Jacob Posik

Jacob Posik, of Turner, is the director of communications at The Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC) and the editor of The Maine Wire. He formerly served as a policy analyst at MHPC. Posik can be reached at jposik@mainepolicy.org.

Citizens' Initiative

More victories for ballot initiative transparency

Governor Janet Mills on Thursday, June 20 signed into law LD 534, sponsored...
Inside Augusta

Bill to adopt national popular vote compact fails in Maine House

The Maine House voted to reject a bill Thursday that would bind the...
Citizens' Initiative

Governor Mills signs bill to increase transparency in ballot initiative process

Governor Janet Mills yesterday signed LD 1209, “An Act To Require Legislative Hearings...
Citizens' Initiative

Progressive groups seek to solidify their referendum racket

Lawmakers on Maine’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee today will consider a bill...
Inside Augusta

How to submit testimony via the Legislature’s new online system

Background The Legislature has developed a new automated tool for submitting electronic testimony....
Inside Augusta

Mainers have been so active this session, the legislature has new procedures for submitting testimony

It’s true – citizens have been so active this session that the Maine...
Labor

Fair Workweek bill fails miserably in committee

This morning, lawmakers on the Labor and Housing Committee held a public hearing...
Education

Efforts to undermine public charter schools only hurt Maine students

A lawmaker from Portland appears to have a personal vendetta against public charter...
Biennial Budget

Governor Mills’ budget sets up Maine for fiscal ruin

The Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC) on Monday released a new analysis of...
Election Center

In Maine, National Popular Vote makes your vote meaningless

There is no doubt that our Founding Fathers feared tyranny of the majority,...
Energy Policy

A carbon tax would hurt Maine’s most vulnerable

Lawmakers on the Energy, Utilities and Technology committee on Thursday, Feb. 28 will...
Citizens' Initiative

How lawmakers can add much-needed transparency to the ballot initiative process

Lawmakers on the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing...
Occupational Licensing

It shouldn’t be so hard to earn a living in Maine

Occupational licensing exists as a mechanism for government to promote public health and...
Inside Augusta

Home sharing should never be a crime in Maine

Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government today is holding a...
Citizens' Initiative

Maine should end tax increases at the ballot box

This week, lawmakers on the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee will hold a...
Biennial Budget

Gov. Mills’ budget grows Maine government to unsustainable levels

Maine Gov. Janet Mills is trying to pass off her budget proposal, released...
Commentary

New York governor has revelation: Progressive tax policies are hurting his state

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo may have come to his senses on tax...
Daily Catch

Mandatory snow tire bill has been withdrawn

Approximately 96 hours after this publication questioned the merits of a bill to...
Commentary

Legislators can take steps to prevent Maine’s coming regulatory storm

This piece first appeared in the Portland Press Herald. During her recent inaugural...
Daily Catch

Police checkpoints for snow tires?

As previously highlighted in this publication, there are a number of strange, ridiculous...
Inside Augusta

It didn’t take long for tax increases to be proposed in Augusta

It was only a matter of time, right? In a piece that read...
Inside Augusta

New analysis shows there are 113,862 regulatory restrictions on the books in Maine

The 2018 Code of Maine Rules is home to 113,862 restrictions and 8.1...
Minimum Wage

Big labor still wants to eliminate Maine’s tip credit

Despite widespread opposition throughout the state among all levels of restaurant staff, big...
Inside Augusta

Why must new vehicles be inspected?

Vehicles are far safer and more reliable than they were nearly a century...
Daily Catch

Maine progressives continue to offer misleading information about the minimum wage

In an article published Thursday on the Maine Beacon – the online opinion...
Inside Augusta

What issues will Maine lawmakers debate in 2019?

At the start every new legislature, Maine’s Office of the Revisor of Statutes...
Commentary

Maine taxpayers cannot afford the costs of universal health care

Among the many harebrained schemes that will be considered in the Maine Legislature...
News

Is the three percent surtax back from the dead?

During the biennial budget battle in 2017 that led to Maine’s first government...
News

Mills calls for solar panels on the Blaine House in inaugural address

It is a “new day” in Augusta according to Janet Mills, who became...
Education

Lawsuit seeks to undo exclusion of religious schools from Maine’s school choice program

Maine’s town tuitioning program, first adopted in 1873, is the second oldest school choice...
Daily Catch

New ordinance diminishes the rights of property owners in South Portland

When struggling to make ends meet, conventional wisdom tells us we have few...
Election Center

Maine voters reject Question 1

After a yearlong campaign of misinformation waged by the supporters of Question 1,...
News

New report details devastating impacts of Question 1

The Maine Heritage Policy Center on Tuesday, Oct. 23 released a new study...
Citizens' Initiative

MPA’s Question 1 talking points now refuted by one of their own

The Maine People’s Alliance (MPA) is pushing a ballot initiative – Question 1...
Election Center

Maine’s ballot initiative process serves outside interests, not Maine people.

