To the editor:

Complex or simple, Mother Nature has purpose for all her creatures. Viruses are not new. In the 18th century Louis Pasteur announced to his colleagues “There is something submicroscopic that is causing diseases.” Pasteurization (boiling) eliminates germs but not viruses. With electron microscopes, researchers can now see them. What is new is a concentration of population in megacities. Add to this an overstaffed workforce and commercialized child care. (Every child has a natural right to good health.)

Consider: There are more women holding jobs than men. However, labor saving equipment, automation and robots have made an overstaffed workforce obsolete. Nature favors diversity. We men differ from women physically, our interests, and by tradition. When a species fails to progress, nature resorts to disease. Hunger and conflict. Darwin called it “Natural selection.” Our blended house of cards was swept away in a storm of viruses. In Pasteur’s time, women had a profound influence on their husbands. In their homes they also nurtured and shaped the lives of their children. Perhaps as mothers theirs was the greater influence on the course of events. Lincoln was born into poverty. He learned to read and write from a Bible with help and encouragement from his stepmother. He studied from borrowed law books to become a circuit lawyer in Illinois. He served in the legislature there, and also was elected president. A reporter quoted him as having said, “No one is poor who had a godly mother.”

I voted Republican in the previous election. Their platform approximated the need of economic recovery / social reform. Men need to return to their jobs to open up the nation. Work restores the dignity of self support. Work is a therapy in itself. Work demands skills, not least of which is dependability. Work can support a growing family. “Work to save your life, you have to give.” That was taken from the New Testament.

Maria Slodovska left her native Poland to study physics and chemistry at the Sorbonne, in Paris. She married one of her professors there and became Madam Currie. For isolating two new elements she won two Nobel prizes, 1903 and 1911. She was successful in her family life and with her profession. Women have proved their capability.

Russell Vesecky
Waterville

To the editor:

As we get closer to Election Day, the number and intensity of attack ads continues to grow. Unfortunately, I continue to see political ads that mention AARP and imply a candidate’s endorsement here in Maine. I want to be clear on this: AARP is entirely nonpartisan. We do NOT endorse or oppose candidates or political parties! We do not give money to candidates and we do not have a Political Action Committee to support any candidate or party. We focus on the issues important to older Americans and encourage all candidates to voice their positions on those issues, so that all voters know exactly what candidates will do if elected.

What issues are those? Social Security for one. It is our bread-and-butter issue, and for many of our members, it is literally their bread and butter. Social Security must be preserved, especially for the almost 25 percent of Maine beneficiaries 65-and-over who depend on Social Security for 90 percent of their income.

What else do we fight for? Protecting and strengthening Medicare, which provides affordable health care for almost 300,000 older Mainers. Hard-working Mainers pay into the program their entire working lives and are guaranteed coverage that help make health care accessible and affordable.

Along with Medicare, we are fighting to lower prescription drug prices. Too many Mainers struggle to afford their life-saving medications while the pharmaceutical companies line their pockets. While we have made progress in Augusta, we need Washington to do more to reduce out of control drug prices.

How do we win on those issues? Through the power of our members’ votes. Voting is what counts. We stand by our members and fight for issues important to those ages 50 and over, and their families.

We are not just bipartisan. We are nonpartisan. We fight for issues, not candidates. We make sure candidates know about the issues that our members passionately care about and we will work with any elected official who will fight for these issues, too.

And our members vote. In 2016, over 80 percent of Mainers 65+ voted compared to the national average of 71 percent. As you can see, our members are serious about making their voices heard. We’re a fierce defender of age 50+ voters in Maine.

We work hard at the Maine State House on other issues, too. We push for things such as long-term care services and supports so we can age in our own homes; increased affordable housing; fair utility rates; improving access to retirement options for those without any, to name just a few.

And did I mention fighting for improved high-speed internet affordability and access? As part of a broad coalition we, with the help of our close to 230,000 members, pushed for support of a broadband referendum during the July primary and 75 percent of Maine voters supported the measure. Because of the impact of our many members, we make a positive difference.

About the ads I mentioned above? We issued news releases and contacted the candidate’s campaigns’ to let everyone know that the ad was produced without the knowledge or consent of AARP.

If you see a political ad showing the AARP logo or implying our endorsement of a candidate, contact us a me@aarp.org. We need to know so we can preserve our independence as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that fights for age 50+ Mainers.

Lori Parham
AARP Maine State Director, Portland

To the editor:

I spoke to an ironworker from Waterville at an actual in-person event this month in Clinton. We talked about our local State Senate race. He was undecided whom to vote for. This surprised me.

I told him that in our Senate District #16 (Albion, Benton, Clinton, Fairfield, Unity Township, Waterville, and Winslow), Democratic candidate Hilary Koch was the way to go. And when it comes to supporting workers, that it wasn’t even close.

Hilary Koch has been endorsed by the Maine AFL-CIO, MSEA-SEIU Local #1989, and MEA (that’s laborers, office workers, teachers, and their retirees).

Her Republican opponent, Scott Cyrway, has consistently voted against workers’ interests in Augusta. In fact, Cyrway came within just one legislative vote from receiving a zero percent rating from the MSEA, which is mostly state employees.

This local ironworker was happy to learn about Hilary and said he would join me in voting for her next month on Election Day. I told him our fellow local laborers appreciated this, since she will support worker rights and protections in Augusta.

Voters in Albion, Benton, Clinton, Fairfield, Unity Township, Waterville, and Winslow are lucky to have such a State Senate candidate as Hilary Koch to back this year.

Please show support for your local laborers, teachers, and other workers by voting for Hilary Koch over the next few weeks. Thank you for doing so.

Mike Hein
Fairfield