I live off of Poverty Lane along with my dog, Lucy. There are many trails and roads to walk her in this neighborhood. However, I have discovered that she enjoys a break from the woodsy neighborhood and has herself discovered that downtown Lebanon is a source of entirely new smells. So we take urban walks several times a week around Colburn Park, the pedestrian mall and behind the Carter Community Building Association.
Over the course of the winter, we discovered that the west end of the mall near Hanover Street was literally covered in pigeon droppings and the sidewalks and the railings in front of River Valley College were disgusting. You could not take a step, nor could Lucy, without the droppings being underfoot.
One recent Sunday morning, while walking Lucy, I ran into my neighbor, Tim McNamara, our mayor and city councilor. I told him about the problem on the mall and asked what could be done. He told me he would look into it. That Tuesday afternoon, Lucy and I were once again on an urban walk. When we approached the west end of the mall I was stunned. The sidewalks were clean, the railings were clean, the whole appearance had changed. McNamara had brought my concern to Shaun Mulholland, our city manager, who in turn had asked the Department of Public Works to eliminate this eye- and nose-sore.
In a time when cynicism about government runs rampant, I was delighted that action had taken place so quickly. Kudos to Tim McNamara, Shaun Mulholland and the DPW for doing their part in making Lebanon a great place to live.
WILLIAM KOPPENHEFFER
Lebanon
Willem Lange’s wit and wisdom have thankfully survived the cavalry charges and spelling bees. His “A Yankee Notebook” column from Feb. 26, a nostalgia trip to the “simple days of knot-tying and incinerating Spanish rice over open fires,” hit home again. Memories of Boy Scout Troop 149 meetings in Toronto, Ohio, popped into my mind: bowlines, World War II veteran Scout leaders teaching us to march, merit badges, “Be Prepared,” and silly but sober initiations.
Lange has reflected on aging institutions and aging humans many times. “Old age is like a cavalry charge or a spelling bee. Look around and people are missing,” is one of my favorites. I want to thank the Valley News and Willem Lange now for years of good journalism, before Will and I go missing.
WILLIAM YOUNG
Hanover
I am writing to you to put on the record right now an important fact. If our country has a mild brush with this coronavirus epidemic, it will be because of those people who “overreacted” and acted with an abundance of caution.
One of the pieces of advice is for employees who are ill to stay home. The government is apparently thinking of a tax cut. That is wrong. The government should put its money behind compensating those who take the advice to stay home if ill, so they can do so without endangering their financial situation. I expect that workers will be told to go home when their employer sees signs of illness. Many of them will be retail workers with no sick pay available. A tax cut will mean nothing to them. Or their landlords or mortgage holders.
I just canceled a trip to a much-awaited event. My friend says I am overreacting. She is traveling in the near future to a secluded place and doing nature walks. I was headed to a large convention with people from all over the country for presentations in very crowded conference rooms. When debating whether to go with my traveling companion, the decision was tipped toward canceling. Not because we are in the vulnerable population — we are healthy enough to hope or expect any infection we got from this virus to be mild — but because we both interact daily with people who are not in the best of health. Actually, given the aging population of New Hampshire, that is true for most of us.
The naysayers who call this a hoax now may try to claim there was nothing to be concerned about. I hope this country is able to deal with this health danger without major disruptions to our daily lives. If we control the epidemic, it will be a result of the personal sacrifices and precautions of those who looked at the medical facts and reacted properly.
LANEA WITKUS
Newport
“Electability.” This mantra and political concept has been touted and drummed by most of the media and their inane pundits as being “the big issue” in the race between Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination as to who is best able to win over President Donald Trump. Poppycock!
“The issue” in beating Trump is turnout. Sanders could have beaten Trump in 2016, but the Democratic establishment conspired to put forth former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as the candidate. This tired old trope — that the people want a “moderate” or centrist candidate — has been proven fatal, as seen by the losses of Al Gore, John Kerry and Clinton. (I contend that Clinton lost to Obama in the primary because America was and is more misogynist than racist.)
The people, especially the young, the educated, those of color, urban and suburban, women and others, as seen in poll after poll, want Sanders and are excited by the issues he has focused on all his political life — environment, health care, higher education, etc., etc. This newly energized electorate will be turned off by a “safe” and moderate Democratic candidate. Some of this electorate will bite the bullet and vote against Trump and for the Democratic candidate, but not enough of them will be energized to really get out the vote to counteract the Trump loyalists.
I urge Democratic Party members (especially the older ones), and independents to advocate for, work for and vote for the one Democratic candidate who can appeal to the energy and positions of the key electorate that will beat Trump — Bernie Sanders.
PHILIP ELLER
Norwich
Ever-angry Sen. Bernie Sanders wants to raise everyone’s taxes, give free health care to people here illegally, destroy millions of energy-related jobs, replace insurance with government health care, throw billions at a pie-in-the-sky Green New Deal, enact new cradle-to-grave government entitlements, et al. And he has no clue as to what it will all cost or how to pay for it.
So this is what democratic socialism looks like.
JEFF LEHMANN
Lyme Center
Acknowledging what may have been Roger Small’s “last letter to the Forum” (March 4), hopefully he or his caregivers will see this response, gratefully noting his hundreds of contributions over the last 30 years. Also, thank you, Valley News, for providing a forum for civic discourse in our community.
RICHARD McNULTY
Hanover