Behind the posturing of elected politicians, there is an actual state government to be run, a government we expect to act efficiently, effectively and professionally. But judging by two recent revelations, some parts of state government are not being run that way at all. It has been reported that federal inspectors found troubling instances of […]
Our View
Posted inOur View
‘How does New Hampshire do it?’
That’s not just a headline, it’s the title of a report done in 2011 by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. While the data is a little dated, the report is as relevant today as it was two years ago. Gov. Paul LePage’s stated goal for a second term would be to eliminate Maine’s income […]
advertisement
Posted inOur View
Sabattus man gets firm rebuke for racist threat
Death threats of any kind should be taken seriously, whether they are against the president of the United States or the neighbor next door. Such statements assume a particularly sinister character when accompanied by an obviously racist slur. That’s what happened Tuesday when a Sabattus resident pronounced “Shoot the Ni—-“ on his Facebook page atop […]
Posted inOur View
Parents: Pick up the LMS PTO ball and run with it
Bravo to Lewiston Middle School principal Shawn Chabot and parents Heidi Sawyer and Marnie Morneault for tackling a start-up Parent Teacher Organization at Lewiston Middle School. Getting parents involved in their children’s school at this critical age can only be a good thing for all concerned. Study after study has shown that parent involvement in […]
Posted inOur View
Repeating the travesty of AMHI
In January an employee of Riverview Psychiatric Center was attacked by a resident who had been living there for the past seven years under court order, prompting federal regulators to tour the facility in March and again in May. Regulators uncovered dozens of deficiencies, some of which were so serious that the federal government is […]
Posted inOur View
We must not abandon Common Core
We tried setting education standards locally. Didn’t work. We tried having each state adopt and apply its own standards. But results varied wildly from state to state, leaving millions of children with inadequate educations. Finally, U.S. governors, educators and corporate leaders put their heads together and decided that children, to be successful adults and competitive […]
Posted inOur View
Comments again hurting state’s image
Maine and Gov. Paul LePage now own the space on the World Wide Web called “Obama hates white people.” And that’s a problem. Within hours of anonymous reports Monday that LePage had made the controversial remark, it had spread across a nation and an ocean. By midday Tuesday, a Google search for “Obama hates white […]
Posted inOur View
Bowen made positive contribution in Maine
Maine Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen was a constructive advocate for better education in Maine and he will be missed. Bowen announced Friday he will resign Sept. 12 to work for the national Council of Chief State School Officers. When Bowen was appointed in March of 2011 by Gov. Paul LePage, many feared we were in […]
Posted inOur View
U.S. should assume the best of military vets
The U.S. public will clearly not repeat the mistakes of the Vietnam era, when war veterans returned to a nation that failed to acknowledge their sacrifice and service. Veterans returning from America’s most recent wars are deservedly thanked and celebrated, personally and often publicly. But while we now recognize their service, there is another more […]
Posted inOur View
Need, greed: The issue that tops all others
Some Americans, feeling overtaxed and discouraged by the direction of their country, are thinking about renouncing their U.S. citizenship. That came up during small talk after a luncheon hosted Thursday by the Maine Heritage Policy Center at a Portland restaurant. High-income Americans, including some in Maine, are so fed up they are exploring the possibility […]