Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.co

Finding some savings

There are 100 senators and 435 representatives existing in Washington. None will be laid off (pity) and none will have a salary reduction (another pity) during this crisis. Each of these 535 self-employed, elected pols makes $174,000 per year. Total senators’ and representatives’ annual salaries are over $93 million.

I suggest (we can’t tell them what to do even though they are supposed to be working for us) that they vote for a 25 percent cut in congressional salaries, a savings of $23 million, to be effective Jan. 1 and to remain in effect until the country’s economy (not the stock market, the economy) is at least as good as it was on Jan. 1, 2016.

Charlie Cameron

Addison

Continue COVID precautions

In his Dec. 28 letter to the editor, David Winslow expresses legitimate concern regarding the methods businesses might utilize to assure customer safety once most of us have received COVID vaccinations. He wonders whether certificates of vaccination should be required, masks continued to be worn, etc.

Here’s my take: just forget about who may or may not have been vaccinated and assume the worst case. It is obvious that given the vast number of people who continue to decry the pandemic as a hoax; who echo our somewhat less-than-esteemed president’s assertions that “it’s going to disappear;” who will maintain that wearing a mask somehow infringes on their personal rights and freedoms; who will continue to congregate in large numbers; and who might oppose vaccinations no matter the reason, that we’d all best plan on adhering to social distancing guidelines and wearing masks for many months to come.

Perhaps until sometime after Halloween?

Rodney L. Hanscom

Holden

When will Trump be gone?

Are we ever going to get rid of that clown in the White House? He lost the election weeks ago, and he’s still causing us problems. He lies with many of the words he utters. He continues to be very dangerous to our country.

Over the past 60 years, I’ve never paid attention to the fact that our presidents are elected on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, and inaugurated in mid-January of the following year. It never seemed to matter before now.

Here’s how President Donald Trump has mishandled just one issue, COVID-19. First, he said that there was only one case. Next, “You have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero.” Next, things will be back to normal by Easter. And, “When it gets a little warmer it miraculously goes away”

He laughed at people wearing masks. He held gatherings of his followers with little to no restrictions. Now that over 300,000 Americans have died, and 19 million have been infected, we hear hardly a word from him about the COVID-19 pandemic. He doesn’t seem to care (maybe he never did). All he talks about is voter fraud and that he won the election. He’s reportedly even talked about martial law, which means he could try to use the army to get what he wants.

Will we ever get rid of that clown?

Marc Chasse

Fort Kent