Today the Maine Heritage Policy Center released its newest report, “The Will of...
News

Buckeye Institute secures post-Janus victories for public employees in Maine, Minnesota

On Thursday, July 26, two public-sector unions in Maine and Minnesota granted a...
Commentary

Licensing reform can help attract talent to Maine

Policymakers are always asking: ‘What can we do to attract young, talented people...
Occupational Licensing

DPFR serves as the Legislature’s collective slush fund

Occupational licensing is supposed to protect the public from unqualified professionals whose goods...
Taxes

Supporters of Universal Home Care initiative wage war of misinformation

Since the upcoming Universal Home Care (UHC) initiative sponsored by the Maine People’s...
Occupational Licensing

Why do lawmakers choose licensing?

Despite economists on both sides of the aisle agreeing that occupational licensing laws...
Daily Catch

Secretary of State Dunlap finalizes ballot language for Universal Home Care initiative

After accepting public comment for 30 days on the wording of the upcoming...
Occupational Licensing

Maine licensing regimes separate qualified professionals from meaningful employment

Kimberly Fichthorn exemplifies what Maine is looking for. A 47-year-old transplant from Texas,...
Commentary

Where is all the civility we were promised?

The days are winding down until the June 12th primary elections take place,...
Labor

Forget the minimum wage – licensing reform will help lift Mainers out of poverty

Despite its relatively minimal impact on Maine workers, the labor issue presently garnering...
Education

Scarborough residents successfully recall three sitting school board members

Something beautiful happened this week – something that should scare every elected official...
Commentary

Why are young people fleeing Seattle?

After years of its status as a beacon of opportunity for young people,...
Inside Augusta

Adjournment fiasco underscores dysfunctional legislative session

The clock struck midnight, but what did that mean? The second regular session...
Citizens' Initiative

Maine lawmakers must enact ballot initiative reform

Maine still has a chance to fix its broken ballot initiative process this...
Education

It’s time to repeal proficiency-based diplomas

On Monday, April 9, at 1:30 p.m., Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Education...
Inside Augusta

Will Mainers get the chance to weigh in on Universal Home Care?

If you were pushing one of the largest tax hikes in history on Maine citizens,...
Election Center

Maine has a ranked-choice disaster on its hands

Yesterday, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced that “ranked-choice voting can’t occur...
Commentary

MPA seeks to increase taxes on hardworking Mainers by $310 million

A lot of ink has been spilled detailing the catastrophic consequences of crafting...
Education

Wednesday’s nationwide walkout has no place in public schools

The nationwide school walkout scheduled for Wednesday, March 14 at 10 a.m. is...
Child Care

BDN child care editorial misses the mark

The Editorial team at the Bangor Daily News (BDN) held onto my recently...
Education

Proficiency-based education is failing Maine students

Maine’s experimental education model, proficiency-based learning, has received strong pushback in recent weeks...
Inside Augusta

Maine should resist taxing the ‘sharing economy’

The sharing economy, including platforms like Lyft, Uber and Airbnb, present new and...
Child Care

What makes child care so expensive? Overregulation.

Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services recently held public hearing...
Inside Augusta

Emergency bill brings common sense reform to in-home care services

One of the few bills making it through Legislative Council this session that...
Minimum Wage

Maine’s minimum wage is unworkable for small, rural employers

Maine employers have been struggling to meet the demands of Question 4 since...
Labor

Boxers, dietitians and interior designers; Maine’s licensing regimes go too far

Occupational licensing is intended to safeguard the public from unqualified, incompetent charlatans whose...
News

Maine’s grassroots restaurant group takes tip credit fight to national stage

In 2016, Maine voters approved Question 4, a measure that incrementally increases Maine’s...
News

What is an emergency? Nobody knows

Legislation in the second session of each Maine Legislature is reserved for the...
Labor

Maine is in desperate need of occupational licensing reform

Every American citizen should have the right to earn a living and the...
National

Senate to consider gun reciprocity bill opposed by Bloomberg

The US House of Representatives passed a concealed carry reciprocity bill on Dec....
Commentary

Does Maine really need a vehicle inspection program?

