I wish to address the July 21 letter from the gentleman who wrote about his prior visits to the coast of Maine — and his present-day disdain for the Maine people who supported the candidacy of Graham Platner. 

The writer’s visits here were 40 years ago, hardly a reflection of the situation we face today. Like the doomed Victory Chimes on which he sailed, Maine has struggled to stay afloat. An expensive vacation on the coast is off the table for most Mainers; we might score a day at Old Orchard Beach if we can find cheap parking.

Among the oldest and least affluent people in the country, we have endured low wages and marginal access to healthcare, including the loss of hospitals and clinics located only a few miles from the tiny coastal locales he so fondly recalls. The cost of energy hangs over our heads like a mainsail, with many dreading the upcoming winter like a 60-knot gale. Platner spoke to the fear and sadness so many here are facing; ignorant malcontents, indeed. 

We could not have asked for anyone who more clearly plotted a course for our future than Platner did. And, if he was once a troubled soul, he had plenty of company.

Would the gentleman from away suggest that seeking help for drug, alcohol and stress-related behaviors is a useless pursuit; is the afflicted person forever dead in the water, doomed to a less than free and successful future simply because they once, or more than once, failed? I think not. 

Cathy Taylor
Waterville