Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com.
Hoping for the best
I am so glad the elections are over. The ads were getting old, very old.
We need to get control of the elections with term limits and control over campaign spending. It seems the candidate with the most money wins. Well, most of the time.
I will say, I am glad of the results. The madness that consumed our country the last four years is finally over. Now we can go back to a somewhat normal life without all the BS, lies, lack of responsibility, confusion and graft.
I also want to say to the Republicans, especially President Donald Trump, to get over it. They lost, and should admit defeat. Let’s get on with life.
Four years ago, I wrote an opinion piece saying Trump had no political, domestic, foreign or military experience and hoped everything would work out. Well, it didn’t. Now the American people are better off. I love my country and only hope for the best.
Gary King
Howland
A bad deal for Maine
Central Maine Power’s proposed transmission line is great for them, but bad for Maine. This line will be used to sell hydropower from Hydro-Quebec to the New England energy grid, mainly benefiting Massachusetts, along with CMP, which will make millions of dollars. Maine, on the other hand, will receive little benefit.
Furthermore, the side effects of this would be very harmful to Maine’s wildlife. The line will be 145-miles long, requiring a 150-foot wide and 53-mile long cut through forests deep in Maine’s woods. This will permanently damage a large amount of wildlife, such as brook trout and deer. From land to water, wildlife habitats will be destroyed or damaged, and there will be no actual decrease in carbon pollution.
The promotions for the CMP Corridor make it sound appealing, but in truth, it will hurt Maine.
The transmission line will result in irreversible damage done to Maine, including forests, mountains, rivers, and wildlife, with no real benefit to outweigh these impacts. While Massachusetts benefits from this, Maine will be left scarred. Additionally, Maine’s tourism economy and clean energy job creation could be damaged. The beautiful, untouched forests of northern Maine bring in lots of tourism, but with the man-made scars left from this line, this economy will likely be hurt.
Why should the beautiful forests of Maine, loved by so many people and home to endless wildlife, be harmed for CMP’s profit and the benefit of another state?
Aidan Valley
Holden
Keeping students safe and healthy
The K-12 schooling children receive is critical. The social interaction that children receive at schools is crucial. The valuable lessons that children get at school, from learning basic concepts in elementary school to taking a personal finance class in high school, are completely necessary. However, in a time where there is a world-wide pandemic, schools should be shut down.
That is not to say that schools should be shut down entirely. Most students engaged in online schooling during the end of the 2019-2020 school year and others have continued that online schooling into the 2020-2021 school year. Teachers and faculty have all done an incredible job teaching students throughout the past few months as well as keeping kids safe in schools, but it’s time to face the facts.
The United States has hit a second wave of COVID-19 cases. Many places are reporting a record high number of cases and the same problem is occurring in schools. Over 270,000 K-12 students have had COVID-19 since March, according to the CDC, in an article from Oct. 2, and this number is bound to increase if schools are left open. Due to this second wave, schools need to shut down to keep students safe.
Schools have already shown that they have the ability to do online classes. While this is not ideal, the safety of students should be prioritized over a slightly better traditional education by attending school. Students today are tomorrow’s future; let’s keep them safe and healthy.
Connor LaMontagne
Veazie