It’s tax time. I know this because I’m staring at documents that make no sense to me, no matter how many beers I drink.Take, for example, my Keogh Plan. If you’re wondering what a Keogh Plan is, the technical answer is: Beats me. All I know is, I have one, and the people who administer […]

WASHINGTON – Here’s how Maine’s members of Congress were recorded on major roll call votes in the week ending April 4. HOUSE Deposit insurance Voting 411 for and 11 against, the House on April 2 passed a bill (HR 522) raising government insurance for deposits in banks, savings-and-loans and federally chartered credit unions from $100,000 […]

On Wednesday, at the invitation of Rep. Elaine Makas, D-Lewiston, some of the people who organized the anti-hate, pro-diversity rally in Lewiston in January came to the State House.Among them were Mark Schlotterbeck, organizer of the “Many&One” rally; Ruth Morrison, pastor of the Calvary United Methodist Church in Lewiston; church members Bonnie Ross and her […]

President Bush is being compared to the worst leaders in history and fiction. President Bush is Ahab, the mad captain in “Moby-Dick,” according to David Ignatius of The Washington Post and Richard Gere of the Hollywood left’s foreign desk. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman thinks Bush is Queeg, the mad captain of “The Caine […]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – If you’ve ever watched the popular TV show “Law & Order” or served on a criminal jury, you’ve seen how evasive tactics and rhetorical sleight-of-hand are used to muddy the law and befuddle jurors.Those same tactics are being used by opponents of President Bush’s March 2002 decision to impose tariffs on certain […]

WASHINGTON – The Bush administration has sought successfully to free and expand trade. Congress passed Trade Promotion Authority and Chile was added to the list of U.S. free-trade partners.The president has proposed a Free Trade Area of the Americas and is pursuing the Doha round of World Trade Organization negotiations in order to eliminate tariffs, […]

Q I once heard a story that the word “bedlam” actually originated from the name “Bethlehem.” How can this be true? – C. I., Yonkers, New York. A: “Bedlam” actually comes from the name of the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem, originally founded in 1247 as a priory in London for the order of […]

The Court of Peeves, Crotchets and Irks opens its April assizes with a petition from Stephanie Jackel of Savannah, Ga. She is joined by Charles Evans of Taylors, S.C., in asking a permanent injunction against “preventative.” Their motion will be granted, and one more especially irksome irk accordingly will be abolished.If “preventative” served any useful […]

Q I recently used the phrase “in like Flynn” and my wife had never heard it before. I began to wonder where the phrase came from and how it was first used. A: The phrase “in like Flynn” is something of a mystery to word enthusiasts. No record remains of exactly how the expression was […]

WASHINGTON – Here’s how Maine’s members of Congress were recorded on major roll call votes in the week ending March 28. HOUSE Crimes on children Voting 410 for and 14 against, the House on March 26 passed a bill (HR 1104) that toughens penalties for federal crimes involving the kidnapping, molestation and murder of children […]