LETTERS: Thanks to Karen

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To the editor:

Karen Hatch

Dear Karen (Hatch),

The music, activities and dancing at the grange are something special. Cribbage at the town office gets folks together. Our library provides a myriad of opportunities for all ages. Activities at the Mill or school or in the parks are beginning to happen. A notable benefit is, it has gotten us all out of our covid clam shells and into the brighter world of Maine in the summer and looking out for your neighbors. Thank you for being the catalyst for many of the events described above. Your joyful endeavors are just dandy and most certainly getting us all out and about is good for promoting the fine community spirit that has been part of Vassalboro for some time.

We are very grateful for all you have accomplished.

Regards from Bernie and Jody Welch (Vassalboro grange master)

 

 

 

LETTERS: Is history repeating itself?

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To the editor:

I would like to express some of my personal opinions on immigration. Let’s go back to circa 1600 when Europeans claimed refugee status, i.e., due to religious persecution. Bear in mind refugees come in all sizes from good, bad and even criminals.

The Native Americans welcomed the refugees and taught them how to survive in their country. How were the Native Americans repaid? They lost their country.

Now fast forward to 2023, and here is history repeating itself? My liberal friends tell me, “this is a big country, we can accommodate everyone.” Now, the word is out that Maine is a big benevolent welfare state and ready to put out the welcome mat to everyone, including the overpopulated African nations.

Ask this question: Is what’s happening now a case of history and/or karma? To wit, is history repeating itself and or is this a case of karma for the Native Americans who welcomed everyone into their country, and are now living as second class citizens, stuck on reservations located in a country they once proudly owned? Perhaps they will witness their once great country become a banana republic!

Frank Slason
Somerville

LETTERS: Atlantic haddock in serious trouble

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To the editor:

The Atlantic Haddock fish population is in danger and could be heading toward extinction. The New England Fishery Management Council has lowered catch limits in an attempt to halt overfishing. But this is akin to fixing a broken arm with a Band-Aid. A federal panel approved a salmon fishing ban for much of the West Coast, due to an alarming decline of salmon. A similar halt must be put on East Coast haddock fishing.

Fish are every bit as complex as the dogs and cats who share our homes. They can count and tell time, think ahead, and “talk” to one another underwater. They also feel pain. Culum Brown, a Macquarie University biologist, argues that “it would be impossible for fish to survive as the cognitively and behaviorally complex animals they are without a capacity to feel pain.” And now we are discovering the health risks. A new study has found that eating just a single fish pulled from U.S. lakes or rivers could be equal to drinking water tainted with “forever chemicals” for a month.

Balancing our fragile aquatic ecosystem means reevaluating our treatment of animals. It means letting fish live.

Scott Miller
Research Specialist, Fishing & Waterways
The PETA Foundation

LETTERS: Waiting…and waiting

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To the editor:

I love reading The Town Line and am so glad we still have an actual real paper weekly. I absolutely love the variety of the regular columns like Roland’s, Peter’s, and Melinda’s. I have learned a lot from Eric! Today I just had to give a cheer to Dan Beaulieu on his April 20 column on “So you’re busy, not a time to lose customers.” I am clipping it and repeating it to everyone I call and wait for and get the brush off from in business.

We have had a lot of work done on our home in the past two and a half years. Most of that time was waiting: waiting for calls that are never returned, waiting for people to come when they schedule an appointment to see the job, waiting for them to actually show up to do the work we contracted for, and waiting for them to come finish the job once started. It is surprising how many just never come back!

We are nice people, generous and easy to work with but we are one small job on an old house. There are some really great people working but they are so hard to find. I would like to suggest that they tell the big guys who they are and that they will be glad to accept the customers that the companies won’t take. I always ask the ones that say no if they know someone else but they never do. Thank you, Dan. I hope your article reaches everyone!

Lyn Rowden
Fairfield

LETTERS: Kudos to everyone involved

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To the editor:

I’d like to express my thanks and appreciation to all those folks who made the Regional Household Hazardous and Electronic Waste collection on April 22 happen. It appears that KVCOG had a leadership role, as did the various town select boards. It also appears there were employees and volunteers from many different towns participating. Further, I would like to thank the Town of China for hosting this event.

I feel that this was an important opportunity for proper disposal for various chemicals and to reduce pollution. In addition, this event seemed to be extremely well organized, safe, and efficient.

Should The Town Line do a follow up article giving the “stats”, I for one would look forward to reading it!

Again, thanks and kudos,

David W. Landmann
Windsor

LETTERS: Stop dark money interference

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To the editor:

Last year, I was part of a team that successfully collected over 80,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot to protect Maine elections from big, dark money interference from corporate and foreign government entities.

Countries like Qatar, Canada, China and Russia contribute freely to our politics to curry favor, flood the airwaves, get an edge, and profit. They have unlimited resources to tie up cases in court and pass policies that benefit their bottom line. They have the audacity to pose as magnanimous entities packaging pretty lies under the guise of free speech. They have unlimited resources to thwart the will of the people, and keep pushing their agendas until they achieve their intended outcome. Nothing they do centers Maine or the people who live here. Their motives are purely profit and power over people, and their money shouldn’t be purchasing policies.

