halt. My suggestion is if the plan is to avoid lines at the place where you vote due to the pandemic, that ballots that fall under mail-in or absentee ballots be mailed well ahead of the Nov. 3 deadline or delivered to your town office ahead of that date. Congress won’t do anything about the actions of this president, but you as a voter can.
Richard Barclay
Holden
Keep Susan Collins in the Senate
No matter who sits in the White House, we still need to keep Sen. Susan Collins in the Senate. Lets not send a relatively inexperienced, apparently not totally honest person, to represent us at this critical time that screams for bipartisan leadership.
Collins has proven herself as she has risen to several committee seats that are so critical to Maine people and the economy. Voters should prove once again that Maine is not for sale to out-of-state money.
Faith L. Garrold
Searsport
Sara Gideon’s tireless work
As an addiction counselor, a person in long-term recovery, and an advocate for those still suffering from addiction, I am voting for Sara Gideon for U.S. Senate. I met Gideon at a recovery rally four years ago, and I sensed right away that she got it. She understood the devastation that addiction reaps onto individuals and their families, and more importantly, she believes that we can do something about it.
I watched Gideon adeptly manage a difficult process to pass legislation allowing lifesaving Narcan to be available without a prescription, despite our former governor’s active campaign against it. She has worked tirelessly to pass bills and fund a multi-million-dollar approach to combating the opioid epidemic in Maine that focuses on commitments to comprehensive treatment and prevention efforts.
Gideon has not forgotten about the needs of people suffering from addiction. That’s why I’m voting for her for U.S. senator.
Laurie Fear
South Portland
Join me in voting for Chip Curry
I am writing in support of Chip Curry, state Senate candidate for Waldo County. I met Curry many years ago when we were playing together on the same sports team. He was a very good listener. He knew and followed the rules. He was honest and ethical. He worked for the good of the team, never selfishly for himself.
Curry was always inclusive, accepting others on the team, regardless of ability. He was a good sport — graciously winning and accepting a loss with a hearty and courteous handshake. As a volunteer for our sports group, he was always ready to lend a hand; to step up when needed. He is good-natured; interested in others and eager to know how he can help.
All the attributes that make Curry such a good sport will also make him a good state senator. The patience of listening, inclusiveness of others, being a team player, having a good work ethic, enthusiasm, responsibility and a genuine interest in representing and helping others. I am voting for Chip Curry. Please join me.
Diana Hauser
Unity
Dams and climate change
The argument that hydropower produces less carbon dioxide than fossil fuel is lame because it has failed to recognize that dams on both sides of the North Atlantic, especially in Canada and Russia, have starved the ocean of nutrients in spring when the phytoplankton blooms kick off their seasonal proliferation. Science is pointing out that the plankton sequester more CO2 than all the trees on the planet! Diatoms in particular.
Phytoplankton blooms also tint the ocean aquamarine instead of heat absorbing dark blue. This is obvious from satellite photos.
On top of that, the dams fill up with ice cold snow melt, heat it up all summer in shallow reservoirs and release the warmer fresh water in winter that the nutrients have settled out of, now left in the bottom of the reservoirs. Recent scientific research is calling reservoir-type dams a major cause of climate change and a starvation of the East Coast fisheries.
It looks like big fish eat little fish, which eat phytoplankton, which eat nutrients, But we ate most of the nutrients, so a large part of the fishery has been turned into electrons. What’s for dinner?
Jim O’Connell
Bar Harbor
Responding to the census
OK. I haven’t responded to the census. Well, I have, but irrationally. I am not unaware or in danger. I filled it out, but never mailed it in.
Each time, I heard a replay in my head of Wilbur Ross’ disgusting performance before a congressional committee hearing on the GOP citizenship question scheme. Ross personified the appalling Trump administration. And I balked.
I didn’t like the choices I was given. I don’t trust the administration. It reminds me of the maddening excuses I hear for not voting. This isn’t me thumbing my nose at President Donald Trump and his crew. This is me throwing up my hands and turning my back on my community.
Got it. Now off to get it done.
Annlinn Kruger
Bar Harbor
Why we need the Second Amendment
When unidentifiable federal officers show up in a city or state against the wishes of the governors or mayors and detain civilians — that’s why we need the Second Amendment!
Paula Moore
Orono