In regard to the current vaccination issue in Maine schools, the Rev. Jim Gertmenian, a retired United Church of Christ pastor from Cumberland, was quoted in a recent newspaper story that mainline Protestant and Catholic church teachings support vaccination. He said using religion as a catch-all reason to avoid vaccines that benefit the health of the community is false logic.

“That would be like saying ‘God doesn’t want me to obey traffic signals, and that is my sincere religious belief,’” Gertmenian said. He added, “At some point, the state needs to step in for the betterment of the community.”

Likewise, Maine’s legislators must take off their personal blinders and legislate for the common good of both the schools and overall society, as well as communities in general.

Similarly, I feel that voting “yes” on both of the new Auburn high school funding questions would result in a positive step forward for all Auburn residents and reflect the city slogan, “No steps backward.”

Bob Mennealy, Auburn


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