Before the Auburn City Council cuts funding to 14 social service agencies, let’s be clear about two things:First, the $43,250 in question represents 7/100ths of 1 percent of the city’s total school and municipal budget. In other words, it’s a microscopic sliver of the city’s total expenses.Second, the city finds itself in this operating-budget bind […]

The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) convened a meeting in Washington last week to urge their mostly conservative Christian leaders to tone down “dangerous” and “unhelpful” remarks about Islam. Concerns were raised over comments by the Revs. Franklin Graham, Pat Robertson and others that Islam is inherently “wicked” and violent. NAE leaders worry that such […]

Healthy debate to startIf health care is truly our top concern, Thursday will be a banner day at the State House.Tomorrow, Gov. Baldacci’s long-awaited health care reform measure officially goes before lawmakers for review and debate.The legislation has been both hailed as a solution and dismissed as a cure worse than our chronic inadequate health […]

Conservatives frequently and rightly accuse liberals of inconsistency in interpreting the federal Constitution, particularly on the Second Amendment.The Second protects the “right to keep and bear arms,” the right-wingers quote our primordial document. Why aren’t the liberals, they ask, as fervent about that amendment as they are about the First Amendment, which protect the “right” […]

Maine appears to have lost account of $19 million in federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program funds. There is, amazingly enough, no paper or electronic money trail.If not found, the federal government may require Maine to return the funds, making this a $38 million accounting error.There is no accusation of criminal intent here, just […]

Every so often you come across evidence that a political party is losing its mind. Something like that is happening to Democrats over President Bush’s fabulous “top gun” photo-op aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. It’s a case study in how Bush and Karl Rove have left so many Democrats undone.Rep. Henry Waxman of California […]

Project Vote Smart is a little known political watchdog that works diligently to educate voters about candidates and their platforms. The major political parties don’t like the scrutiny and are advising candidates not to answer pre-election questions.Huh?Candidates running for office, purportedly campaigning for our support, are being told to keep silent on the issues voters […]

Extendingrules ofeligibilityOn Wednesday, an announcement was made that for the first time since anyone can remember, there would be no Memorial Day parade in Rumford and Mexico.By Friday, the parade was back on. Too many people expected and wanted a traditional observance honoring local veterans.The decision to cancel the parade had been made because there […]

If you go to the state tourism Web site and try to request information about our area, you may just pick the wrong area.Maybe we need a name.We’re not Portland. We’re certainly not Portland. (Not that there’s anything wrong with Portland.)Nor do we aspire to be Portland. On this we can all agree.And we’re not […]