We don’t have time to lose on this issue, and we shouldn’t be waiting for the ballot. Those of us who volunteer for political causes have seen people’s confidence in our political system plummet in direct correlation to the outrageous amounts entities spend to manipulate and deceive the people. The Legislature has a chance right now to pass this widely supported, bi-partisan bill outright, and get big money out of politics. I urge them to do so. Getting monied influences out of politics is fundamental to achieving the changes that myself or any of us seek, and we’d like to get to work.

Kelly Merrill

LETTERS: Please keep solar panels out of sight

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To the editor:

A question…wondering if anyone knows if DOT is planning on putting solar panels in the Waterville freeway exits? I have never seen anything uglier then what they did in Augusta. I understand the city had nothing to say about it, that the land is owned by the state. Hard to believe that anyone thought that was a good idea. Maine wants to be known as a beautiful place to vacation…putting solar panels in such visible places is not beautiful…are there not enough open fields in Maine? Please keep them out of sight, at least with a buffer of trees to hide them.

Linda Morrell
China

LETTERS: Moving too fast to electrification

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To the editor:

A few ideas on what I see coming due to the electrification of America.

First, within a decade the government will require all citizens to own electric cars which will mean upgrading everybody’s electric service.

Second, we will have all oil, gas, natural and propane stoves, heaters, ovens, home heaters removed and replaced with not only heat pumps, which also require heat back-up, and or electric baseboard heaters and others.

Third, all this electrification will be putting an enormous strain on the electric grid, which means we will need a grid that must be able to carry the loads which presently they cannot. As the loads will be not only double, triple, and even quadruple. Where we will put these new towers is another future problem as we all ready know is a problem in Maine.

Fourth, as we know the ultimate goal is to become carbon neutral. Well, solar panels wear out and wind mills freeze, break down, etc. And to all my wood stove neighbors, beware, that will be the last thing with the government telling everyone to throw out their wood burning stoves as they are also a pollutant.

As a retired electrical contractor/engineer, I am all for electrification, but feel we are moving too fast on alternative “green” energy.

Frank Slason
Somerville

LETTERS: AARP wants to hear from you

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To the editor:

Do you ever get the feeling that no one’s really listening to you? Well, that’s about to change.

As we move into this new year of 2023, AARP Maine wants to hear what you have to say about things like housing, heating and health. These, and a host of other issues and ideas, which are of import to all Mainers age 50+, are the things which are important to us.

With that in mind, beginning the evening of Monday, February 20th, and continuing for the next six (6) weeks, AARP Maine volunteers and staff will be hosting a Virtual Listening Tour. Conducted over Zoom, our virtual session “stops” range from Maine’s Southern Coast to its Northern Tip. We invite you to visit our website to find when we will be visiting your area, and to register to participate.

As we collectively engage in clarifying the questions and concerns we face, and crafting creative solutions on behalf of ourselves and those we care about, we want to add your voice; and to do that we must first hear and listen to what you have to say.

Come join us; let’s talk, let’s listen.

Carl M. Toney, P.A.
Executive Council Volunteer
AARP Maine

LETTERS: Thoughts on going carbon neutral

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To the editor:

A few thoughts on going carbon neutral. Must first mention that while everyone is concerned with oil prices on consumers, what was omitted was the cost to us carbon neutral electric consumers who are feeling the costs of our electric bills which on average right now are over $400 per month, for electric heat.

What I am seeing happening in the future is the trouble when all this conserving and getting off fossil fuels is the following: first is the push to solar panels which are not biodegradable and also wear out. Must add they are ugly and destroying all our precious farmlands. Remember solar panels were first introduced out west and down south where there is plenty of sunshine.

Wind power is a much better alternative and even then, wind doesn’t always blow. Why not go nuclear power? Yes, there are risks but so are there with solar and wind. To continue with carbon neutral we are going to first get rid of all the family gas ranges, natural and propane, and replace them with electric induction ranges, and also regular electric ranges.

Next, we will all need electric cars, adding to the grid load. Bear in mind the experts don’t tell us all this changing won’t be able to augment and add the capacity to the grid, which means we will need to build more transmission lines along with the non-fossil fuels for generating electricity. My suggestion is to build small nuclear plants around the country to offset the cost of just a few huge ones like they have in Europe. Incidentally, Poland just signed a big contract with Westinghouse to build a new nuclear plant there. Also, must add where I came from, in just a radius of 40 miles, we had three small local power plants owned by consumers and all even had electric heat rates for us.

Don’t be fooled that heat pumps are going to solve all our problems. The manufacturers of them even suggest electric heat back up for them, and we all will be using electric heat to heat our homes, too, adding more load to an already over-stressed grid.

I recall the 1960s when power companies would supply all the appliances free if you went all electric, including heat. Looks like maybe history will repeat itself in the future.

Frank Slason
Somerville