I write regarding the commentary, “Why should America stay together?” (Dec. 17). The story of recorded history is that of nations and empires rising, declining and falling. How much time that might involve varies accordingly: Babylonian Empire, Medo-Persian Empire, Greek Empire, followed by the mighty dominating Roman Empire. There have been various modern history empires […]

After years of praising dictators like Vladimir Putin, Kim Jung Un and Victor Orban, Donald Trump has now gone full-on Hitler. He is now making statements – lifted straight from Hitler’s speeches – a regular part of his own campaign stump speeches. He’s spewing out such Hitler talk as “rooting out the vermin,” going after […]

It is alarming to see polls indicating that President Biden is not doing enough to deal with inflation, that he is generally “weak” on the economy. Are these voters not paying attention? Are they caught up in conspiracy theories? Here are a few real facts: Inflation now stands at a little over 3%, down from […]

I appreciate the Press Herald’s coverage of the proposed expansion of the Portland International Jetport parking lot. Dr. Kim Nicholas persuaded me, through her book, “Under The Sky We Make,” and newsletter, “We Can Fix It,” that the global wealthy, which includes everyone who routinely flies, have overspent our carbon allotment and need to do […]

l loved the opinion piece from the professor suggesting people major in occupational therapy (“Occupational therapy has potential to change lives — and transform careers,” Dec. 15). It has been estimated that, in the next 10 years, we will need 4,000 additional nurses, thousands of new CNAs and hundred of occupational therapists, as well as […]

In a Dec. 14 Maine Voices piece, Mary Ann Larson discussed shoring up the social safety net through tax reform (“Tax reform key to solving housing, health care crises.”) As a member of the Maine chapter of the American Medical Association, I wanted to correct her reference to the Maine Medical Association’s recent policy statement […]

In the debate over Maine’s proposed electric vehicle regulations, range anxiety is often the first thing drivers think of. They picture nightmare scenarios of long recharging times on a road trip. But that nightmare is highly unlikely. According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the average driver drives 29 miles per day, and 99.03% […]

In a letter, Sara Lennon, of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine, argues that it is appropriate to add teaching about genocide and the Holocaust into middle school science education (“Students can do this,” Dec. 16). She mentions the fact that “people expressed concern that students are too young to learn about such […]