Author: Steve Robinson

PORTLAND – The Portland Press Herald, a newspaper whose majority owner is one of the largest Democratic donors in the state of Maine, published a 1,800 story about problems with Maine’s Freedom of Access Act Sunday. Although the story mentions purported problems obtaining documents from the LePage administration, staff writer Eric Russell completely ignores the efforts of top Democrats in Augusta to thwart routine journalistic inquiry. “Despite recent improvements to Maine’s 55-year-old open records law, there are still deficiencies when it comes to compliance,” wrote Russell. “In some cases, it’s fueled by an attitude of secrecy. In others, it’s simply a…

EASTPORT – Former Republican Senate President Kevin Raye reported Friday evening raising $102,604 in the fourth quarter of 2013 to support his bid to become the next congressman from Maine’s Second Congressional District. “Between Oct. 1st and Dec. 31st, Raye raised [more] money from donors than his primary opponent, who has acknowledged giving his own campaign over $100,000 thus far,” the Raye for Congress campaign said via press release. Raye’s campaign team said the fundraising numbers indicate the “breadth and depth” of his support in the district, noting that 70 percent of his 488 donors have come from the 2nd district. Mike…

AUGUSTA – The House of Representatives voted Thursday on a procedural measure related to a proposed amendment to the State Constitution, with 56 members opposing and 92 members supporting. The resolution (L.D. 156), which would make changes to both early voting and voting via absentee ballot, now heads back to the Senate where it will require a minimum of two-thirds support. L.D. 156 is one of several “emergency bills” the Democrat-controlled Legislative Council allowed into the second regular session of the 126th Legislature. According to House Republicans, the proposed amendment would allow voting to occur at “virtually any time.”  Representatives…

Following The Maine Wire’s exclusive investigation into Maine’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash welfare program, liberal media pundits and left-wing activists quickly glommed on to the preposterous notion that abuse and fraud in the welfare system equals less than one percent of all welfare transactions. Those who propagate such fiction are either being intellectually dishonest or engaging in journalistic malpractice. In either case, they could benefit from a better understanding of the program, the data, and what it tells us about welfare in Maine. First, the spinners. Robyn Merrill of Maine Equal Justice Partners: “The governor identified less…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Barack Obama delivered his fifth State of the Union Address Tuesday night. Here are some of the best reactions and analysis from around the Web: Forgettability seems to be the most apparent quality of the address. Matt Gagnon, Maine’s premier conservative political columnist, wrote on Facebook: “I quite literally have already forgotten this speech. I try to be as non-partisan as possible when it comes to presidential speeches, and really *felt* how powerful many of Clinton and Obama’s speeches have been in the past. This one was vanilla in basically every way. I barely remember anything…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Barack Obama delivered his fifth State of the Union Address Tuesday night. Here are some of the best reactions and analysis from around the Web: Forgettability seems to be the most apparent quality of the address. Matt Gagnon, Maine’s premier conservative political columnist, wrote on Facebook: “I quite literally have already forgotten this speech. I try to be as non-partisan as possible when it comes to presidential speeches, and really *felt* how powerful many of Clinton and Obama’s speeches have been in the past. This one was vanilla in basically every way. I barely remember anything…

AUGUSTA – Maine’s jobless rate dropped to 6.2 percent in the month of December, the Maine Department of Labor (MDOL) reported Tuesday. The preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate estimate for Maine was 6.2 percent in December, down from 6.4 percent in November and 7.2 percent one year ago, according to MDOL. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated 44,300 were unemployed, a drop of 6,500 since last year. According to BLS, Maine’s unemployment rate is lower than the national average of 6.7 percent, which dropped 0.3 percent from November. Maine’s unemployment rate is also better than the New England…

Robyn Merrill of the Maine Equal Justice Partners attacked the LePage administration on Sunday, accusing the Republican governor of supporting policies that have increased child homelessness in Maine. But a review of some of Merrill’s source materials shows that her analysis is off the mark. Merrill writes, “Over the course of his administration, the number of homeless children in our state has grown, drastically increasing between 2010 and 2012.” Problematically, the source Merrill links to — an Oct. 2013 report from the National Center for Homeless Education – shows no drastic increase in reported rates of homelessness among Maine’s school-age…

