Letters to the Editor
Plan your vacation in New Orleans
Dear Independent,A few weeks ago it was definitely "time to get out of town" - these Maine winters are harder and harder; so gloomy. I was looking for a place to go within the country - warm, easy access with a flight, no rental car needed, great food, no craziness and the added benefit of what community could use the tourist dollars most. New Orleans!
Paul and I flew from Portland, easy. We took a limo to our hotel in the French Quarter and that was it. We walked, ate amazing food, drank some cool drinks, did lots of tourist trips with Gray Line and rode the Natchez down the muddy Mississippi where Paul spent every moment in the engine room watching the steam engine function. We took a carriage tour of the quarter and learned an amazing amount of history. Our guide was phenomenally enthusiastic and upbeat.
One of the tour trips we took was a Katrina Tour - the reason being was to inform us about what really went on and see the areas that were not shown on TV. Yes, 80 percent of the city was devastated. By city, that means all the suburbs surrounding the city. The actual city part is being rebuilt and cleaned up; the quarter was not damaged, but everywhere else is completely ruined for miles and miles. There are a number of $75,000 FIMA trailers set up outside what "used to be homes" but not nearly what I would expect.
Habitat for Humanity was a beautiful thing to see, as there were a number of kids working away on rebuilding a block of homes but … 10 homes as compared to what? The levees are being repaired - it appears they are plugging up holes, not much improvement. But, I have to say for a city so devastated, the locals are optimistic - they are pleasant, polite, ever so helpful - even the indigent apologized for asking twice, "Sir, if I have already asked you for a quarter, my apologies I won't bother you again."
I don't understand how our country can walk away from this community, and where the heck did the money go? When I had Carla's Café, we donated food and cases and cases of water to New Orleans. I'm told it was never allowed in. So, where did it go?
A way we can help them, other than inquiring through our governmental system of mirrors, is to go visit, spend money, help the little guys with the small shops, cafés and bars, get back on their feet. People have been afraid to go - we ourselves were told, not to go. Baloney. It is wonderful. A combination of Charleston/Savannah and Key West - just beautiful. And, if you do, make sure you eat at Oceana Café; order barbeque shrimp. It's not barbequed, as we know it, but boiled in the most amazing juices and oh so Southern! If my café were still here, we'd be serving it permanently.
Regards,
Carla Rollins
York
Work together for school answers
Dear Independent,Much concern has been expressed regarding Gov. Baldacci's bold plan for consolidating school districts. Among the concerns is loss of local autonomy, although there seems to be general agreement that a reduction in local taxes is desirable.
I would like to put forward a bold approach that can begin to be implemented in this coming tax year and has the potential for constructively addressing both issues mentioned above.
There appears to be general agreement for the need to overhaul the state's bloated school administration and the need to come up with a plan that would reduce costs in an orderly fashion. School budgets for fiscal 2008 are currently in the preliminary stages of preparation. This presents an opportunity for school administrators, school committees, city and town governing boards and voters to become proactive in reducing the - in many instances - bloated school administration, and by so doing assume local control over their own school district's future.
Specifically, in the Wells-Ogunquit CSD, this approach presents an excellent opportunity for the respective select boards to cooperate and collaborate on a school funding issue. By advocating in concert the reduction of administrative overhead in this coming budget, the select boards will be simultaneously preempting intervention by the state and reducing the tax rate in both towns. Of course, this approach also requires earnest collaboration by the school district administration, the school committee and the voters.
If this approach were undertaken throughout Maine, significant real estate tax savings would be realized in this coming year and it might preclude major consolidation efforts in the future since a major portion of the savings would have already been achieved.
Sincerely,
Herbert J. Hoffman
Ogunquit
Student advocates for athletics
Dear Independent,To not only the editor but also to all citizens of York, and the YHS student athletes:
My name is Jimmy Kennedy, and I am a 15-year-old sophomore at York High School. I play three separate sports, not to mention the other extracurricular activities I participate in. I recently attended the Feb. 27 Budget Committee meeting. Let me just express how I felt. I think embarrassed might work, but to say the least I had an unpleasant feeling after the meeting.
I was there on behalf of my father and all student athletes concerning the budget cut that had been proposed to take some $90,000 out of YHS athletics and give it to a source that the committee has yet to name. They covered the proposal of a new town hall first before they opened the floor to the public. Although that was not why I was there, it involved the town I live in and it turned out to be quite an amusing discussion.
The reason I use the word "amusing" is because of the way the board went about it. It seemed as though there was not one good thing said about the proposal that Selectman Marshall brought to the board. I am not one to talk about politics, but I felt as though they only said bad things and were not there to make a responsible decision for the public. This was the first committee meeting I have ever attended but let me tell you, I did not get a good first impression.
Now on to what I believe is truly the most important matter on the table. The town of York's school system is unique in that it receives almost no state funding. Everything we do has to go through the town Budget Committee and will await the verdict of a public vote. The most recent involved a new auditorium, which I personally was a strong supporter of. The end verdict of that vote resulted in the rejection of the much-needed auditorium and arts wing at the high school. All we asked for was a portion of a new building. Several years ago the public agreed to build a new junior high but cannot approve a vital wing at our high school.
