I am a very impatient person when it comes to waiting in line. A few minutes at most, or I walk out. The COVID-19 crisis is forcing me to re-evaluate. I think of 20th century famines, virtually incomprehensible to “first-world” thinking. In eastern Europe, people queued in lines, sometimes all night, for meager pickings. And […]

Yes to Jim Fossel’s column, “Telecommuting could outlast pandemic.” Certainly, we can embrace Fossel’s viewpoint here, and, perhaps, a realization that Maine needs to expand its digital infrastructure. Conservatives like Fossel have opposed expansion through public funds in that past, but I daresay waiting for private enterprise to invest in a geo-dispersed population to provide […]

Sanctions on Iran during the pandemic is morally repugnant. This is underscored by the fact that the sanctions are counterproductive. Iranians are suffering and dying but the government continues on an unchanged course. Corruption is increasing and the Revolutionary Guard has become a financial superpower. The private sector is decimated. The elites are less likely […]

Family caregivers are the backbone of Maine’s strained health network, providing support when professional caregiving is unavailable and long Medicaid waiting lists impact patients’ ability to receive care. Maine caregivers provide millions of hours of unpaid care to loved ones, often forgoing jobs and the coinciding benefits. With the painful punch of COVID-19, jobs are […]

Re: The April 5 lead editorial, “Our View: COVID will change Election Day traditions” (Page D2): I don’t think that it is lost on any of us how unprecedented and scary these times are. With the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world, I think that a delayed primary and mail-in ballots are two incredible ideas. However, […]

Greg Kesich’s April 12 column, “Looking for the ‘plan’ behind COVID,” spoke to me clearly. I have been so bothered by the conspiracy theories surrounding this terrible pandemic. Why cannot we look to any of our many crises, and for sure this pandemic, as an opportunity? Some of us look at a crisis and ask, […]

Re: “Letter to the editor: Bernie supporters have a big decision ahead” (April 12, Page D3): Bernie Sanders supporters have an easy choice in the upcoming election. Bernie is a senator. He has already introduced his “Medicare for All” bill in the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to put it to a vote. […]