“It is amazing that people who think we cannot afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, and medication somehow think that we can afford to pay for doctors, hospitals, medication and a government bureaucracy to administer it.” ― Thomas Sowell, Knowledge And Decisions A long, long time ago, in a place far, far away known as America, virtually all public assistance (as we knew welfare in those times) was implemented at the municipal government level.  Local residents could know of the details, put names and faces to the recipients, and have a good sense of the purpose and implications of the…

The Republican Governor’s Association (RGA) released Monday the first campaign video supporting Gov. Paul LePage’s reelection campaign. At a little more than three minutes long, the video includes testimonials from Mainers who knew LePage as a child and as a mayor of Waterville, along with First Lady Anne LePage. “I believe in self reliance, self esteem,” LePage says in the ad. “And I truly believe that if you work hard and keep your nose clean, you will get a piece of that American dream.”

Maine’s economy is beginning to show signs of relative competitiveness. After years of ranking dead last for business friendliness, the pro-growth resurgence of the 2010 elections is starting to bear fruit. The Wall Street Journal published a study last week showing the number of millionaires in each state. In 2013, Maine had the second largest increase in millionaire residents, after North Dakota. These data correlate with other recent positive studies, including a report on GDP growth from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. In 3Q 2013, personal income for Mainers grew 1.15%, the highest growth in New England, and 17th…

OAKLAND, Maine – Former Maine State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin told reporters Monday he raised nearly $148,000 in the final quarter of 2013 and will report the Federal Election Commission a cash-on-hand balance of nearly $300,000. “Since Poliquin entered the race just before Labor Day, his campaign has received nearly $370,000 from 384 donations ranging from $5 to the maximum allowed $2,600 per person,” the campaign wrote in a press release. “The campaign has received donations from every single county in the 2nd District.” According the Poliquin camp, more than $116,000 in donations came online — a fact the campaign attributes to…

Sweetser, a non-profit social services agency and major Medicaid beneficiary, has received nearly $2.5 million from no-bid, sole-sourced contracts with the state of Maine. House Speaker Mark Eves (D-North Berwick) serves as Director of Business Development for Sweetser and has been a prominent advocate for an expansion  Mediciad – an expansion that could increase Sweetser’s taxpayer-funded revenue stream by tens of millions of dollars. The Speaker has also been a vocal critic of the LePage administration’s decision to enter into a no-bid, sole-sourced contract with Gary Alexander of The Alexander Group. But according to state records obtained by The Maine Wire, Eves’…

The Bangor Daily News refused to publish the following letter to the editor regarding liberal blogger Amy Fried: It’s concerning to think that BDN columnist Prof. Amy Fried is teaching students at the University of Maine, considering the lack of facts and judgment in her columns.Last week, she was forced to apologize and correct her piece where she said, without any supporting evidence, that the LePage campaign would use “gay baiting” tactics against Mike Michaud.  It is disgusting to attack someone’s character without proof, and I hope this kind of political analysis isn’t what drives her classroom lectures. And then on Monday, she published an…

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said in a telephone interview on Friday that conservatives “have no place in the state of New York.” Speaking with CBS 6, Cuomo unleashed the following tirade against right-to-life, pro-Second Amendment, and pro-traditional marriage Americans: “Their problem is not me and democrats, their problem is themselves. Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives, who are right to life, pro assault weapon, anti-gay, is that who they are? Because if that is who they are, and if they are the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York. Because…

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said in a telephone interview on Friday that conservatives “have no place in the state of New York.” Speaking with CBS 6, Cuomo unleashed the following tirade against right-to-life, pro-Second Amendment, and pro-traditional marriage Americans: “Their problem is not me and democrats, their problem is themselves. Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives, who are right to life, pro assault weapon, anti-gay, is that who they are? Because if that is who they are, and if they are the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York. Because…

