I give thumbs up to:

— My hairdresser has health insurance for the first time. She has an appointment to see a doctor for a physical.

— Earth Day is April 22. I share a native American chant: The Earth is our mother. We must take care of her. The Earth is our mother. She will take care of us.

— At the Universalist Church in West Paris, as part of an Earth Day service, Suzanne Dunham shared a video that showed how introducing wolves to Yellowstone has had many positive effects on the whole park. Without the wolves, the balance of nature was thrown off.

— The Maine Lakes Society and the work they do to preserve water quality.

— More windmills and solar panels to replace burning fossil fuels and reverse climate change.

Thumbs down to:

— Gov. LePage’s $500 million tax cut that benefited primarily the wealthy and is taking a financial toll on the rest of us.

— A law introduced by Sen. Troy Jackson that would interfere with an agreement between The Department of Environmental Protection and Robert Pelletier, who cut trees on his property on the shore of Long Lake in St. Agatha, thus breaking shoreline zoning regulations.

— Mary Jane Newell’s multiple claims of voter fraud (April 15). Voter fraud does not exist. Voter suppression exists and is a threat to Democracy.

I finish with an Indian prayer for children: “Oh Great Spirit, give them good hearts to love the Earth and each other.”

Nancy Willard, Woodstock

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