New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman recently joked that every U.S. Ph.D. granted to a foreign student should have a green card attached to it. That’s because highly educated, foreign-born students are much more likely than most Americans to start businesses that eventually employ other people. Yet, instead of thinking about ways we can use […]
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Maine should impose ban on truck cell phones
Alabama trucker Kenneth Laymon had been on the road 13 hours and had traveled 437 miles when he punched a number into his cell phone. It was a short call. And his last. It ended when Laymon crashed head-on into a van carrying 12 people to a Mennonite wedding. Only two small children in the […]
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City needs to act on Kennedy Park eyesore
It’s high time Lewiston does something to remove or repair the hulking eyesore that sits in the central downtown park named for President John F. Kennedy. The rusted gazebo has been blocked off and its staircase removed since March of 2010. Built in 1868, the gazebo in Kennedy Park is of significant historical value to […]
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Adopting the cleaner lines makes sense
On Tuesday, the Legislature will convene a special session to consider competing congressional redistricting plans for Maine, or face court intervention. It could be a quick session. Republicans, who control the State House, are threatening to pass their plan by majority vote, shutting out the Democrats. If they do, that would bump up against Article […]
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A look back at the week’s news
Jeremy Record is a caring, responsible 10-year-old who was credited Wednesday with helping his grandmother’s neighbor after the man fell off a ladder. Not only did Record run for help as soon as 51-year-old Daniel Waite fell, he then went to the man to comfort him, shielding his eyes from the bright sun, and later […]
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Here in Maine, life the way it should be
What a wacky world it is. The day after Maine Secretary of State Charlie Summers publicly announced what most Mainers already knew — that there is no proven voter fraud among the state’s college students — a report titled “Civic Life in America” was released naming Maine tops in the nation in the percentage of […]
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GOP accusations are proved wrong
Last November, Maine GOP Chairman Charlie Webster took a well-earned bow as he was praised for orchestrating an impressive Republican sweep of the Blaine House and the State House. He was, his supporters declared, the “architect” of the Republican Party victory. Since then, some have questioned whether the architect has become unhinged in his zeal […]
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Are subsidies causing our obesity crisis?
Today, the U.S. PIRG Education Fund released a report that has a compelling title. It’s called “Apples to Twinkies: Comparing Federal Subsidies of Fresh Produce and Junk Food.” The study examines agricultural tax subsidies and how corn and soy subsidies — $5 billion last year — contribute to the nation’s obesity epidemic. And it is […]
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Truly poor depend on national fix
Former repairman Bill Ricker lives in Hartford in an aging trailer. His annual income is $12,036 in Social Security benefits, which is the average amount paid to Maine’s elders. He heats his home with kerosene, and last year spent $3,200 to stay warm. At last year’s prices, that’s more than 860 gallons of kerosene. Even […]
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Time in jail, then a lifetime of unemployment
When a criminal defendant stands before Justice MaryGay Kennedy in Androscoggin County Superior Court, prepared to enter a guilty plea, the judge runs through a standing list of cautions, including making sure the defendant is aware that a conviction can make it hard to find employment. She does it every time. It’s a worthy caution […]