Maine Wire Editor Steve Robinson joined Howie Carr on Monday to recap his investigation into welfare abuse in Maine. Listen here: In cased you missed it, here are the welfare abuse stories: Maine Welfare Cash Spent in All 50 States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands… Maine Welfare Cash Spent at Liquor Stores, Bars, Strip Clubs and Smoke Shops Maine EBT Cards Used at Bowling Alleys, Tattoo Parlor, Pet Store… Welfare Jackpot: Gambling with TANF Cash… Welfare Cash Spent at Funtown Splashtown, Aquaboggan… Massive Welfare Data Cache Made Public… Robinson Talks Welfare Abuse with Howie Carr…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Angus King told CNN host Candy Crowley on Sunday that there has been a lack of accountability in the Obama administration surrounding the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. Said King: “I haven’t seen any real accountability.” Republican Sen. Susan Collins’ recent message on Benghazi may be viewed here: Collins blasts Obama State Department on Benghazi

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Angus King told CNN host Candy Crowley on Sunday that there has been a lack of accountability in the Obama administration surrounding the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. Said King: “I haven’t seen any real accountability.” Republican Sen. Susan Collins’ recent message on Benghazi may be viewed here: Collins blasts Obama State Department on Benghazi

I was surprised to read in a recent op-ed column by state Sen. Emily Cain (D-Orono) that federal dollars have been “set aside” to provide free medical care to an additional 70,000  Mainers under the ObamaCare Medicaid expansion. How can that be? Surely Sen. Cain is aware that the federal government is dead broke and $17 trillion in debt. In fact, more than a third of federal spending is now funded by borrowing the money, and passing the IOUs to our kids and grandkids. To put it bluntly, anyone who thinks the feds have set aside free money for Maine…

By Jonathan McKane — A tax in Maine has been repealed. After 10 years of paying for the Dirigo Health program, the Maine taxpayer is finally off the hook. As of Dec. 31, the Dirigo tax on health insurance has been repealed. Yes, indeed, some taxes do get repealed but, in the case of Dirigo, not until we had spent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars for a ideologically inspired program that accomplished few of its goals. “A bold plan” Dirigo was the signature program of the Baldacci administration and one of his campaign promises. It was implemented with great…

BELFAST, Maine – Blaine Richardson, candidate for Congress in Maine’s Second Congressional District, announced Monday morning that he is leaving the Republican Party to run as an independent. “Today I am excited to announce that I am filing my paperwork to run as an independent candidate for Congress in Maine’s second congressional district,” said Richardson, a veteran of the U.S. Navy who finished second in the 2012 Republican Primary for the same seat he is currently seeking. “I believe by running as a independent candidate I can more directly take my campaign’s message to the voters in the district.” “As…

AUGUSTA – The Wall Street Journal on Friday quoted a respected market research group as saying Maine is one of two states that have seen “big turnarounds in their economies.” The new mood of national commentary regarding the Pine Tree State is a breath of fresh air for a state that has consistently found itself at the bottom of popular state-by-state economic rankings, including Forbes Magazine’s ranking of the best states to do business in. The WSJ article is based on a new report from Phoenix Marketing International, a market research firm based in Rhinebeck, N.Y. That report ranks all 50…

They may be on welfare, but that doesn’t stop them from vacationing. According to an analysis of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, Maine welfare cash has been spent in every other state in the Union, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Department of Health and Human Services records related to TANF, a program intended to provide cash assistance to low-income families, was obtained by The Maine Wire pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request. The data includes three years’ worth of transactions involving Maine Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, the debit cards that carry benefits…

Maine’s welfare system is supposed to provide a social safety net for poor families, but an analysis of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program suggests some are spending their welfare cash on tobacco, alcohol and adult entertainment. According to Department of Health and Human Services records obtained by The Maine Wire pursuant to a Freedom of Access Act request, abuse and misuse of cash welfare is a much bigger problem in the Pine Tree State than previous thought. More than $145,000 has been spent or withdrawn from ATMs at locations that primarily or exclusively sell liquor, beer and…

Every reasonable person would agree that transparent and accountable government is a good idea. When elected officials operate in secrecy, when the activities of government are hidden, the experiment that is self-government loses vigor. Unwatched, the legitimacy of democratic rule atrophies. Journalists and journalistic enterprises play an active, if not essential role in ensuring that government remains transparent and accountable to the people. But when journalistic activities aimed at shedding light on the activities of public officials are conducted injudiciously and out of partisan motivations, those responsible become complicit enablers of unaccountable government. The Portland Press Herald has published an…

