When you talk about guns, it’s worth pondering the World War II generation. Millions of American men joined the military, were taught how to use a military weapon and then carried it into war for three or four years. Then they came home, got jobs, got married, bought houses and raised children. What’s interesting is […]
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Casino project always intended in three phases
A judge’s decision last week that the Maine Department of Environmental Protection should have considered the entire casino project in Oxford County during the permitting process raises an interesting procedural question. On one hand, the Androscoggin River Alliance feels the entire three-stage project should have been reviewed and permitted at the same time. Superior Court […]
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Congress fiddles as crisis looms
“The Americans will always do the right thing,” Winston Churchill reportedly said, “after they have exhausted all the alternatives.” We hope that’s still true, but it seems increasingly doubtful. A good argument can now be made that Congress is the biggest danger to our economy and our national security, and the low-key chairman of the Federal […]
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Calling to end robo-advocacy
On July 11, parents of Auburn children in grades seven through 12 received an automated phone call informing them of a proposal before the School Committee to institute late-start Wednesdays in the middle and high schools. The parents received a second call on July 16. Robo-calls. We all get them, but how many of us […]
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Handy’s dissent out of character, out of bounds
There is a time and a place for principled dissent, and we respect elected leaders who are not afraid to make one. So we could have respected long-time Lewiston School Committee member Jim Handy’s decision to vote against a majority of his colleagues Monday night. But when he said a fellow committee member was ready […]
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Report shows Maine lags in student scores
Critics may quibble about the details, but Gov. Paul LePage’s characterization of a recent Harvard study is correct: Maine’s investment in educational improvement is paying “pathetic” returns. A close reading of the study — Achievement Growth: International and U.S. State Trends in Student Performance — shows the governor isn’t exaggerating. What we are doing is […]
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New policy allows more to die at home
When we learned of a new statewide policy allowing EMTs to leave dead people in their homes it sounded callous, like a dump-and-run scheme designed to benefit ambulance companies. But after some research and talking to state officials, we understand it as a justifiable response to changing times and technology. But it may take some time […]
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A taxing comparison to Maine
In the first quarter of this year, state governments across the country collected $189,761,000,000 in taxes of all kinds, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. Add in local taxes, and we 312.8 million Americans paid $325,285,000,000 in the first quarter of 2012. Oodles more in federal taxes. Collectively, Americans paid $4.7 billion more in state […]
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Withholding confirmation, a new museum
A seat on the bench of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has been vacant for a year. That court hears appeals in trial court cases originating in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Puerto Rico and Maine. Justice William Kayatta has been nominated to fill that vacancy, and he has the support […]
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A political spat over health care
It would be fair to say that Gov. Paul LePage is not thrilled with Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. It would be equally fair to say that Pingree is not overly happy with LePage, either. Their philosophical disagreements about health care (and countless other things) didn’t begin on Monday, but Monday may have marked the start of […]