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Taking our medicine

This administration‘s own head of cyber security stated that the 2020 election was the most secure in our nation’s history. The attorney general said that the Justice Department did not find evidence of the “massive” voter fraud that has been alleged. The Supreme Court refused to hear cases brought before it to overturn the election results. The Electoral College validated the vote count and officially announced Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

It’s time for us to take stock and take our medicine. Whether it’s to celebrate or to accept with dignity the disappointment of an electoral loss, America has spoken and we now have a result that needs to be respected.

Every opportunity has been afforded to our current president to challenge this outcome and the courts have spoken, consistently finding that the cases brought before them had no merit. Citizens have shown remarkable patience while these many challenges have run their course.

It is time to shake hands and allow the incoming president the opportunity to govern without obstruction. This would also be the appropriate time to wish him well, for our country’s sake.

George Mason

Nobleboro

How will businesses handle this?

As we move to vaccinate our population, I am wondering how businesses who have a “no mask, no service” policy will deal with someone (or multiple people) who come into a business with no masks because they have completed the two doses of vaccine. I understand that some sort of proof of vaccine card might be handed out. So will stores and bars have to post a card checker at the door? A “let me see your papers!” sort of thing?

What if someone forgets or loses their card? The cards, if there is such a thing, will most likely not have a photo of the card holder. Could they be passed off to a friend or relative, perhaps? How easy could it be just to print up your own if you have that skill? How will we know for sure who has been vaccinated and who hasn’t?

We don’t exactly live in a society where everyone is honest.

David Winslow

Brewer

Thanks from motorcoach industry

I am a member of Maine’s motorcoach industry. We are independent family-owned businesses, transporting 1.1 million residents and travelers annually across our state. People ride our buses to get to work and visit tourist destinations. We are visible in every community across the state and vital to America’s critical transportation network. Companies like mine carry more than 600 million passengers annually.

Before COVID-19, the industry in Maine employed more than 400 individuals and contributed nearly $50 million in direct economic impact, according to the American Bus Association. Like many transportation industries, that has all changed and virtually every bus company across America has stopped operating. Our future is very uncertain. Jobs and small-business owners need help to be around to provide this vital transportation lifeline to the people of Maine.

When Congress gave aid through the CARES Act, they left out aid specific to the motorcoach industry. Companies like mine could not access much-needed funds to keep us going. Many of my colleagues around the country have shut their doors and honestly, I do not know how long I will be able to hold on.

Sen. Susan Collins has a history of stepping up for Maine’s small businesses and she has done so again. Collins worked really hard to include funding into the coronavirus relief bill for the motorcoach and bus industry, and we are very grateful. We applaud Collins’ efforts to save our industry and are thankful for her leadership in Washington.

Joe Cyr

Old Town