Cash welfare recipients in Maine may have spent portions of their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) allotment at bowling alleys, a pet store and a tattoo parlor, according to Department of Health and Human Services records. The Maine Wire has reported exclusively on evident abuses of Maine’s cash welfare program, including transactions occurring in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and in bars, liquor stores, cigarette shops and strip clubs. An analysis of the data also reveals questionable transactions at Spare Time Recreation bowling alleys in Brunswick, Waterville, Hallowell and Lewiston. According to DHHS records, $880…

AUGUSTA – Campaign finance reports for the three major candidates for governor became public Thursday. Democratic U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud has raised the most money, followed by unenrolled Eliot Cutler, with incumbent Republican Gov. Paul LePage in third place. Incumbent Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage reports having raised $373,557 from July 1 to the end of December, leaving his campaign with cash balance of roughly $573,000. The campaign spent just over $90,000 in the last six months. Most of that spending has gone to campaign staff and consultants. The report does not include expenditures on digital advertising.  Cutler has…

AUGUSTA – Campaign finance reports for the three major candidates for governor became public Thursday. Democratic U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud has raised the most money, followed by unenrolled Eliot Cutler, with incumbent Republican Gov. Paul LePage in third place. Incumbent Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage reports having raised $373,557 from July 1 to the end of December, leaving his campaign with cash balance of roughly $573,000. The campaign spent just over $90,000 in the last six months. Most of that spending has gone to campaign staff and consultants. The report does not include expenditures on digital advertising.  Cutler has…

AUGUSTA – The Maine State Police issued 11,000 concealed weapon permits in 2013, Gov. Paul R. LePage announced Friday. “Through the use of cross training, new business practices and a great deal of teamwork, the Special Investigations Unit processed 5,000 permits since the summer,” the LePage administration wrote in a press release. “In 2013, the Special Investigations Unit alone issued more than 11,000 permits. This is an increase of 3,500 permits from the 7,500 issued in 2012.” “I want to thank the staff at the department for improving the permitting process for Maine citizens,” said LePage. “Maine has one of…

AUGUSTA – Supporters of religious freedom flooded the State House on Thursday to voice support for a Washington County Republican’s bill to protect the free expression of religion from exercises of state power. Sen. David Burns (R-Washington), the primary sponsor of L.D. 1428, An Act to Protect Religious Freedom, said the bill requires that any governmental action infringing on any persons’ exercise of religion must involve a compelling state interest. “In short, this means that the state must have a strong justification before it infringes on religious liberty,” he said. Burns used his testimony to address criticism levied against his…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – An official from the federal Centers on Medicare and Medicaid admitted at a House hearing on Thursday that no one in the federal government knows how many Americans have paid for Obamacare coverage obtained at HealthCare.gov. “So we don’t know at this point how many people have actually paid for coverage?” asked one member of Congress. “That’s right,” the official admitted. (h/t WeeklyStandard.com)

ELLSWORTH, Maine – A paid activist working on behalf of the liberal Maine People’s Alliance has been charged after she allegedly stole money from a woman’s purse. Brianna Stein, 22, has been fired, according to a statement released by the MPA. Stein, who has previously been implicated in property theft crimes, somehow managed to retain employment with the MPA, which subsequently sent her to homes across the Bangor area without conducting a criminal background check. From the Bangor Daily News: According to stories previously published by the Bangor Daily News, Stein was charged in the fall of 2012 in connection…

To the Editor:   As I listened to some of the testimony on Medicaid expansion (LD 1578) today, a few things came to mind.   First –  Expecting the Federal Government to pay 100% of the cost of expansion for the first three years, and 90% after that, is something like this: The Feds have a credit card with a $4,000 limit, and the current balance on the card is $21,000, $17.000 over the credit limit.  They tell us to go ahead and expand Medicaid enrollment, and to charge the cost to their credit card.  Then they send the credit…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released its bipartisan report on the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, Republican Sen. Susan Collins criticized President Barack Obama’s State Department for failing to provide adequate security prior to the attack and misleading the American public afterwards. “This report, as well as other reports examining Benghazi, has found that the State Department failed to act upon some of the lessons learned from previous attacks,” Collins said in a prepared statement. “A broken system overseen by senior leadership contributed to the vulnerability of U.S. diplomats and other American…

