Our View
Viditorial: Excess revenue means turnpike tolls are too high
Sponsor Rep. Richard Cebra, R-Naples, is co-chairman of the Legislature’s Transportation Committee and calls his bill, LD 1538, the “turnpike authority restart bill,” according to the Portland Press Herald. The authority has come under fire in recent months, following an audit by the Legislature’s Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability. Most notably, the OPEGA […]
Cracking down on welfare cheats is everyone’s job
It is impossible to know exactly how much welfare fraud costs taxpayers, but the toll is easily in the billions. The Los Angeles Times reported in October that 24 percent of new applications for government benefits in San Diego County contained fraudulent information. The county prosecutor later softened that a bit, explaining that “discrepancies” would […]
Bin Laden’s death shows justice prevails
We will refrain from flag waving and fist pumping today, although we certainly understand those who feel like celebrating. But we will not pretend that the death of Osama Bin Laden, the self-proclaimed force behind the attacks of 9/11, isn’t satisfying. It is. Evil leaves a hole in our conscience that is only filled when […]
Newspapers carving out a new tomorrow
We rarely write about ourselves in this column, but people keep asking — what’s happening to the newspaper industry? A lot, thank you, and most of it good. We do appreciate that readers are concerned about the challenges our business has faced over the past three years. Many have heard about the handful of metro […]
A look back at the week’s news
Raising the tax on cigarettes saves lives because higher prices create greater hurdles for people to buy tobacco products, especially cash-strapped teens. If we’re serious about curbing teen smoking, making the habit more expensive makes sense. Does it also make it harder for low-income people to buy smokes? Yes. Will it mean some smaller businesses […]
More deaths call into question Afghan mission
In December we asked our Congressional delegation to ponder whether the war in Afghanistan is worth the price we’re paying. That was just after the death of 24-year-old Pvt. Buddy W. McLain of Peru, the latest of more than 50 Mainers to die during the past decade in Iraq and Afghanistan. After 10 years of […]
Roadside signs banned in Maine for good reason
Based upon our unscientific polling, two bills to ease restrictions on roadside signs are not popular. That’s based upon the wrinkled-nose look people get when they hear about the idea, as if they have just encountered an unpleasant odor. That look is usually accompanied by a little tilt of the head, indicating puzzlement, as if […]
H.S. education can be a Maine export
The idea that public school departments in Maine should be allowed to develop and market Phoenix-style online courses makes a lot of sense, especially in Auburn where the City Council has just asked the School Committee to trim $2.5 million from its proposed budget. Last week, we reported on LD 938, a concept developed by […]
Legislature poised to permit State House guns
It’s bizarre to think we opened this year’s legislative session talking about using metal detectors to screen State House visitors. That was just after the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and others in Arizona. Four months later, the Legislature is poised to do just the opposite — guarantee pistol-packing people access to the State […]