I have learned that the hectic pace of everyday life clutters the mind with small things. Now that everyday life is a thing of the past, the quieter times allow many broader issues to bubble to the top. Here are my observations and urgings.

Our leaders in Washington passed expansive legislation to address the many financial hardships that are upon us. The new programs seem quite detailed and balanced. Maine’s senior senator apparently deserves credit for her bipartisan actions.

Our society and economy are far too complex for these new programs to be a perfect fit for what we need, not surprising given the speed at which the programs were developed. Instead of carping about deficiencies in the federal programs, we need to take them for what they are and focus on supplementing them.

And by “supplementing”, I specifically mean finding ways to make things better for local interests. Let’s all find ways to support local restaurants, shops, charities, gyms, the Y.

For example, getting timely reliable news on current issues is critical to me. I intend to extend my subscription to the Times Record for the full year. I am sure the paper needs the cash, and I am sure that I need the local news.

There are many ways to judge leadership. One is the level of comfort I get watching a press conference. I give very high marks to Maine CDC’s Dr. Nirav Shah for a calm, balanced presentation of the facts. Similar kudos to Dr. Andrew Fauci at NIAID. As for the long and contorted presidential briefings: they are clearly politically motivated and do not add to the confidence we need in our leaders. Stick to the science.

When Governor Mills ordered southern Maine state beaches to be closed, my first impression was “gee, that seems heavy-handed”. But the more I hear about Louisiana church services, Florida beaches parties and NYC residents fleeing to their summer homes, I see that strong measures are needed. While I would hope that personal responsibility would make harsh measures unnecessary, we all get what is deserving of the least responsible.

Let’s hold off on the needed debate over drug prices for now and laud the drug companies who have focused efforts on COVID-19 solutions. Yes, we need more public health “capacity” (and certainly better planning), but a viable pharmaceutical industry is a big part of the “capacity” we do have. Thinking back to our Maine Question 1 vote in March, I would like to re-purpose those “Yes on One—Reject Big Pharma” signs to say, “Seek Vaccines—Support Big Pharma.”

One Maine industry that needs our strong support is fishing. Good work by the Times Record to highlight some new initiatives. The paper should go further to showcase and advance similar ways we can all help this vital local industry, and we should all support these ventures.

In short, let’s supplement national recovery measures by strongly supporting local businesses, show personal responsibility and insist that science prevail.

Mike Giggey lives in Topsham.