NOT SO FAST 1

This is in response to Mark Scarano’s letter (Dec. 20, “The top 10 things Roxanne Quimby can do for $8 million”) suggesting economic development projects in Piscataquis County that Roxanne Quimby (Dec. 13, “Queen Bee”) ought to spend her money on, rather than land protection for a Maine Woods National Park.

Maine history is full of conservation success stories that happened only because visionary people took the lead (and usually a lot of abuse). We would not have Baxter State Park, Acadia National Park, Wolf Neck State Park, Baxter Boulevard in Portland, and many other wonderful public protected areas were it not for the generosity of conservation-minded individuals. Roxanne Quimby fits perfectly into that tradition.

I have flown over the Mooshead-Katahdin region countless times in recent years. I am always amazed by the opportunity the landscape presents. It could be part of one of the greatest national parks in America. But we seem determined to condemn it to growing low-value consumer products for a throwaway society.

Mark Scarano pointed out that Piscataquis is “Maine’s poorest county.” National parks across the US help generate as much as $11 billion a year in local economic activity. Studies show that a Maine Woods National Park could help diversify the sagging economy of the Moosehead region and generate thousands of new jobs. As a business professional I understand those kinds of numbers.

Apparently, so does Roxanne Quimby. As a business owner who has known only profits, not losses, maybe she should run for governor. It would be tantalizing to be able to vote for someone who knows the value of balancing a budget, providing jobs for a lot of people, making tough choices, AND investing for our long term conservation needs.

C. Rudy Engholm

Portland

NOT SO FAST 2

I read with great interest your recent story on philanthropist Roxanne Quimby (Dec. 13, “Queen Bee”) and her incredible efforts to acquire lands for a Maine Woods National Park. I have had the privilege of meeting Roxanne several times. She is as smart and as sincere as your interview indicated. She is a hero in my book for using the profits from her successful natural skin care products company, Burt’s Bees, to buy lands that can become part of the future national park.

A letter by Mark Scarano (Dec. 20, “The top 10 things Roxanne Quimby can do for $8 million”) suggesting ways that Roxanne could better spend her money seemed to miss the point. He listed 10 projects needed in Piscataquis County ranging from a tourism marketing effort to extending municipal water and sewer lines in Greenville. While each of these projects probably has merit, they ought to be funded by local and state governments or tourism businesses in the region.

Instead of funding economic development and social welfare projects that are the responsibility of others, Roxanne has chosen to lead in a more meaningful way. She is investing the hard-earned profits from her business in permanent land conservation. When a Maine Woods National Park is officially authorized, she will be able to donate those lands to serve as a cornerstone of a beautiful public park that will be available to all of us.

Rather than scold Roxanne Quimby for trying to help, I encourage Mr. Scarano to join the thousands of people who applaud her for her generous leadership.

Elisabeth Kay

Yarmouth

STUPID BUSH

Barry Crimmins’s “Unhappy ever aftermath” (Dec. 27) makes 2003 the consequence of a black fairy tale. Two-thousand-two was a year of strange facts and uncertain responses. We don’t know what to do and so do nothing in a big way. Economy, healthcare, education, and Iraq. Thousands of troops in Jordan, big negotiations; subsequent stale-mate, the great UN procrastination . . . limbo land. But no matter how silly the president, this war, this threat is real. It could be the US response to Islam, the spread of Islamic fundamentalism, is too late to be effective.

The US with its separation of Church and state the US doesn’t understand theocracy. We understood Communism, fascism, and centralized governments, oppression and murder, but to us religions are stuck in a church.

We thought with perestroika we’d squashed the demon, and soon they’re be liberty and justice for all. But the threat sprang up, same oppression different look.

My limited understanding of true Islam is about brotherhood, supporting the poor, and keeping a cheerful disposition, remaining calm and patient. BUT now Islamic Fundamentalism is about oppression, centralization, single allegiance, mind control. Russian children were subject to the same anti-American propaganda. Islamic schools preach Western immorality, decadence, and point to Israel as example of how we treat Arabs.

So now we’re on the brink of a lot of things, war, depression, when the answer lies with science. Alternative energy. If we import enough oil, using ONLY the wealth of this hemisphere, North and South America, and use alternative, cleaner burning fuels for personal transport we’ll win this war for all times. This stupid war about oil.

Lucia Connelly

Falmouth

GRIM AND GRIMMER

Wm. DeCormier’s letter (“Bring home the bacon,” Jan. 3) adds an additional Grim Realization to Tanya Whiton’s excellent first-person account of our inadequate health-care system. He says that if you want health insurance, get a real job! But we need to be aware of how health-care accessibility defines what counts as a “real job” and, by that, shapes our society.

Perhaps Whiton should, as he suggests, expect such privation for pursuing an overly creative vocation. But what of the tens of thousands of uninsured full-time Maine workers? Does he blame the success of the Portland Arts District? In reality, the deciding factor in health-care access is typically whether or not you work for a large corporation. The self-employed or those working in small businesses suffer an increasingly decisive disadvantage. As Senator Snowe chairs the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, her willingness to challenge this unfair competitive advantage enjoyed by her large corporate patrons may bring yet another grim realization.

Carl Lindemann

Portland