AUGUSTA – For the second time in the 126th Legislature, the Health and Human Services Committee held a public hearing on a proposal to expand Maine’s medical welfare program, known as Medicaid or MaineCare. The vast majority of those present were organized supporters of L.D. 1578, the bill that would expand eligibility for Medicaid to tens of thousands of able-bodied adults pursuant to the federal Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Gov. Paul R. LePage rejected the first attempt to expand Medicaid and the legislature failed by a slim margin to override his veto. Although Joint Legislative Rules do…

AUGUSTA – Gary Alexander, founder and president of The Alexander Group, on Tuesday presented his report on a proposal to expand Maine’s medical welfare program to the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee. The report, unveiled Friday, predicts enrollment in Medicaid, also known as MaineCare, will skyrocket beyond previous estimates should lawmakers agree to expand eligibility in the program pursuant to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). The report also said expanding Medicaid would cost Maine taxpayers $807 million over the next ten years—far more than previous estimates. Democrats initially attempted to bar Alexander’s testimony to the HHS Committee, but they…

Maine Wire readers should be well aware that the most controversial policy issue at the State level this year is sure to be Medicaid expansion (or MaineCare, as it’s called here in Maine.)  In fact, the legislature has scheduled a public hearing for LD 1578 on Wednesday of this week (violating their own rules, we should note.) Medicaid expansion is not new to Maine; from 2002 to 2012, enrollment increased from 200,000 to 338,000.  Compare that to New Hampshire, a state of similar size, where enrollment is 160,000.  Maine has the 3rd highest enrollment nationally, at 27%.  The New England…

Are Maine’s cash welfare recipients gambling with taxpayer money? According to The Maine Wire’s investigation into the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, the answer is, yes! The Maine Wire obtained three years’ worth of TANF transaction data from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) pursuant to a Freedom of Access Act request. Analysis of that data shows Maine Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards have been used to access welfare cash in Las Vegas and at multiple gambling facilities in New Hampshire. [RELATED: Welfare cash spent at Funtown Splashtown, Aquaboggan…] At Seacoast Bingo LLC in Somersworth, N.H.,…

Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage joined talk radio host Laura Ingraham to talk about welfare abuse in the Pine Tree State and the 50-year-old war on poverty. “As Ronald Reagan said, the liberals waged war on poverty, and poverty won,” said LePage, who has made welfare reform a top priority in the current legislative session. LePage said he wants to protect the social safety net so that it works for Maine’s most needy. “I have the best resume to fight poverty in this state,” he said, referencing his childhood homelessness. Ingraham also probed the governor on his favorite GOP presidential…

AUGUSTA – Expanding eligibility for Maine’s medical welfare program, known as Medicaid or MaineCare, under the federal Affordable Care Act is projected to cost Maine taxpayers more than $800 million over the next ten years. The projected cost figure, which exceeds previous estimates, is just one part of a report released Friday by the administration of Gov. Paul R. LePage. According to Gary Alexander, head of the Alexander Group and chief author of the report, 24.7 percent of Maine’s population received medical welfare in 2012 and 2013, but that number is projected to grow to 29 percent of the population…

Maine welfare cash has been used at two amusement parks in Saco, according to Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) data obtained by The Maine Wire pursuant to a Freedom of Access Act request. The DHHS data shows that money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash welfare program has been accessed at Funtown Splashtown USA and Aquaboggan Water Park, both in Saco. According to DHHS records, Maine taxpayers footed the bill from $880 worth of welfare cash transactions in 2011 at an address associated with Funtown Splashtown. The transactions occurred in June, July and August of…

On Thursday, The Maine Heritage Policy Center, which owns and operates The Maine Wire, made public three years’ worth of transaction data related to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash welfare program. “For the first time, the people of Maine can see how their tax dollars are being spent on Maine’s cash welfare program,” said MHPC CEO J. Scott Moody. “It is our hope that this data will provide a solid, factual foundation for current policy debates over welfare reform,” he said. “Based on this data, it is no longer possible for reasonable people to conclude that welfare…

