Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com
Maine leaders must rise to the occasion
Maine elections have come and gone and my hope, along with other Mainers, is that the people of Maine, myself included, have voted for representatives and senators who will be going to Augusta with the best intentions for the greater good for the people of Maine. The time has come to prove to ourselves and the world just exactly what it will take to fix what is broken and to make us better.
Havoc and chaos may be all around us, but I believe Mainers are the calm that can help lead the way, not only for our state but as a beacon for our country. Manipulation, bullying, elementary school tactics and an unwillingness to work together must stop not only by our elected officials but by all of us living in our local communities.
Maine has always been at its best when we collectively work together and choose to use our “Yankee” ingenuity to solve the problems facing us. We are known in Maine for our friendliness, our work ethic, being courteous, respectful, civil, with a side of enthusiasm that gets things done. Mainers prove, time and again, that everything is possible when we face it together. It has worked for us in the past and we certainly have the people and the know how to get it done today.
We cannot afford to stay stagnant and allow pettiness to continue to rule the day. We know better and we can do better. A new year and a new Legislature bring with them new possibilities. The choices made by our governor, our representatives and our senators in Augusta are simple; choose Maine and its people. Aim high, work hard, communicate and cooperate as one body to move us forward and make Maine a better place. Our needs and expectations are great. It’s time.
Mona Bouchard
Fort Kent
The real danger to our country
We heard quite a lot of conspiracy theories from President Donald Trump and other Republicans during the election espousing the dangers to our country posed by liberals and the radical left, including socialist agendas and a rigged election. Well it turns out that the real danger and true threat to our country is the radical right, led by Donald Trump, with their conspiracy to ignore and overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election.
They are the ones trying to steal the election and turn the country over to authoritarian rule. It seems Trump’s primary goal is to avoid being labeled a loser. But this self-centered effort by him and his enablers is sowing distrust in democracy and digging the divisive politics deeper into dysfunction and chaos.
Thankfully, there are some prominent Republicans willing to speak out against these fools and their outrageous maneuvers. I hope it will be enough to shine the light of truth and shame on those individuals who seem so willing to toss their reputations, their party and the country aside for Trump’s vanity and ego.
Floyd Miller
Levant
Matt Gagnon has done it again
Wow! Matthew Gagnon has done it again! In his Dec. 31 column he wonders why public trust in institutions has been significantly eroded. As an example, he suggests Dr. Anthony Fauci (seems to be a target for many right-wing extremists). Gagnon is upset that Fauci changed his estimates about what level of vaccinations will provide herd immunity. This was worth many column inches of breast beating.
However, as usual, he forgets that President Donald Trump would be the best example of a problem he rails about. I think Trump’s many false statements (lies?) would go to the top of a list of why people have lost faith in institutions or at least the presidency. There are too many false claims to list here but here are just a few dealing with COVID-19: It is no worse than the flu and it will go away with warm weather, and finally the vaccine will be here before the election.
Is there any way you could partner someone with Gagnon, similar to the Strimling/Harriman column, so that his hypocritical claims could be challenged in real time?
John Field
Orono