The Portland Press Herald on Sunday, Nov. 26 published an article highlighting recent...
Medicaid Expansion

Maine cannot afford another Medicaid expansion

Maine voters will decide tomorrow at the ballot box whether to expand Medicaid...
Commentary

Question 2 supporters accused of pushing ‘unethical’ ads on social media

Lies and deceit continue from the campaign pushing for Medicaid expansion, or Question...
Inside Augusta

Legislature votes to delay and potentially repeal ranked-choice voting

The Maine Legislature voted on Monday to delay the implementation of ranked-choice voting...
Inside Augusta

Maine’s ranked-choice voting law still needs 16 amendments for proper implementation

For those who attended or streamed the public hearing for LD 1646, “An...
Commentary

Ranked-choice voting advocates bend the truth at public hearing

A bill to implement ranked-choice voting in Maine, LD 1646, introduced by Kent...
Citizens' Initiative

The new Ranked-Choice Voting bill is still unconstitutional

The Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs will convene on Monday, Oct. 16...
Citizens' Initiative

MPA unveils plan to raise taxes on Maine families

If you (and your wallet) are fed up with progressive tax-and-spend ballot initiatives,...
Healthcare

Mainers receiving sick robocall: “Don’t Let Them Kill Our Baby!”

As the debate continues to rage in Congress over the final push...
Daily Catch

Unlawful rental registries: Coming soon to a city near you

In July, the city of Sanford enacted a rental registry program that has...
Daily Catch

Democratic Secretary of State gift wraps ballot language for supporters of Question 2

After accepting feedback from Maine citizens throughout a 30-day public comment period, Democratic...
News

Former Maine GOP chair endorses Brakey for U.S. Senate

Sen. Eric Brakey received the endorsement of former Maine Senate President and Maine...
Inside Augusta

Pair of high-profile Republican lawmakers eyeing gubernatorial bid

Two leading conservative lawmakers, Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason of Lisbon and House...
In Depth

Teamsters union bullies town of Paris to no avail

Residents of Paris, Maine exited their homes on Aug. 18 in the humid...
Citizens' Initiative

There is nothing fair about ‘Fair Rent Portland’

There is not a group of like-minded thinkers as counterproductive as liberals. With...
Medicaid Expansion

Is Medicaid contributing to the opioid crisis?

On Wednesday, the editorial board at the Wall Street Journal penned an enlightening...
Citizens' Initiative

Medicaid Expansion: Taxpayer-funded health care for adults and noncitizens

It’s imperative that government spends public funds in the best interest of its...
Medicaid Expansion

Cost overruns a certainty with Medicaid expansion

The Office of Fiscal and Program Review released the fiscal note for the...
Medicaid Expansion

Maine’s dysfunctional experiment with Medicaid expansion

This November, Maine voters will be asked whether they want to expand Medicaid...
Medicaid Expansion

Medicaid expansion jeopardizes services for the truly needy

Proponents of Medicaid expansion often assert that expansion insures more people and leads...
Minimum Wage

The corrupt link between Seattle’s ‘Fight for $15’ and Berkeley researchers

After Question 4 passed at the ballot box last November, an organization called...
News

Legislature overrides LePage veto, raises legal age to purchase tobacco

The Maine Legislature voted to override Governor Paul LePage’s veto of LD 1170...
Citizens' Initiative

This is Maine’s last shot at ballot initiative reform

An important bill offering ballot initiative reform will be reconsidered by the Senate...
Medicaid Expansion

Reject Medicaid Expansion

The Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC) released its newest original research report, Reject...
Medicaid Expansion

Medicaid expansion will not end Maine’s opioid epidemic

Dedicating more public funds to a government program is not a measure of...
Daily Catch

Maine’s fiscal year ends with $111 million surplus

According to Gov. Paul LePage and his administration, the state of Maine has...
Commentary

LePage to Maine lawmakers: Stop ‘social engineering’ society

Gov. Paul LePage vetoed two overreaching proposals on Tuesday, blasting the bills as...
Citizens' Initiative

Chipman leads Senate Democrats in rejecting ballot initiative reform

An important bill offering ballot initiative reform was voted down in the Senate...
Commentary

LePage’s fiscal policies are stabilizing Maine’s finances

Since being sworn into office in 2011, Gov. Paul LePage has taken necessary...
Education

Money will never end Maine’s education woes

Democrats can pretend to have made out like bandits in budget negotiations, but...
Minimum Wage

Seattle offers a chilling example for Maine on minimum wage

There are numerous anecdotal reasons that conservatives oppose raising the minimum wage. Doing...
Medicaid Expansion

Expanding Medicaid means more taxes for working Mainers

Health care is perhaps the most complex and contentious issue being debated throughout...
Welfare

House Democrats’ vote allows out-of-state welfare spending to continue

Maine Democrats want welfare dollars, collected from the hardworking taxpayers of Maine, to...
Healthcare

Mainers earn the ‘Right to Shop’ for medical services

Due to the hard work and dedication of a number of conservative leaders...
Inside Augusta

Mainers deserve better than rushed budget deals

Where is the accountability in Augusta? Lawmakers agreed on Tuesday to establish a...
Minimum Wage

Maine’s tip credit appears destined for reinstatement

The Restaurant Workers of Maine received a major victory Tuesday when the Maine...

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