LETTERS: Voting “yes” for better internet service

To Town Line editor and the Town of China Residents:

Joann Clark Austin

Joann Clark Austin

I feel compelled to write to the Selectmen of China, and the townspeople.

The town selectboard asked in 2017….., that’s four years ago….., for help. The Town,….we…., needed some people who understand the workings of the internet to solve our connectivity issues. For many in our town Covid has made poor internet connectivity and poor internet speeds even more apparent. The selectmen asked folks to volunteer, to work for many years, to find the best answer to internet services in China. The committee has done that. That is what we are voting on on the November ballot.

The selectmen told this generous dedicated set of volunteers they not only had to find the right answer, but that they, the volunteer committee, also had to sell the idea to us town folks (who, speaking for myself, could never have found the answers and who has so little understanding that I didn’t care to go to the three explanatory meetings they have held as requested). I did get to one.

Then last week, the selectmen would not allow the committee to use their working funds to send out a flyer supporting their proposal, while at the same time, the select board gets to put a note on the printed ballot to vote “No”, with no reason given. Selectmen should have put a “Leave to Voters” recommendation with explanations of why three of them voted to not recommend going forward. At the end of that meeting my heart just ached for the volunteer committee. Why would anyone ever volunteer again?

I discovered by chance that Consumer Reports says that a municipality doing exactly what the Broadband Committee proposes is the best way forward…. That good utility services like electricity, telephone, and now internet are (and have been since the 1940s) best accomplished in more rural areas by municipalities. And even better, if we vote “YES”, but there are not enough townsfolk signing up for the lower cost, higher speed, more reliable service, then the town can reevaluate and pull out of further implementation.

Based on what I’ve been hearing and my own poor internet service over the years, I am definitely voting yes on the November Ballot question.

from Joann C. Austin (China)

LETTERS: Freedom has many meanings

To the editor:

I am writing to you today to address the tone of discourse online when the subject of COVID-19 is mentioned in any way.

I have two concerns. One is that some people are horribly misinformed, endangering their own health and the health of their loved ones. Another is that loud, rude insistence on “being heard” makes others cower in fear of confrontation. My larger concern is that this is the intended effect.

On the information front, millions have received the vaccine and there has been no high incidence of side effects. Vaccinations have a long history of eradicating deadly diseases without a high incidence of side effects, and the COVID vaccines continue that history in spectacular fashion. Republicans such as former President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have both encouraged everyone to get vaccinated. This is not a partisan issue.

For those who say “but vaccinated people still catch COVID,” I would point out that those people overwhelmingly do not end up hospitalized. They can manage their symptoms at home. Where there has been a vast deluge of hospitalizations, those are the same areas where vaccination rates are low.

On the “personal freedom” front, I completely agree that nobody should be forced to be vaccinated. However, employers have labor rules to follow and they are subject to litigation for failing to maintain a safe workplace. They have every right, reason and incentive to conclude that vaccinations are safe and effective, and to insist that their employees get vaccinated. In other words, if you defend personal freedom, then defend the rights of these businesses to make health and safety related decisions for themselves.

Freedom is a term that can be applied in many different ways. Would we be a free nation without a mandatory draft? We sacrifice individual freedom every day in many ways to keep our nation free and to preserve the common good, and if anyone has missed the connection between a runaway virus and a threat to freedom, I’d be happy to discuss it with you.

Behaving in the common good is what keeps us all free.

Thank you.

Walt Bennett,
South China

LETTERS: Sad day at Country Manor

To the editor:

It is with a sad heart, tear in my eye and a lump in my throat that must let people know how heart breaking it is with the closing of what was one of the best nursing homes, or assisting living facilities around. That, of course, is Country Manor Nursing Home, in Coopers Mills. Words cannot describe the loving care given to its patients. I can attest to it as my beloved wife Diane was a patient there for the last two years. Over those years I never saw such devotion to their tasks as everybody at Country Manor. From top to bottom they made, at least for me, every day that I visited was like visiting old friends, which over the years they became. As I hugged and kissed my wife goodbye today on her journey to another facility, I am pleased to hear that some from Country Manor will be going where she is going. I could list everybody I knew but would take up too much space and want this letter to be published or at least hope so. I hope and pray as Governor Janet Mills releases that $146 million, she allocates some for nursing homes. Perhaps if she had done so earlier the labor shortages that is causing all these closings wouldn’t have happened.

I will close by reminding everybody that a medal should be given to everyone at Country Manor for all they did to keep COVID out of their facility. I’m sure God has a special spot for all you caregivers in heaven. Goodbye to you and God bless all of you.

I must add that for two years I visited my wife at Country Manor every day, and I feel like I am losing a family, also. I was 25 minutes away from Country Manor, in Coopers Mills. Now I must travel to Winthrop, which is 60 minutes away.

Frank Slason
Somerville

LETTERS: Just a reminder

To the editor:

Just a reminder as nothing much was mentioned about this historic event. On August 6, 1945, Colonel Tibbetts dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later, Major Charles W. Sweeney dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. These two bombings hasnted the ending of World War II. It should be noted that the warship which delivered the final components for the second A-bomb started from Taiwan and was torpedoes by a Japanese U-boat killing over 800 sailors. For a more understanding of the bombing, please read Wars End by Major General Charles W. Sweeney, USAF (Ret.). He and I spoke about this and corresponded many times before he died.

Frank Slason
Somerville

LETTERS: Seniors program does incredible work

To the editor:

As the Senior Program Director of Spectrum Generations, the Area Agency on Aging that serves six counties in central Maine, I get to see firsthand the incredible work this organization does to support Maine’s disabled and aging population.

During the month of May, our community case managers provided social work services to 261 seniors and adults with disabilities, additionally, Spectrum Generations manages the finances for 80 of those most in need.

