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Vote for Dina Yacoubagha
I first met Dina Yacoubagha on a bitter-cold January day at the Bangor International Airport. Joining a crowd of 150 people, including Bangor city councilors, protesting the illegal 2017 immigration travel ban, she spoke passionately about her love for this country. “This is what America stands for — freedom and liberty — and this is what I’m proud to be [a part] of,” she said, “that I’m American. It was my dream to be here, and I want support for everyone else.”
I later encountered Yacoubagha at multicultural events and for weekly discussions on state and local issues at the Bangor offices of Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King. Yacoubagha was quietly intense about her opinions and often shared her family’s experiences in Syria to make her points. She was knowledgeable and credible, and her words carried a weight that was hard to refute.
Yacoubagha now is running for Bangor city councilor, and I urge Bangor voters to give her their vote. There is no one who more deserves the opportunity to work for this city, and she has shown this through her volunteer efforts with Family AND Medicine, its sister program, Faith Linking In Action, Partners For Peace, Literacy Volunteers, Bangor Homeless Shelter, Olympia Snowe Institute and Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition. As a member of the Bangor City Council, Yacoubagha no doubt will bring honor to her hometown.
Jeanne Curran
Bangor
An essential tradition
President Donald Trump has, without evidence, continued to say that mail-in ballots will produce illegitimate election results and he has refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of presidential powers if they result in his not being reelected. This is a huge threat to our tradition of voting, our democracy and the progress we have made over more than two centuries. The president and the country should be leading the way to improve our tradition of voting, not undermining it.
This tradition began in 1779 by granting the vote to white males over the age of 21 who owned property. Beginning in 1792 states began to abolish the property qualification until 1856 when all the states allowed white men of 21 years of age to vote. After the Civil War in 1870, an amendment to the Constitution said states could not deny the right to vote on the grounds of race, color or previous condition of servitude. However, through poll taxes, literacy tests and other means, some states continued to make it difficult for men of color to vote.
In 1920, women, after working to get the vote for more than 70 years, were granted the right to vote. In 1924, all Native Americans were granted citizenship and secured the right to vote. In 1971, the right to vote was granted to adults aged 18, lowering the age requirement from the previous age of 21.
The history of the right to vote is one of our most cherished and essential traditions. There are many events which are a part of it, and far too many to record here. It continues to be a work in progress. We must not let Trump jeopardize this process and this tradition which is at the very heart of our democracy. We must call upon our Congress to support our right to vote in person or by mail and ensure that the will of the people will be honored in this election.
Donald M. Kimmelman
Lamoine
Stanley ‘Paige’ Zeigler represents us well
Boy, it sure doesn’t feel like two years have gone by since I wrote my last letter to the editor, but it has. Stanley “Paige” Zeigler has been the District 96 representative now for two terms (the last four years), and he has done a great job. I held this seat once, and was disappointed I couldn’t run again, but I was happy to know that some of the hard work I put in would be continued by Zeigler.
He works diligently on issues concerning the environment and education. He was successful in passing a bill to cut down on an environmental pollutant that I originally submitted.
He is concerned about Mainer’s access to health care and our aging population. Zeigler worked hard on a bill that helped individuals get insurance coverage for hearing aids.
Zeigler has great life experiences, an education and qualities that we need as a legislator. He also listens. He has been a captain in the Merchant Marine, he is a father, husband and he has been a licensed ambulance attendant. He has shown his dedication to community service by being on the school board and town committees even when he was working as a legislator. He gives his time and his service to others. Not that many people in public office are that dedicated.
Zeigler can represent us all. He has an open mind, vast experiences in leadership, maturity and intelligence. All this is needed in a representative in the State House.
I ask people to vote for Stanley Paige Zeigler this November.
Christine Burstein
Lincolnville
Protect Medicare
This election season, as an older Mainer, I want to urge fellow Maine voters to consider candidates with clear plans to protect and strengthen Medicare, which provides health care for more than 52 million Americans 65 and older, half of whom live on incomes below $23,500 per year.
Medicare is a crucial safety net for hardworking Mainers who pay into the program their entire working lives, but this 2020 election could determine whether there are changes to the country’s health care system, including to Medicare. Medicare enrollments in the U.S are expected to grow rapidly in the next decade, so we need to ensure that our elected officials offer plans to ensure that there are no cuts to Medicare and the program is protected for current and future generations.
Particularly in Maine, the oldest state in the country, Medicare supports older Mainers regardless of their incomes or health status. So, many Mainers depend on Medicare coverage, and in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting access to health care for older folks like me feels especially critical.
So, please, as people consider candidates prior to the 2020 election, they should urge those candidates prioritize guaranteeing Medicare coverage in their platforms for the millions of older Americans like me that rely on the program. Before people decide who to vote for, they should ask candidates to state their plans for protecting Medicare for those of us who need it now and others in the future.
Ruby Parker
Scarborough