Columnist Jim Fossel’s “Democrats fail leadership test in Augusta” (Aug. 2) fails the test of reasonableness.

He claims, without substantiation, that many bills that might be considered in a special session would be “completely ridiculous and unnecessary in normal times” and that even debating them during the pandemic would be “absurd.”

I wonder which bills he would consider “absurd.” Would his list include L.D. 1888, An Act To Protect Children from Toxic Chemicals? Or L.D. 16, An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Invest in Infrastructure To Address Sea Level Rise? Or L.D. 1315, An Act To Support Medically Monitored Crisis Support and Intervention? Or L.D. 1941, An Act To Reform Corrections Officer Compensation in Maine? Or perhaps L.D. 402, An Act To Restore Overtime Protections for Maine Workers?

The above list is just a small sample of the many worthwhile bills that the Republicans want to cast aside in the special session. It is understandable why they are trying to eliminate these bills from consideration, since aside from the bill regarding corrections officer pay, all of the bills mentioned above, and most of those carried over from the regular session, are intended to provide equity for the poor or powerless, or to invest in Maine’s future.

These are the kinds of bills that Republicans reflexively oppose. Instead of going on record with their opposition in legislative debate, they are trying to kill the bills from behind a curtain of concern for wasting time during the pandemic.

Mel Tremper
Topsham