The Soapbox

Want to get up on your Soapbox? Beg to differ with someone else’s POV? Opinion-driven articles are welcome. Send submissions to Carol Robidoux at carolrobidoux@manchesterinklink.com for consideration.

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Point of View

Schools need to be part of strategy to combat opioid and heroin epidemic

Sunday, December 18, 2016 Carol Robidoux 0

The statistics for a few states are critical, and include: West Virginia, New Hampshire, Utah and New Mexico, among others. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf signed five new bills recently to fight the heroin epidemic, all address treatment, none about prevention — a serious oversight yet consistent with the emphasis upon treatment in our health care system. READ MORE

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The Soapbox

Labor Day: Honor history, and do Election Day homework to preserve workers’ rights

Monday, September 5, 2016 Carol Robidoux 1

As the 2016 elections bear down on us, we need to remember to only support those who put working people first. Those who will fight to protect our rights to collectively bargain, will work to make it easier for workers to organize, will advocate for Project Labor Agreements, fight to protect our retirement systems, and work to ensure that all working people have access to affordable healthcare. READ MORE

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Point of View

Mayor Gatsas’s PR stunts will not solve the substance abuse crisis

Friday, March 4, 2016 Office of Mayor Joyce Craig 2

In what the Mayor himself acknowledged was nothing more than a measure to get media attention, he is now pushing for a 21-day State of Emergency to be called to raise public awareness of this important issue. The notion that we can solve this crisis by increasing public awareness at a time when families across our city know far too well about its devastating toll is absurd. Empty rhetoric in the face of a state-wide health crisis does nothing but put more people at risk. READ MORE

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Featured News

Beyond walls: Let’s solve addiction before we raise another generation of broken adults

Friday, February 26, 2016 Carol Robidoux 1

This is a problem that can’t be fixed overnight, and maybe not in the next presidency, but if a 24 year-old from New Hampshire can understand and explain some of the basic issues connected to this crisis, we need to expect the leaders of our country to do so also, instead of sticking to narrow-minded pipe dreams for their own political benefit. This isn’t a partisan issue. This is a common sense issue. And it is also an issue of life or death for the millions of Americans struggling with opioid dependence. READ MORE

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Point of View

Can access to nature lead to smarter, kinder children and communities?

Friday, February 19, 2016 Carol Robidoux 0

The average American child spends four to seven minutes a day playing outside, and more than seven hours a day in front of a computer, tablet, phone, TV, or other type of screen, according to the Child Mind Institute. What impact does this have on learning, social skills, and health? Among the consequences of children spending less time outdoors are increasing obesity rates, increasingly sedentary lifestyles, and a lack of appreciation and understanding of the world around them and something called ‘nature deficit disorder,’ according to research from the Kaiser Family Foundation. READ MORE