To the editor:
A year ago, I lost my job at Cary Medical Center and was forced to use food stamps just to put food on the table. I fell behind on my mortgage and car payments and had to negotiate with the bank so they wouldn’t repossess my car.
To make matters worse, my son lost the in-home services for the treatment of his special needs as a direct result of COVID. This, along with his school closing, sent him into a downward spiral.
Fortunately, some of the darkness of the last year has dissipated in recent months. I found purpose again with a new job working from home as a contact tracer. It pays well, keeps me safe and allows me to actively fight the pandemic, but the contract is only guaranteed for a year, or as long as there is a need. It could end at any time and without warning. I have no idea what we’ll do when it ends.
Good-paying jobs here in rural Maine are very limited. It was hard to find a good job before the pandemic and now it’s even harder. Therefore, we need the American Jobs Plan to create better job opportunities in Maine and throughout the country. In addition to jobs that pay well in Maine, I also need the $300 child tax credit provided by the American Families Plan. This additional income would be a godsend. It will go towards the bills associated with my son’s continuing special education needs, mental health, and future.
Personally, I don’t vote Republican or Democrat. I vote for the candidate that will support my son’s future. If Congressman Golden, Senator Collins, and Senator King do not support my son and I, and struggling Mainers like us, they will not have my vote. This isn’t about left or right. It’s a moment when our politicians need to put their party affiliations aside and do what’s right for the American people.
Ginger Voisine
Fort Fairfield
