Sen. Susan Collins should consider these questions — What will historians write about her legacy? And, will she be profiled as a champion and defender of the health and welfare of her constituents, or will she leave her mark as a simple smudge on the wall?

Maine has an outstanding role model for a public servant in Margaret Chase Smith. Collins, at this point in her career, does not hold a candle to the likes of Smith.

Senate Majority Leader MItch McConnell promised Collins an “ironclad” commitment to stabilize health insurance premiums for millions of citizens. Escalating premiums and deductibles have driven about 10,000 Mainers over a health care “cliff,” where they can barely afford coverage thanks to a vulnerability in the Affordable Care Act exploited by the actions of the Trump administration.

Collins says that she is pro-choice — it is now time to prove it. I ask her to break with Trump in order to beat Kavanaugh and save Roe v. Wade, gay marriage and Obamacare.

Collins helped give us undeniably the worst secretary of education in the history of the United States. On Jan. 30, 2017, I personally handed 12,939 petitions signed by Collins’ constituents to her Portland office aide. These petitions, and those that were delivered to Collins’ other offices that day, demanded that she vote “no” on Betsy DeVos in committee and possibly on the Senate floor.

What will historians write as Collins’ legacy? What does she hope they will write? She has the opportunity to be profiled more like the distinguished Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, or to be described as an “also-ran” that simply did not care.

What is her choice?

Dr. Richard L. Jorgensen

Portland

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