Liam Sigaud
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Taxes
The inconvenient truth about Maine’s tax code
Every two years, the Maine Office of Tax Policy releases a lengthy report...
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Minimum Wage
CBO report shows $15 federal minimum wage would hurt US economy
A $15 federal minimum wage would wipe out 1.3 million low-income jobs and...
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Taxes
Maine’s estate tax should be repealed, not expanded
The effort to expand Maine’s estate tax, more aptly known as the “death...
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Education
Don’t cap Maine’s charter schools
As we approach the ten-year anniversary of Maine’s historic public charter school system,...
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Inside Augusta
How Augusta overcharges you for milk
To advocates of a limited public sector, there’s a lot to dislike about...
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Commentary
Should Maine and other states end state-run lotteries?
To an obdurate defender of economic theory’s central simplifying assumption — that people...
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Healthcare
Single-payer health care: rationed services, worse outcomes and exorbitant tax increases for all Mainers
For years in the Maine Legislature lawmakers have grappled with countless ideas to...
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Child Care
Government intervention in child care continues to hamper its affordability
Expanding access to affordable child care is of pressing concern to many Maine...
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Labor
‘Fair Workweek’ bill is anything but fair to workers who will suffer from its enactment
Lawmakers on Maine’s Labor and Housing Committee today will hold a public hearing...
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Minimum Wage
Maine’s higher minimum wage is doing tangible harm to young workers
Lawmakers in Augusta have proposed a spate of bills this session in an...
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Education
Maine needs more young people to skip four-year degrees and work in the trades
High school guidance counselors, parents and popular culture have spent decades telling young...
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In Depth
A better measure of poverty? Lawmakers say ‘No thanks’
Have you ever wondered where the poverty figures you read in the paper...
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Taxes
Governor Mills’ budget should include meaningful tax reforms
Governor Mills is preparing to unveil her budget proposal for the next biennium...
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Daily Catch
Maine towns should be more welcoming of tiny houses
The tiny house movement is not a panacea for all our housing woes....
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Fiscal
State and local governments are spending too much money
Much has been made — for good reason — of the federal government’s...
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Healthcare
Medicaid expansion is here. Now what?
For the second time in 17 years, Maine has expanded Medicaid. Governor Mills...
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Education
The costs of universal pre-K are not worth the benefits
It is no secret that the Mills administration and legislative Democrats are planning...
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Daily Catch
Work requirements dramatically boost earnings of Medicaid recipients
With Janet Mills poised to take control of the Blaine House in just...
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Healthcare
Could Maine’s PL 90 become the blueprint for new federal health care reform?
A federal judge’s ruling that the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) — Medicaid...
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Citizens' Initiative
‘The Will of the People’ and the home care hypocrisy
If you’ve followed Maine politics in the last two years, you know that...
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Education
Education in Maine is worse than you think
It’s no secret that Maine’s public K-12 education system needs work. Bloated bureaucracies...
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Daily Catch
Whoever wins, Maine’s next governor needs to address these challenges
After the sounds of boisterous campaign rallies fade and the realities of the...
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Daily Catch
Progressives try to debunk tax flight by ignoring the data
The Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) recently released an analysis of interstate...
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Minimum Wage
Reductions in child poverty not a result of minimum wage increases
Last month, the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) published a study on the...
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Daily Catch
Don’t expect higher minimum wages to reduce poverty
The standard objection to increasing the minimum wage is that it will result...
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Citizens' Initiative
Question 1 would devastate Maine’s economy
1,700 fewer Maine residents. 1,800 fewer workers in our labor force. 3,800 fewer...
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Citizens' Initiative
MPA continues to mislead the public on Universal Home Care
The latest in a long list of misrepresentations from the Maine People’s Alliance...
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Daily Catch
Work requirements are necessary to discourage Medicaid abuse
Ever since the Trump administration signaled its openness to work requirements for able-bodied...
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Medicaid Expansion
LePage and House Republicans spare Mainers big tax hike
Earlier this week, Maine House Republicans sustained Governor LePage’s veto of a bill to...
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Welfare
The earned income tax credit is Maine’s best anti-poverty program; let’s expand it
The biggest flaw in most social assistance programs — including TANF, SNAP, Medicaid,...
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Daily Catch
Corporate welfare cost Maine taxpayers $42.5 million in 2017
Economists have long criticized politicians’ penchant for creating narrow legal carveouts and targeted...
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Election Center
Thanks to ranked-choice voting, expect a spike in spoiled ballots
Advocates of ranked-choice voting (RCV) commonly claim that their preferred method of deciding...
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Welfare
Work requirements work, but don’t ask MECEP for a fair analysis
Last month, the Maine Center for Economic Policy posted an article on its...
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Labor
MECEP’s shoddy defense of the minimum wage ignores basic research methods
Earlier this year, the Maine Center for Economic Policy, a left-wing think tank,...
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Commentary
Critique of Maine’s Health Reform Law Misses the Mark
As Maine’s successful reforms to its health insurance market in 2011 continue to...
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Commentary
Time to Do Away With Inspection Stickers
Tired of being forced to have your car inspected every year? Do you...
