Letter
dailyopinion
Commentary: Why aren’t more people talking about America’s alcoholism?
I come from a family of alcoholics. Sarah, my first cousin, was the most recent to die of complications from alcoholism, at age 41. Before her, seven people in our extended family, including her father, my father and our grandfather, died from alcohol-related problems. At one Thanksgiving, my grandfather passed out drunk into his gravy […]
Commentary: There are no righteous political parties
For all their moral superiority, it turns out Democrats are every bit as willing to sacrifice democracy to their personal interests as are Republicans. President Joe Biden stood on high ground for the past year as his son, Hunter, moved his way through the courts on felony gun and tax evasion charges. Asked repeatedly whether […]
Commentary: Older adults need protection from financial abuse by family members
A mentor once told me that we take better care of our pets than we do older victims of mistreatment. As a researcher, I have sat across from people, including grown men, crying while recounting harrowing experiences of discovering and confronting elder financial exploitation within their families — by siblings, sons and daughters, nieces and […]
Douglas Rooks: Maine’s easy access to voting has its downsides
Rather than seek to end-run the two-party system, we could try to reform it, the columnist writes.
Commentary: Biden still has time to nudge the federal budget closer to sanity
The U.S. fiscal outlook has dramatically deteriorated since the last time we ran a surplus in 2001, and President Joe Biden — like Democratic and Republican presidents before him — shares some responsibility for our high and rising debt. But it’s not too late to start turning things around. During his time in office, Biden […]
Maine Compass: Maine shouldn’t forget benefits of wood heat
Maine’s home-grown heating fuels — wood and wood pellets — deserve recognition as an affordable, renewable, carbon-neutral energy source, Doran and Bell write.
Maine Compass: A loon miracle on China Lake
This past summer I witnessed a very unusual occurrence on China Lake. In mid-May, a baby loon was hatched and seen swimming along with its parents in the north end of the lake. Seeing a baby loon at any time is a treat, but this “loonlet” and its parents were defying the odds. Why? Well, […]
Douglas Rooks: Ranked-choice voting fails, but Clean Election endures
Ranked choice is causing confusion. Meanwhile, clean elections show their worth, the columnist writes.