Fund universal home care
Maine has the second-highest proportion of elderly residents among the states. The need for care increases with old age. Thousands of Mainers cannot administer their own care, are too poor to pay for it, or lack family members who can provide it. Most of these people would be better served by care at home, as Question 1 would provide, instead of in a nursing home or hospital.
A study by Case Western Reserve University shows that most elderly and disabled persons respond well to in-home care, and that such care prevents hospital admission at great financial saving. Most persons prefer care at home in familiar surroundings. Without in-home care, many Mainers have had to give up their homes to reside in a nursing home or other care facility.
Question 1’s approach is the most affordable way to provide care to senior and disabled persons. According to the 2018 Genworth Cost of Care Survey, Maine nursing home costs are more than twice the costs of equivalent home care, and this differential will continue.
Care has to be paid for one way or another. What is the best way, spreading the cost to all Mainers, or taxing those who are best able to pay? Question 1 takes the latter approach, taxing only a small number of Mainers. Question 1 is an opportunity to fix a dire situation, now. The proposal’s glitches can worked out by the Legislature. Vote yes on Question 1.
Ronald B. Davis
Orono
Amend Constitution for ranked choice
It is a travesty that the Legislature has not aligned the Maine Constitution with the democratic desires of the electorate to enable the use of ranked-choice voting in all races. The Legislature has had two years to fix the problem and has done nothing.
Ranked choice restores majority rule because candidates only win if they have more than 50 percent of the vote. If your first choice loses, then your second choice is counted. This allows voters to vote for the candidate they think is best for the job instead of voting against a worse candidate. It eliminates splitting votes between similar candidates and rewards candidates who reach beyond their base to work collaboratively. Thus, campaigning becomes more civil.
Ranked choice does not significantly delay the results of an election. If there is a clear majority, the winner is announced on Election Day. If multiple rounds are required, it may take a few days for results, just as in any close election.
I call on Mainers to rank their choices for the U.S. Senate and House this November. We have worked hard for this opportunity and need to press for expansion of ranked choice to all races.
Ginny Schneider
Portland
Mills for governor
You might think Janet Mills is tough and smart (she is), but what you might not know is that she is also caring and genuine. She met me only once. I am a nobody, yet two years later, she remembered my name and everything about me, including that I was substitute teaching. Mills has a great sense of humor and can laugh at herself, which is, to me, a sign of personal strength.
When her husband had a devastating stroke that resulted in his death, Mills learned firsthand how difficult health care can be. She will fight for health care we Mainers can afford while supporting job growth for a strong economy. Don’t believe the negative ads you see about Mills being a tax-and-spend candidate; they are scare tactics. She is fiscally responsible and supports business growth. Vote for Mills for governor.
Candy Gleason
Auburn
Get Democrats into power
Why do people vote against their own interests? Rep. Bruce Poliquin wanted to repeal the Affordable Care Act and 116,000 Mainers would have lost health coverage.
He claims to want to solve the opioid crisis. But drug addiction is a pre-existing condition that would not have been covered by flimsy Republican health “plans.” And pharmaceutical companies contribute to Poliquin’s campaign.
Yes, Jared Golden wants to “change Medicare as we know it,” but by allowing more people to be covered by it at a younger age, to ease into Medicare for all eventually. Poliquin wants to cut Medicare costs and privatize Social Security. They are called “entitlements” because we worked for the money, had it taken out of our paychecks for years, and are entitled to it.
Poliquin supported the Republican tax cut bill, which were tax cuts for the rich. It was ”the largest wealth transfer from the poor to the rich in U.S. history,” according to Democracy Now. Golden supports unions, one of the few sources of power for what remains of the middle class.
Poliquin voted with Trump 97 percent of the time. We need a balance. We need Democrats to be in power in the House of Representatives. Vote for Golden.
And please support Janet Mills for governor. This is not a ranked-choice voting, so don’t dilute the Democratic votes by voting for the independents. We did that twice already, and got two terms of Gov. Paul LePage.
Doris Plumer
Bar Harbor
Yes on Question 1
As my aunt aged, she wanted to stay in her home, but our family simply could not afford it. Her home, her savings, everything quickly evaporated for nursing home care that was less than adequate.
Too many Maine families have similar sad stories. The good news is that we can fix the problem and help aging Mainers and those who love them.
A “yes” vote on Question 1 will guarantee care for Mainers who need it. The care will be paid for by a tax on incomes over $128,400. Some say it unfairly burdens some Mainers. Consider this: Someone making $150,000 would pay a tax of $418 per year, far less than the cost of long-term care insurance, which pays only a portion of the costs of care and can be purchased only if you pass the insurance underwriting guidelines.
A vote on Question 1 is an investment in the quality of life for all Mainers, many of whom have worked their entire lives and who cannot be forgotten in their later years. I will be voting yes on Question 1 on Nov. 6. I hope you will, too.
Marilyn Miller
Portland
Election notice
The BDN has stopped accepting letters and OpEds related to the Nov. 6 election. Not all submissions can be published.