To the editor:

I was taken aback with The Times Record’s choice of “War is over” as the headline for the Dec. 15 edition.

It was placed on the page just slightly up and over from the smaller headline “Health care cuts decried.”

Along with many other Maine citizens, I closely followed the testimony in Augusta about the impact of Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed budget cuts to Medicaid on our sick, elderly and disabled neighbors.

The Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation in Washington, D.C., reports that war does indeed still rage on in Afghanistan to the tune of $84 million a day.

Gov. LePage proposes cutting $221 million. If my figuring is correct, it would take only three days of not waging war to amend the budget and sufficiently support the social programs that are in danger of being eliminated.

Knowing those figures, imagine what a week, a month, a year, even decades, of no wars could mean in terms of true homeland security. That is when everyone has access to adequate health care, quality education, secure homes and jobs; when we prioritize human needs over military spending; and when we can offer our children hope.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono got it right in 1971 when they released their holiday single, “Happy Xmas, War is Over (If You Want It)” We have a choice. War is not over. Another way is possible.

Maureen Block

Topsham