Maine has set itself apart as a leader in mobilizing the full strength of its healthcare workforce during this unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. On March 18, Gov. Janet Mills signed LD 1660, an Act to Improve Access to Physician Assistant Care, into law. This bill was selected by the Maine Legislature to be fast-tracked in order […]

There’s a new normal, today, as citizens of all ages and backgrounds rally to stop COVID-19. The risks to older adults drive our actions. We wash our hands, distance ourselves, work at home, and avoid large gatherings, all to save lives. This mobilization is both astounding and gratifying to witness. As Maine faces one of […]

In the April 23 Press Herald, Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank scrutinizes the Administration’s failure to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, he debunks the Administration’s effort to cast blame onto the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN’s specialized agency coordinating global action against disease since 1948. While this article is insightful, we should […]

So, the payroll stimulus was usurped before it reached the small businesses that were touted as being the recipients of this great taxpayer largesse. Then, we discover the truth beneath this additional burden upon those of us that do pay taxes: corporations with multiple businesses all over the place (I wonder if they pay taxes […]

Sometimes the solution is right in front of you. The state is looking for ways to relieve the stay-at-home burden they have placed on us. They want to know what might happen if they let people get back to work. Bath Iron Works employees have been working since the beginning of the pandemic. The employees […]

Columnist Bill Nemitz (April 19) wisely urges caution for legislators in planning governmental responses to the threat from the COVID-19 pandemic. The key word in his column is “risks,” which ties in with officials’ commitment “to keeping their constituents safe and healthy.” After satisfying hunger, the well-known “hierarchy of needs” identifies physical safety as the […]

In the April 17 Press Herald, Washington Post columnist Marc A. Thiessen attacked Italy’s health care system as an example of what to expect from socialized medicine (Page A11). Thiessen recounted the horror of Italian doctors having to decide who dies and who gets treated among COVID patients, but seems to have missed the same […]

I was grocery shopping last Friday and approaching the avocados when a woman zoomed in front of me. I politely backed away to my mandatory 6 feet and watched her fondle the majority of the avocados to select her eight perfect avocados and bag them. Her hands were protected by latex gloves, but I had […]