Maine Wire Editor Steve Robinson joined talk radio host Howie Carr on Tuesday to talk about his investigation into abuse of Maine’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. According to an analysis of TANF data provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, Maine cash welfare has been spent in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Cash welfare transactions have also occurred at strip clubs, liquor stores, bars, and smoke shops.  Listen here:

AUBURN – Republican state senate candidate Eric Brakey announced Tuesday that his campaign has raised more than $21,000 in his bid to replace incumbent Sen. John Cleveland (D-Androscoggin). Brakey, the former chair of the libertarian Defense of Liberty PAC, is running for Senate District 20, which, following the last round of redistricting, includes Auburn, New Glouscester, Poland, Minot and Mechanic Falls. According to the campaign, Brakey’s 2013 fundraising total is a record-breaker: “Ten months ahead of the 2014 election, the Brakey Campaign has shattered all previous fundraising records for a Maine State Senate campaign at this point in an election…

AUGUSTA – Top Republicans reacted to The Maine Wire’s exclusive report on the scope of welfare abuse in Maine with renewed calls for welfare reform in Augusta. “I am disappointed but not surprised by this information,” said House Minority Leader Ken Fredette (R-Newport).  “We hear about this kind of welfare fraud and abuse from our neighbors and constituents all the time, but it was always dismissed by many on the left as anecdotal.” Fredette said he would like to think the revelation of widespread welfare abuse will finally convince Democrats to support reforms to our welfare system. [RELATED: Maine Welfare…

“The reality is that we lack any systematic evidence that such “misuse” is widespread.” – Robert W. Glover, University of Maine “The issue has been overblown.” – Robin Merrill, Maine Equal Justice Partners Welfare is the perennial subject of Maine politics. Most every reasonable Mainer agrees that a humane and just society must provide some basic social safety net. However, there is broad disagreement over how the state ought to implement and administer Maine’s diverse welfare programs. Conservatives believe Maine is a welfare state with too many people abusing the system, and that hardworking taxpayers should not buy bread for…

The battle lines have been drawn for the coming session of the Maine Legislature. In one corner stands the reigning champion – the Welfare Party, a cadre of progressive lawmakers and special interest groups dedicated to expanding Maine’s welfare system, vigilantly guarding against the slightest whisper of reform. In the other corner stands the plucky underdog opponent – the Working Party, a small but spirited cohort of conservatives, who believe Maine’s welfare system needs a new direction, a new focus. For more than four decades, liberal Democrats and progressive Republicans have governed as if government is the only intelligent and…

Marie Doucette of Saco Who are these progressives? They are mostly Democrats with too many Republicans and Independents thrown in. Progressives are the environmentalist who have banned the incandescent light bulb, who are destroying the coal industry, our greatest source of energy, and ruining the most advanced healthcare system on the planet. They are the ones who believe in sharing the wealth, (not theirs, of course, thank you very much).  Theirs is safely tucked away, tax free! They are in the process of transforming the transportation industry, making travelling far more expensive. Farmers have not escaped unscathed, either, increasing the…

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree signed a letter last week urging her colleagues in the House of Representatives to give Bath Iron Works a $100 million allocation she originally voted against in December. The House passed the National Defense Authorization Act last month, with a vote of 350-69. The NDAA included funding provisions for ship-building projects at BIW, yet Pingree voted against it. Now, Pingree has joined U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, who voted with Republicans in favor of the NDAA, to write a letter to top members of the House Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations. The members of Congress wrote, “The DDG-51…

Detroit police chief James Craig said Thursday his time serving on the force in Portland, Maine, in 2009 leads him to believe that legal gun owners have a big part to play in deterring crime. “When we look at the community members who have concealed weapons permits, the likelihood they’ll shoot is based on a lack of confidence in this Police Department,” Craig said at a press conference, according to DetroitNews.com. Craig said he started believing that legal gun owners can deter crime when he became police chief in Maine’s biggest city. “Coming from California … where it takes an…

Would expanding medical welfare reduce visits to the emergency room? A new study from Oregon says, No. The study, released on Thursday by the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment, found that Oregon’s 2008 expansion of Medicaid actually increased visits to the emergency room. Proponents of expanding Medicaid in Maine – a key feature of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare – have said numerous times in the past year that one of the best reasons to expand Medicaid is reducing ER visits. The OHIE study throws a monkey wrench in that line of argument. The OHIE is a randomized study…