Through the Adult Day & Community Support program, 35 staff members at four of our facilities provided 1,434 hours of center-based care, and 1,817 hours of individual care to 67 people. This program creates a path to community inclusion and employment for consumers and it provides a safe place so family caregivers can work.

Our staff and dedicated volunteers also prepared and delivered 29,866 meals through the Meals on Wheels Program, and our Community Services staff provided support to 763 people calling for help.

Here at Spectrum Generations, our mission is to promote and advance the well-being and independence of older and disabled adults, with the support of their care partners, to live in their community of choice. I am proud to report that, thanks to our hardworking staff and caring volunteers, the month of May was an incredibly productive one.

If you would like to get involved, or you have any questions about the services that we provide, please give us a call at (800) 639-1553 or visit us online at www.spectrumgenerations.org.

Nate Miller, Senior Program Director
Spectrum Generations

LETTERS: Caretakers deserve higher pay

To the editor:

I would like to mention a loyal and dedicated group of people who are caregivers for our loved ones in nursing home and other homes, too. In my opinion, these caregivers don’t consider what they do work, and as far as I’m concerned, I always tell them your work is really a calling that not every person could do, i.e., show love and compassion to someone who is not a relative. That in itself says a lot.

But let’s examine how their dedication is rewarded. First, the lowest of pay, overworked and not appreciated. In my humble opinion, management and corporate should be on their knees and showing them how much they are appreciated by first complimenting them, giving them a must deserved raise and double that $300 stipend for working under hazardous conditions. And last, but not least, by any means explain why you can’t pay a much higher wage considering how much you charge a month for room and board. Yes, it also covers nursing care, too, but do the math and show me where you are losing money, and we could all get a good belly chuckle for a change.

One last thing, people are so spoiled by federal and state government that I know of a home where my beloved wife is who can’t hire an entertainment director/therapist, physical and occupational, even though they are advertising. Very sad for us all.

I hope this letter wakes up the corporations that run these homes and does something so people would be standing in line to work for you. How about it?

Frank Slason
Somerville

LETTERS: Juneteenth does not take away from July 4

To the editor:

The recognition of Juneteenth as a federal holiday does not take away any of the significance of the 4th of July. What Juneteenth celebrates is the final end of slavery and the promise that all people are created equal, regardless of skin color.

When the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863, and had officially outlawed slavery in the Confederacy, including Texas, enforcement of the Proclamation generally relied upon the advancement of Union troops. At the time, Texas was the most remote state of the former Confederacy and had a low presence of Union troops as the Civil War came to an end. It is not unimaginable that it took two years between the Emancipation Proclamation and General Gordon Granger’s Union Army regiment arrival in Galveston, Texas. He announced the General Order No. 3, which states: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” Information and news took time to reach remote areas, and there was a low literacy rate among the general population of the United States.

The 4th of July celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Colonies formally breaking away from Great Britain. Juneteenth acknowledges the end of slavery and freedom for the enslaved. These are two different commemorations of independence in American history.

Jeanne Hanson
South China

LETTERS: Thanks for the parade

To the editor:

The Sylvester family, on behalf of Jack and Ann Sylvester, extend their appreciation and unending thanks to the town of China, China Village Fire Department and the surrounding municipalities for the parade on May 30. In his own words Jack would like to say, “Thank you all so much for the reception. I’m so happy I could help you folks all these years and it’s awful good to be seen.”

The Sylvester family
China

Video of Sylvester parade from Facebook.

LETTERS: In-person learning still the best way

To the editor:

In response to a recent comment in The Town Line regarding the need for “educational renovation,” I’ll submit the following comments: While there is no question that remote, on line learning has been vital during the COVID pandemic, it is not the perfect or ideal form of teaching or gaining knowledge. As a retired teacher whose classroom presence extended from 1974-2012 – 38 years – my experience covered a lot of changes.

I agree that technology continues to affect our lives and society and that change is inevitable. But, having worked with thousands of students during my career, I saw and dealt with a multitude of learning styles, skills and desires. Young people in our present world face multiple issues. These can include a lack of parental presence, support or compassion, bullying, uncertainty about the future in terms of finances or career goals, or simply frustration with that world they will be entering and spending their life in.

Many kids also question their own abilities and whether or not they have the skills or abilities they’ll need to succeed in life. While remote learning may be suitable for and benefit some students, just as many others still need the in-person interaction and support that the traditional classroom provides. A passionate, committed teacher whose focus is helping all students to learn, regardless of the positives and negatives in their lives, in a way that promotes direct, face-to-face communication and interaction, is the key to a beneficial and useful education experience.

Bob Bennett
South China

LETTERS: Urges support of affordable drugs

To the editor:

Right now, the legislature is considering a package of vital and common sense bills that will work to reign in rising drug prices and assure that all Mainers have access to affordable prescription drugs. Now is the right time to help Maine families afford their necessary prescription drugs.

Being able to afford one’s prescription drugs is particularly crucial for older Maine residents, and our state has the highest percentage of residents 65+ in the nation. Rising drug costs force Mainers to make impossible choices. People shouldn’t have to choose between buying medicine and paying for food or rent.

The impact of these bills will empower Maine to determine when price gouging occurs, require pharmaceutical companies to provide information so that the true cost of a drug is transparent, further strengthen the program capping out-of-pocket cost of insulin for patients in state-regulated plans, and include appropriate enforcement provisions.

Americans shouldn’t have to pay the highest prices in the world for the medicines they need. You can help advocate for lowering drug prices by calling your local legislators and getting their support on these drug prescription bills today. You can learn more at aarp.org/me on how you can help support this legislative package.

Bridget Quinn
AARP Maine Advocacy and Outreach Director