President Barack Obama once said in the midst of the health care debate that he would rather be a one-term president who tackled tough issues than a two-term president who dodged them. If the president once believed that, his budget blueprint Monday showed he is now more concerned about winning a second term than providing […]
Our View
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Maine should join compact to protect wildlife
People who have their driver’s licenses suspended in another state aren’t allowed to drive in Maine. That’s thanks to something called the Driver’s License Compact recognized by all but four states. It has a simple motto, “One Driver, One License, One Record.” The same principle has been applied by 35 states to hunting, fishing, trapping […]
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Fireworks for our peace, health, safety
Among the more seriously misguided bills coming before the Maine Legislature this session is another attempt to legalize the sale, possession and use of fireworks. At least no one can say the bill’s author doesn’t have a sense of humor. The first sentence advises that it must be passed as an “emergency” so sellers can […]
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A look back at the week’s news
About 80 percent of current legislators ran their recent campaigns using Clean Election Act funds, including 90 percent of the Republican caucus. Of more interest is that every single newly seated senator was a Clean Election candidate. According to Alison Smith, co-president of Maine Citizens for Clean Elections, the numbers are an impressive demonstration of […]
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Our View: LePage plan less dramatic than expected
Current state employees are probably breathing a sigh of relief following Gov. Paul LePage’s promise Thursday not to conduct across-the-board cuts in state workers or payroll. The governor, in fact, was complimentary of the state work force, although he announced that a hiring freeze adopted during his predecessor’s term will continue. Most current state employees […]
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No money left for high-speed railroad project
If you can’t afford your mortgage payments, you can’t put an addition on your house. Yet that is exactly what the Obama administration proposes to do by spending $53 billion to kick off a new, high-speed rail-building project. Tuesday, Vice President Joe Biden, a longtime train rider and rail proponent, publicized the plan during a […]
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Energy group wasted money, got little done
Let’s imagine you are starting a business, ABC Consulting. You need 13 employees, including a manager. So you advertise, compare resumes, interview and check references before hiring. Then, on the first day of work you are having lunch with your new employees when one mentions he used to be a Democratic House member from Bangor. […]
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Anti-smoking bills will draw little support
Four ideas have been floated in the state Legislature to reduce smoking rates in Maine, most of them well-intentioned but unlikely to pass. The most controversial bill was crafted by Sen. Thomas Saviello, R-Franklin County, that would deny benefits to MaineCare recipients who smoke. Saviello proposed the bill at the behest of an unnamed constituent […]
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Apartments need repairs now, not later
A quarter of a million dollars will build a pretty nice home in Maine. Four and a half million dollars should be more than enough to build a 20-unit apartment building for senior citizens, a building that is not only attractive but sound and durable. Unfortunately, after only a year, the Birch Hill Apartments in […]
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A look back at the week’s news
What is Sen. Brian Langley thinking? He has proposed a change in state law to allow restaurant owners to share in employee tips. His proposal would also delete the requirement that business owners must pay tips charged to a credit card to the employee earning said tip in the very next paycheck. Grabbing tips and […]