WRONG PLACE

Thank you for your coverage of Colin Sargent’s new play, 100% American Girl, (Aug. 9-15, 2002 issue). As noted in the article, we performed it on August 2 at the Maine Festival. However, the August 3 performance was at ACTS (Arts Conservatory Theater and Studio) on Cumberland Avenue, Portland, not at St. Lawrence Arts Center as stated twice in your review.

I feel compelled to write this because I think that, for the most part, ACTS does not receive from Portland newspapers the coverage it deserves as a venue for good and entertaining theater, in spite of the fact that Selby and Peter Beebe-Lawson were included on your recent list of “Portland’s Most Influential” People in Performance Arts!

Muriel Kenderdine

Portland

 

Your humbled editor would like to report that I, not our reviewer Katherine Joyce, inserted the erroneous location, and would like to apologize to everyone involved.

Sorry for the screw-up,

Sam Pfeifle

Managing Editor

FOR THE RECORD

Thanks for writing the wonderful article on Portland’s former, and present, record stores. I feel that I must point out one fact that was overlooked. Glen Tracy had a partner at Opus One named Michael Tewhey, who was responsible for the Brian Eno records being in the store. Glen did not like Brian Eno. His passion was primarily jazz and then rock and roll. (He would not be happy to think people were associating him with Eno.)

I still have the turntable (and use it!) from the stereo system Glen and I bought together so many years ago. It brings back many memories of staying up into the wee hours of the morning listening to John Coltrane, the Velvet Underground, Graham Parker, Pere Ubu, and many others.

Thanks for bringing back the memories of those great stores and the people behind them, and especially the music.

Kathy Bouchard

Gray

HOW 'BOUT US DEMS?

The Portland Phoenix has recently published a great report on the cost of health care in Maine (see “What’s it cost? July 19 issue). You’ve also given generous coverage to the rhetoric of Ralph Nader and the Greens. And the [self-serving?] interchanges on your letters page every week between local Green candidates and their friends are entertaining. But it’s time for a reality check. While Green Party people are good at writing letters and quoting studies, Maine’s Democratic legislators have actually expanded access to health care dramatically, and we’ve been unwavering in our determination to enact a single-payer plan for many years. In fact, we came within two votes of passing our universal health care bill a year ago — we failed only because Governor King threatened a veto. And the commission that will report to us next year on how to implement and pay for such a plan was also proposed and established by Maine Democrats. Maine Democrats have led the fight for health-care reform and we are responsible for all of the major advances in recent years.

Here are just a few of our accomplishments:

• The Maine Patient Bill of Rights that guarantees access to treatment and medications, and holds managed-care organizations accountable for their medical decisions;

• The Maine Rx Law that forces drug manufacturers to negotiate lower prescription prices for the uninsured with the state;

• The Blue Cross Conversion law, which required Blue Cross Blue Shield of Maine, when it was bought by Anthem and went for profit, to turn over more than $80 million in charitable assets it collected from the people of Maine;

• Cub Care (now called MaineCare) that provides comprehensive health benefits to thousands of uninsured low-income children and their parents;

• MaineCare (formerly Medicaid) was also expanded to cover the poorest of Maine adults;

• Small Business Health Coverage Plan, an innovative public-private mechanism to lower the cost to small businesses of providing health benefits to their employees;

• Mental Health Parity, which was passed by both houses, but vetoed by Governor King, would have required group health plans for 21 people or more to provide the same level of coverage for mental illness as for physical illness;

• Domestic Partner Health Benefits, which requires health insurers to offer domestic partner coverage for any employer or individual who wants to buy it;

• Low Cost Drugs for the Elderly Act, which greatly increased the number of eligible seniors and medications covered;

• Health Care System and Health Security Board, established to study the cost and feasibility of implementing single-payer, universal health care in Maine.

Just as the Portland Democratic City Committee endorsed and fought for passage of our local referendum on universal health care, the Democratic legislators and legislative candidates from Portland have been chief advocates for a single-payer plan and have personally introduced and helped pass many measures to expand health-care access in the meantime. Single-payer, universal health care was even added to the Maine Democratic Party platform this year. I’m pleased to hear that Maine Greens are joining us in this fight, but it will continue to be Maine Democrats who get the job done.

[I’m sure it would be surprising to many Greens and independents to learn how progressive the Maine Democratic Party has been in the measures it has introduced and supported. Maybe it’s time for some of them to think about coming back.]

Senator Anne Rand

Portland

BALDACCI SUPPORTER

John Baldacci can best lead Maine at this crucial time. Knowledgeable about economics, health care, and education, Baldacci will work hard to address the concerns that face our state. What to do about the budget, about the affordability of medicines, and about the access to higher education are just a few of the problems that Baldacci is prepared to solve.

Another problem for which Baldacci will find solutions is the lack of affordable housing. How can Maine develop economically when its workers cannot find housing near their jobs? How can towns surrounding urban areas cope with sprawl that drives up the cost of real estate, increases the demands on local schools, and makes housing unaffordable and unavailable to young families, the elderly, and others in their own home towns? What can be done to assist the increasing number of homeless people in our state? How can people transition from shelters to housing of their own? How can we have enough housing that everyone can afford that is close enough to people’s places of employment so that all Mainers can enjoy “the way life should be”?

Having spent much of my own working life and volunteer time in community organizations and educational institutions whose mission is to help solve some of these problems, I have seen that partnerships among national, state, and local governments and community organizations can do so much to assist individuals to find shelter, find an apartment, do home repair, rehabilitation, or replacement of an existing home, or build a new home. Now, more than ever, a concerted, collaborative effort is needed to ensure that all Mainers can lay their heads on a pillow at night in a home that is affordable, safe, and comfortable. John Baldacci, as governor, will see that this effort happens. He can’t do it alone. He needs our votes for governor and our support and effort to create plans that work for all Mainers.

Pat Flewelling

Leeds

MORE HEROIN

Every time I come to Portland, I always try to pick up the Portland Phoenix. I enjoy reading it very much. The letter “Heroin Fallout” in the August 2-8, 2002 issue caught my attention; I was very surprised by it. I would like to say, “Thank you” to Lisa from Westbrook for her opinion. I have known many people in my life that have drug problems. People truly don’t understand the people with drug problems and they get judged very harshly. My best friend has a drug problem, but I have been there for him and tried to help him. My own cousin went to rehab for his drug problem. So, I have a lot of personal experience with others.

Mr. Ashare clearly didn’t know the person whom he wrote the story on. I haven’t read it, but would want to. Lisa did a great job on writing her letter and I fully support her on this great job! I agree 100 percent with what she said.

Wish we had a magazine like this in Florida, but I will always read these when I’m back from college. Thank you very much. I look forward to reading more issues to come.

Garrett King

Surry