Author: Niko Malhotra

Laura Catevenis, a resident of Lewiston, was close to rock bottom. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and, two years later after having a child, she ended up on welfare. She was dependent on benefits she received from the TANF program, also known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, created by the federal government in Welfare Reform Act of 1996. However, the state of Maine offered her an opportunity. Maine’s state TANF program has a partner program, ASPIRE, which aims to help TANF recipients learn necessary skills and find job opportunities that allow them to get out of poverty and…

Maine Governor Janet Mills still has not paid the full cost of her inauguration ceremony, according to the Associated Press. The governor’s transition staff was billed almost $200,000 for the inauguration ceremony at the Augusta Civic Center, a whopping $63,000 higher than expected. Governor Mills, known for needlessly expanding Maine’s budget, has seemingly been unable to manage her own inauguration budget since taking office earlier this year. The Mills transition team, surprised by the high sticker price, was unable to cover the costs with the funds raised for her inaugural committee. The inaugural and transition committee raised more than $400,000…

When Mainers pay their taxes, they fully expect their hard-earned dollars will be spent wisely and efficiently. However, outdated policies maintained by out-of-touch Augusta politicians prevent these wishes from being fulfilled. Each year, Maine recklessly spends its tax revenue by paying the inflated “prevailing wage” to workers on state-funded projects, a wage that exceeds the median wage determined by market forces. Instead of choosing to award bids at the lowest cost and greatest value to Maine taxpayers, state government needlessly inflates the cost of government contracts through a self-imposed, burdensome prevailing wage policy. The prevailing wage serves as an artificial…

For decades, the liberty of Maine’s workers has been continually limited by onerous restrictions that deprive workers of their constitutionally protected freedom of association. While Maine’s workers have suffered, state governments in the past decade across the United States, such as Michigan and Indiana, have passed Right-to-Work legislation to protect the important freedoms of their workers. Right-to-Work legislation prohibits workplace restrictions that require workers to financially support or join a union as a condition of employment. These laws allow workers to opt out of union dues in unionized workplaces, without fear of losing their jobs. Twenty eight states have taken…