The newest proposal is the budget cut I mentioned earlier. That cut would cripple the school athletics here in York. Mrs. Powers, a mother of a YHS student athlete, spoke at the meeting I attended and made a very good point. The athletic system doesn't have that much money in the first place and we are one of the most successful schools in Western Maine Class B.
If you take away the rights we have been permitted to it would halt the success of our teams. The rights I am talking about are things like riding a bus that you don't have to sit three-to-a-seat in; being able to play a sport without paying extra money to do so. If we wanted to pay for our sports, we could go play on an AAU team or join an athletic organization outside of school. These rights may be taken from us if we approve this cut.
All I am asking is for the general public of York and the York Budget Committee to finally look at the big picture. I know you have rejected and/or disapproved many propositions in the past. For example, our arts wing, a chain restaurant/store and now this athletic cut. Folks, you need to look at what you are doing to our community.
My parents moved here 16 years ago because of the community. Now you are limiting the amount of jobs the youth can get, you are trying to cripple our athletic system and you are making huge mistakes. Now what is done is done, but you can always make a good decision. You need to consider the effects some of those bad decisions had and think about whether or not this one is worth the upset.
Thank you for your attention,
Jimmy Kennedy
YHS Class of 2009
Swim Center thanks supporters
Dear Independent,The Swim Center of Southern Maine would like to thank the following professionals for their contributions to the project to build a pool in York: James Welch, Bruce Dicker, Dan Legere, Bob Lamey, Nina Cutts, Chris Kehl, Phil Cassette, Katie Welsh, Peter Taylor, Mike Murphy, Bill Shaheen, Nick Isaak, Jeff Clifford, David Ballou, Craig Welch & Stephanie Shaheen, Gordon Platt, Lyn Rosoff, AJ Prudhomme, Jenny & Bill McCann, Becky Davie, Michael & Diane McGrath, Susan Noerdlinger and Julie King.
These professionals worked with us for 18 months and were always there for us as part of the SCSM team. They all shared our vision of a community pool in Southern Maine. We will be forever grateful for their efforts.
Even though we did not reach our goal, which made it impossible for us to go forward, we will always look back at this time and be thankful we had such talented, devoted professionals at our side. Thank you.
Ann Grinnell
Kathryn Strand
SCSM
An open letter to Rep. Tom Allen
Dear Independent,This is a timely letter for publication. Thank you for your consideration.
An Open Letter to the Hon. Thomas H. Allen:
President Bush once again is making a monumental mistake in the conduct of the illegal and immoral war in Iraq by advocating the sending of additional troops into harm's way. His judgment was not to be trusted when he spoke of "mushroom clouds," the link between Iraq and Al Qaeda, the presence of WMDs, and his judgment is not to be trusted now.
This president has belittled the role of Congress by ignoring the intent of legislation through his excessive use of "signing statements" and ignoring the Constitution with his "justifications" for warrantless wiretaps and denial of due process, as examples.
Congress has few tools available for making an imperial presidency responsive to the checks and balances that the founding fathers so brilliantly wrote into the Constitution. One of those tools, and perhaps the most powerful, is the power of the purse. I, therefore, urge you to cast no more votes in favor of bills to fund the Iraq War.
In a recent conversation we had about such a vote, you were clear that you feared being perceived as not "supporting the troops." Perhaps you had in mind the type of epithets that antiwar activists have been branded with; i.e., "traitors," "unpatriotic," "abandoning the troops" and worse. It is time to recognize that the best way to support the troops is to bring them home at the earliest possible time. Sending more troops to Iraq is sending more targets to be killed. It is time to end the occupation - a military solution is no longer possible.
Your colleague, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, an announced candidate for president, has detailed a plan that includes no further funding of supplemental requests for Iraq, identifies the available funds for bringing the troops home - alive - and spells out a diplomatic next step. I strongly urge you to exercise your leadership and join with Rep. Kucinich in this effort.
In peace,
Herbert J. Hoffman
Ogunquit
Two-party system goes on and on
Dear Independent,It can be said - simply, truthfully and without pretension - that life since its inception is a continuum. It just goes on.
I am studying a photo in a book about New York City. The photo dates from 1900. Its subject is the Wigwam, the building housing Tammany Hall, the New York City Democratic Party Headquarters at Union Square. A banner proclaims: "Republican Treachery Robbed New York of the World's Fair and Delayed Rapid Transit."
Since George W. Bush would not be born for another half-century, it is unlikely he was the target of that piece of Democratic rage. And eventually the subway got built.
A large banner across the entire building demands: "Has the Seat of Empire Gone to the West? New York Will Answer on the 3d of November."
Bingo: Election Day.
Roswell P. Flower and William F. Sheehan headlined the ticket as Tammany candidates for governor and lieutenant governor. Who won? If I were not so slothful at 78, I would look it up.
What is important is that civil struggles for political power - unmarred by crude bloodshed and hateful violence - have been conducted by our major parties within our system since 1789, and continue today.
Hillary or Obama? Rudy or Romney?
Perhaps a century hence a student at our York Public Library will leaf through a volume of historic photos to enjoy the slogans and bunting and rhetoric, and give thanks to Almighty God for our blessed constitutional republic. One may hope so.
Sincerely,
Warren J. Lemon
York
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