Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com
Response to ‘from away’ editorial
This is a response to the BDN’s recent editorial about people from “away.” The angst folks feel isn’t toward all people that were not born here. Some folks move here and fit right in and they become “Mainers.” The difficulty is that a good number come here and then want to change us to be the way things were from where they came from.
As an example, in my experience, they tend to post their land, they complain about the noise of target shooting, they want more zoning to force us to comply with the way they think our places should look and to restrict the keeping of animals, they often start a complaint with, “back where we came from.”
When enough of them get in an area, they change the whole character of that area. Folks that have lived in a place for generations resent changes being forced on them from folks from “away.” We welcome those that come here to live “the way life should be.”
It would seem to me that our local paper should be aware of this, but alas as with many other issues, it seems not to. That is not to say the paper should try to agree with its constituents all the time.
Bob Mercer
Bucksport
Who does Collins support?
As a senator, one of your duties is to be honest with the people you represent. Last week, Mainers witnessed Sen. Susan Collins refusing to be honest about who she plans to support for president.
Mainers elected Collins in the past because they believed that she would always be transparent and honest with them. However, time and time again, Collins has not fully answered the question: Who will you vote for on Nov. 3? Mainers deserve to know who their senator thinks is the best fit to lead our country.
Mainers know where Sara Gideon stands in the presidential election. Gideon isn’t afraid to voice her support for Joe Biden and be honest with the people of Maine. This November, keep in mind which candidate will always be honest and which one will hide the truth.
Elias Kann
Orland
The right way to search for a lost dog
On a recent Saturday night, our cherished family dog took off into the forest, spooked by fireworks. His home is many miles from Benton and he was lost. We called and whistled for days, until the fantastic people at Maine Lost Dog Recovery Network and the local animal control officer taught us that we were doing many things wrong in our search, and how to do it right.
After five days, a few sightings, and 10 pounds of hotdogs, our little guy emerged from the woods soaking wet and covered with scrapes. He’s a little thin but home and safe.
I am writing to thank the good folks of Bangor Road and Bellsqueeze Road in Benton. I’m pretty sure we were wearing out our welcome, tramping in fields and forests, calling and whistling, and parking on the side of a very fast road. Thank you for letting us hang out in your beautiful neighborhood until we were reunited with our dog. We were beginning to think we’d never find him. And thanks to the MLDR network of volunteers and the ACO. I think we got on their nerves too, but all is well that ends well!
Susan Bauer
Bath
Traffic changes I see
Has anyone else observed what seems to be an increase in drivers that fail to obey traffic laws? It seems there are more aggressive drivers, drivers who lack patience and common courtesy on the roads, speeding drivers, reckless drivers, drivers who do not use their turn signals, drivers who tailgate, drivers who are distracted by talking on the phone while the phone is up to their ear or head down and probably texting, drivers who wander over the centerline or crossover into the breakdown lane, drivers who pass other vehicles on a double line and probably other violations that I failed to list.
I realize our police departments are understaffed and maybe even demoralized to an extent by all the negative media attention, plus the inherent daily dangers of being a police officer might be a factor. To the extent that COVID-19 has had an impact on all of our daily lives, the general public seems to be made mad quicker than prior to this pandemic, thus the increase in poor driving habits. Perhaps our police have cut back on the number or daily contacts made with the public due to this virus and are basically handling the emergency calls that need attention.
I am not sure of all the factors involved, but I do notice the obvious change to the patterns of driving from the public and the appearance of less traffic enforcement by our police departments. I mean no disrespect to any police officer.
Jerry Hammond
Stockton Springs
Contreni’s concern for all
Margarita Contreni has dedicated herself to becoming an active citizen-volunteer in our town and county by being hard working like the folks of Piscataquis County. She will bring her many experiences as a military brat, parent of six children, public school teacher and college administrator to her work for us.
These experiences are the foundation of her many skills and talents, among those are a can-do attitude, gathering resources both human and financial, employing listening skills to build relationships among folks with different perspectives, patience and a sense of humor.
Margarita will use her life-long experiences as our District 119 representative in Augusta. Her priorities in Augusta will be based upon the issues of District 119 — job creation, expansion of high-speed internet, access to affordable healthcare, support for our rural schools and hospitals, roads in good repair and preservation of our pristine waters and beautiful woods.
I am voting for Margarita on Nov. 3 because of her dedication and involvement in my
community and in our county. She depends upon the local citizenry to set priorities and to accomplish tasks and goals vital to our community. I know that Margarita will continue to carefully consider issues at the state level as she has in our community and county and act with integrity and caring and concern for all.
Kay Johnson
Greenville