Time to speak out on state’s priorities
To the Editor:
Everyone should try this, step out of your offices, and out of your busy lives for just a moment, now look around. What do you see? Cars? The street? Maybe even someone you know?
Do you know what I see? I see an elderly woman, walking home from the market with the little bit that she is able to afford for the week, the family that has lost their house due to job layoffs, and are now living in their car because it is all they have left.
I listen to the conversations and hear of a single mom whom has recently been kicked off assistance due to time limit obligations who is facing eviction from her already too small apartment with two young children. She has desperately been looking for a job, but has been unable to find one that can work her around the hours that she needs, some even going as far as stating that they don’t think that this is the job for her because the demands of her family would be too much to make her a dependable employee.
I stopped to talk to this woman, she is an amazing lady with two amazing kids. Her husband up and left her two years ago and she has been on state assistance off and on and when she lost her job last year has been on TANF, and other public assistance benefits to get her and the family by. Just a few months ago her family and many others were cut off the state’s welfare system due to the new time limit that our government set in place. Was this unjust, in some cases yes, and in some no.
In my opinion I think that the whole thing could have been handled very differently. There are an estimated 75 families already homeless in this county, seriously there is a good chance that come winter these numbers will grow. I myself am struggling, I have a child with special needs, and we are currently living with friends, as we had to leave where we were staying and I lost my job in the process.
I really wish that the changes that were made would have been thought out a little bit differently. Instead of cutting off the people that needed this assistance the most, how about mandatory drug and alcohol testing and making it mandatory that you have to be a Maine resident to receive the benefits in the first place. As it is right now anyone can come into this state, live in a shelter for awhile and come out with full benefits, housing, and a free handout that screams “way to go and mooch off our state.” Maine can not even support the people that live here.
This is why this election year is so important. Minorities need to get out there and vote, it is the only way that we will have a voice. The balance of parties right now is in definite need of a shift. I encourage you to talk to your candidates and learn the issues, ask questions, get answers, and, most of al,l do not be afraid to speak out.
Winnie Collins
Caribou
Support groups open to survivors
To the editor:
The Hope and Justice Project is inviting survivors to their summer support groups. As a group participant you will learn from and share with other women, and begin to take the first step on a path toward happier, healthier relationships and life choices. You will learn important information as people affected by domestic violence and dating abuse talk about their situations.
The groups are free and held in three locations throughout the County. I invite everyone who is interested in attending our groups or if they just want more information to contact me at 764-2977 or by e-mail at christy@hopeandjusticeproject.org.
Christy E. Dingee
DV/CPS liaison
Hope and Justice Project Calling all chili chefs
To the editor:
Do you think you can make the best chili or just love to do it? Don’t miss the Caribou Fire Department’s first annual Chili Cook Off on Friday, Aug. 10th. For a $10 fee enter your best recipe or sample each chili and judge the winner for $5 a person.
Proceeds benefit the Caribou FFA National Team. Please call 551-3832 for more information.
Marilee Johnson
Caribou
Appreciate senator’s commitment
To the Editor:
Senator Susan Collins has never missed a single vote since she took office in January 1997. This week, she topped 5,000 votes cast during her tenure. 5,000 consecutive votes is a very impressive record. Whether one agrees or disagrees with her position on every one of those votes should not diminish the deep commitment Sen. Collins has demonstrated to the spirit of the democratic system and to the people of Maine.
In fact, Sen. Collins has cited the dedication of working Mainers as her inspiration to make it to the Senate floor each and every time. Her commitment to her job and her appreciation of the impact that each vote can have on her constituents stands as a model of representational government.
With the elections just around the corner, it is my hope that newly elected and re-elected federal and state legislators will work as hard as Sen. Collins to examine the challenges we face in Maine. The needs of a constituency facing challenges around health and long-term care, unemployment, hunger and age discrimination deserve our elected leaders’ concerted and undivided attention.
Carol Kontos, president
AARP Maine
Making up the rules as we go along
To the editor:
It’s me again. I try, I really do, but it’s an addiction. I was going to do my best to stay out of the paper for at least the rest of the summer, but, stuff just keeps happening.
When I looked at the agenda for the July 23 council meeting, I thought it was pretty routine, and I almost didn’t bother going, but I figured it would be cooler there than it was at my house, and I would get to see the interim city manager up close and personal. My first impression of her is a very positive one.
Item no. 13 gave me some concern, though. It read: “Consider a request by the former Manager for the disposition of a 5-year old laptop and to retain an email address for one year.” Then I thought, “Nah, they won’t do that.” Government agencies, be they local, state or federal, don’t allow exiting employees to keep computers and e-mail addresses. Do they?
This local government apparently does. At least Mayor Murchison, Councilors Barbosa, Martin and Boone do, even though Caribou apparently has a policy against such practice. These four councilors voted in favor of giving Mr. Buck the computer on top of approximately $40,000 in vacation and sick pay among other things. Councilors Aiken, McDonough and Thompson voted in the negative. Now, true, the value of that laptop is probably close to nil, but it was serviceable and could have been used by the new city manager. Now I imagine a new one will have to be purchased. How fiscally responsible is that?
But you know that really isn’t the issue here. It’s just not a good practice. I’m not saying there are deep dark secrets on this laptop, because even if there were, they can be copied onto another computer and wiped clean before ever turning it in. And I doubt the city is going to go to the expense of having some kind of forensic IT guy come in and sleuth around that laptop. But the e-mail address? That’s another story. To me, that is a security issue, and that e-mail address should have never been allowed to go with an exiting employee. How hard is it to send an e-mail to contacts to give them a new e-mail address?
As they say in the texting world, “O.M.G.” Did either of you four councilors even give any consideration to the possible repercussions of such an action? And even if there were no possible repercussions from this action, it’s against city policy. That was brought up in the discussion of this action. It’s against city policy.
Here we go again … making up the rules as we go along.
Joan Theriault
Caribou
Doing what a bear does
To the editor:
The recent letter regarding a bear and a birdfeeder in Caribou again makes me thankful we live in northern Maine. In reality the bear was doing what bears do. If one does not want visits or the possibility thereof, it is our responsibility to hang the feeders in a manner that bears can’t reach them. We as humans know what we should or perhaps shouldn’t do. The bear knows what it should do — eat from the feeder, garbage, grill — that we know better than to leave out as easy food.
Our men and women at the Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and game wardens, are constantly advising on how to peacefully co-exist with bears and since we are the ones who can read and know boundary lines, the responsibility is ours to heed the advice.
Our game wardens are the best in the nation. Highly trained, tireless, devoted (and severely underpaid). These professional men and women respond and patrol at all hours of the night and day. Don’t take my word for it, watch “North Woods Law” on cable television. Their work ethic, long hours, extremes of temperatures, rain, ice and snow, are not reflective of executive hours in any way.
The advice the wardens and biologists give us is free. We, as the alleged intelligent species, simply need to follow it.
Edward Verbeke
Cary Plt.
