Some ideas float like lead balloons, and others get traction only to get stuck in the muck of controversy. So, suggesting that Maine take some of its surplus and send it to Poland and Hungary to help them deal with the Ukrainian refugee crisis may seem nuts.

But, why not? Very few of us have any idea what it is like to be forced at gunpoint to leave our homes, to say nothing of our state and country with little more than what we can carry.

Instead of using $75,000 and $150,000 as the cut-off for receiving “rebates,” I wonder why those figures can’t be reduced by $25,000 and $50,000 respectively. That extra money could be taken and sent through the State Department, or even several respectable relief organizations.

It can’t be that difficult to recalculate these numbers and help those who are far worse off than we are here in Maine.

Mark Wood, Poland