Sen. Angus King may have gotten a little carried away last week when he denounced those trying to prevent uninsured people from signing up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act as “guilty of murder.” But only a little. King feels passionately about this issue, in part because he credits the availability of health […]
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Manufacturing a better way to get stuff done
Congress is prepared to put $1 billion on the table to fund up to 15 distinct networks designed to spawn innovation in manufacturing. Maine is interested in the money, but given the level of competition we’re facing, we have no hope of getting in on the action without joining a consortium of states as part […]
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Shutdown OK; default on debt, likely disastrous
If you’re like most Americans outside the Washington beltway, the “shutdown” of the federal government has had little or no impact on your life thus far. A group of Republicans are staging what amounts to another in a series of protest maneuvers designed to draw attention to their opposition to Obamacare. They are making a […]
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Passing on ‘dumb’ joke not a smart idea
Maine is the dumbest state in the nation. The Internet says so. Just Google “Maine dumbest” and see what comes up. There’s a very colorful map currently making social media and blog rounds for probably the second or third time, with the title: “The United States of Shame,” and it purports to list what each […]
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ACA: Open enrollment starts on Tuesday. Study first.
Tuesday — Oct. 1 — is the first day Americans can sign up for health care plans created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. If you’re not completely sure about what to do, don’t rush into it. Coverage isn’t set to start until Jan. 1 and open enrollment doesn’t close until March 31, […]
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Jefferson would be proud of Franklin County
Franklin County commissioners have adopted a “take no prisoners” approach to getting their jail back. Euphemistically, of course. They actually want to take prisoners, to restore the Franklin County Detention Center to a full-service jail. In fact, they’ve begged the Department of Corrections to let them do that. But, after the DOC voted 5-2 last […]
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A journey of hope and healing
Heidi Conn does not have cancer. What she has is a real and deep understanding of the importance of treating emotional health. Conn will be one of thousands of people who will participate in next month’s Dempsey Challenge to support the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing. For her, the event is a […]
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Parents in best position to instill motivation
The biggest problem in U.S. education isn’t teachers. It isn’t funding. It isn’t public schools versus charter schools. It isn’t unions or teacher pensions, the choice of instructional system or educational standards. All important issues, but they are peripheral to the central problem — a culture where too many parents, and by extension their children, […]
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Editorial was misquoted in response
Responding to a Sun Journal editorial Sunday, four Maine legislators quoted a Sun Journal editorial several times, but once in error. The editorial in question never said the expansion of Medicaid in Maine would be funded by “free money,” as reported by Sen. Jim Hamper and Reps. Richard Malaby, Deb Sanderson and Heather Sirocki. The expansion […]
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Glad to get that big debt off our backs
All Mainers should stand a bit taller today knowing we have finally paid off some big debts we have been lugging around for a long time. Gov. Paul LePage visited Central Maine Medical Center on Wednesday to deliver an oversized Publishers Clearing House-style check for $43.4 million. There should be no doubt that the governor […]