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Citizens' Initiative
Effort to Expand Medicaid at the Ballot Box is Bad for Maine
They’re at it again. Having repeatedly failed to achieve Medicaid expansion through the...
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Commentary
Tax Flight is Real; Question 2 Would Make It Worse
Many liberal groups, including the Maine People’s Alliance, the Maine Center for Economic...
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Commentary
According to New Study, Education Equality Would Be Worse Under Question 2
This week, the Maine School Management Association (MSMA) – a nonprofit comprised of...
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Commentary
LePage Is Right—Maine Has Too Many State Employees
Last week, a memo was leaked to the press outlining the LePage administration’s...
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Commentary
Question 4: Eliminating the Tip Credit Is Bad for Business
In the last few months, The Maine Wire has drawn attention to the...
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Commentary
Regulations Drive Up Cost of Child Care in Maine
For many families with young children, especially single-parent households, child care is critical...
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Commentary
It Takes 1,500 Hours to Become a Barber in Maine
Your barber has to get government permission to cut hair, or risk jail...
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Commentary
Minimum Wage Advocates More Concerned with Soundbites than Responsible Public Policy
As The Maine Wire has repeatedly shown here, here and here, proponents of a...
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Commentary
Mainers Are One Step Closer to Affordable Health Care
Today, the state Senate voted on a party-line vote of 20-15 to pass...
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Commentary
Medicaid Expansion Bill Before HHS Committee Today
Following the scheduled public hearings and work sessions today, the Health and Human...
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Commentary
Madison Mill to Close, Laying Off 214 Workers
On Monday, Madison Paper Industries announced its decision to close, laying off 214...
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Commentary
Solutions That Work for Maine
For several years in a row, Maine’s business climate has ranked among the...
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Commentary
Don’t Increase the Minimum Wage
Proponents of a higher minimum wage, led by the Maine People’s Alliance, have...
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Commentary
Occupational Licensing Needs Reform
Among the many deeply flawed and harmful regulations and rules passed by Maine...
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Commentary
Repairing the Government-Business Relationship
Over the past few months, I’ve spoken with dozens of business owners about...
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In Depth
To Help Businesses Thrive, Eliminate Red Tape
Recently, as President Obama approached his final year in office, his administration announced...
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Commentary
The Cost of Federal Regulations on Maine Businesses
According to the Small Business Administration, the annual cost of federal regulations on...
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Commentary
Sigaud: Healthcare Prices not Reflective of Quality of Care
If you’re like most people, you know very little about the costs of...
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Commentary
Sigaud: Once Again, Lawmakers Push for Medicaid Expansion
State lawmakers are renewing their efforts to expand Medicaid, despite Governor LePage’s continued...
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Inside Augusta
Maine DHHS Could Lose Funding For Its Poor Administration of Food Stamps
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services may face substantial financial penalties...
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News
Maine Still Struggling to Improve Business Tax Climate
For several years Maine has ranked among the worst states to conduct business,...
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Inside Augusta
LePage Criticizes President Obama’s Decision to Accept Syrian Refugees
In a radio address on Monday, Governor LePage criticized the Obama administration’s decision...
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Commentary
Sigaud: What People Get Wrong About Raising The Minimum Wage
An effort to raise the minimum wage in Portland to $15/hour was defeated...
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Inside Augusta
Maine Government Gets an F for Transparency
Maine earned an F in a recent review of states’ transparency and accountability...
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Election Center
Chin and Macdonald Will Runoff in Lewiston Mayoral Race
The Lewiston mayoral race that some have called a proxy war between the...
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Inside Augusta
Pro-Marijuana Groups Join Forces to Push Ballot Initiative
On Monday, two pro-marijuana groups in Maine – the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana...
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Inside Augusta
Bill Would Restore Oversight of Secretive Law Enforcement Agency
If you’ve never heard of the Maine Information and Analysis Center (MIAC), you’re...
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Inside Augusta
Governor LePage Calls On Sen. Katz To Step Down From Government Oversight Committee
On Tuesday, Governor LePage requested that State Senator Roger Katz (R-Augusta) step down...
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Inside Augusta
Maine DHHS Institutes Asset Test for Food Stamps
An estimated 8,600 food stamp recipients in Maine whose assets exceed $5,000 may...
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Inside Augusta
Report Confirms LePage Administration Threatened Good Will-Hinckley
On Tuesday, the nonpartisan Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability (OPEGA) released...
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Commentary
Sigaud: Is Trump Part of Hillary’s Strategy?
There are two common interpretations of Donald Trump’s campaign for President. The first views...
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Commentary
Sigaud: An Objective Look at Constitutional Carry
One of the bright spots for Republicans this legislative session was the passage...
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News
Maine Supreme Court Will Expedite LePage Veto Dispute
On Monday, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court announced that it will expedite the...
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Commentary
The Trouble With Political Polls
It’s no secret that politicians often rely on polls to craft their message,...
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News
Bernie Sanders Draws 8,000 to Portland Rally
On Monday, at a campaign rally in Portland that drew an estimated 8,000...
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National
Obama to Mandate More Overtime Benefits
Last week, the Obama Administration announced a proposal that would make nearly 5 million...