AUGUSTA – The Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP), a liberal think tank, is asking applicants for its latest job opening to respond to a recent column from Rep. Lawrence Lockman (R-Amherst) as part of the application process. To be considered,” the job posting reads, “applicants must submit a sample blog post (no more than 400 words) that responds to or addresses the issues raised in the op-ed linked here.” The link points to an Lockman’s op-ed on Medicaid expansion published by The Maine Wire and the Lewiston Sun Journal: Preserve the Safety Net for the Truly Needy. MECEP regularly produces…

Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage will introduce welfare reform legislation in January that bears resemblance to sweeping reforms enacted in the Netherlands. As the Cato Institute’s Michael Tanner writes in his Dec. 17 article, Lessons from Dutch Welfare Reform, “Welfare advocates regularly urge Americans to look to the European welfare state as a model. At least in the case of the Netherlands, they might be on to something.” According to Tanner, the Dutch have recently announced a sweeping welfare reform aimed at reducing government dependency and encouraging work: “For example, welfare applicants will now be required to prove that they…

AUGUSTA – Top labor union officials announced Friday the merger of Maine’s two largest labor unions. The Maine State Employees Association (MSEA) will join the Maine AFL-CIO after seven-years of independence, according to a press release from the AFL-CIO. “Rejoining the Maine AFL-CIO formalizes the effective working partnerships that MSEA-SEIU members and Maine AFL-CIO members have demonstrated over the last several years,” said MSEA President Ginette Rivard. Don Berry, president of the Maine AFL-CIO, said the merger is “good news” for the people of Maine. “A stronger, more unified grassroots movement of working men and women is exactly what’s needed to raise…

AUGUSTA – Maine’s unemployment rate fell for the third consecutive month to 6.4 percent in the month of November — the lowest since November of 2008. That translates to 5,400 fewer jobless than this time last year, according to the Maine Department of Labor. The state further notes that Maine’s unemployment rate is below the national average and the New England average: “The U.S. unemployment rate estimate was 7.0 percent, down from 7.3 percent in October and 7.8 percent one year ago. The New England estimate was 6.9 percent. Rates for other states were 5.1 percent in New Hampshire, 4.4…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Barack Obama decreed Thursday that the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate penalty shall not apply to some of the individuals whose insurance plans have been outlawed by his signature health care law, more commonly known as Obamacare. The Obama administration will ease the pain of implementing the law by granting a “hardship exemption” to anyone who had their prior insurance cancelled and “believes” plans offered at healthcare.gov are unaffordable. The exemption provision was already included in the law, but did not previously apply to all of those who lost their insurance. Those who take the exemption…

The Maine People’s Alliance, a liberal advocacy group, claimed on Thursday that its latest robotic poll of 434 Mainers shows strong support in swing districts for expanding eligibility for the medical welfare program. According to the MPA’s robo poll, 69.9 percent of respondents said they favor Medicaid expansion, while 28.8 percent said they opposed. The MPA robo poll sample included only respondents from swing districts, which it defines as districts with elections that were narrowly won in the 2012 State House of Representatives race. Conservative critics quickly blasted the poll as an attempt by the MPA, which has lobbied extensively…

AUGUSTA – Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage said Tuesday that he plans to reintroduce two pieces of welfare reform Democrats on the Legislative Council rejected in October as well as a third major reform. In his weekly radio address, LePage blasted “liberal politicians” whom he accused of ignoring Maine’s dysfunctional welfare system. “No matter how hard they try, they cannot hide the fact that Maine’s welfare system is too big, too expensive and too easy to abuse,” said LePage. The governor said he plans to introduce two bills originally sponsored by House Minority Leader Ken Fredette (R-Newport). Both bills were rejected…

By P. C. Poppycock, Maine Wire correspondent  Giddy over the devastatingly successful introduction of Obamacare, Debbie Wasserman Schmaltz, Chair of the Democratic National Committee, recently insisted that Democrats will proudly base their 2014 campaign strategy almost entirely on socialism’s resurgent popularity.  The public’s enthusiasm for coercive utopianism, with associated loss of personal liberties, has Democrats in Washington festively planning the next great advance in European style social democracy. Emboldened by Schmaltz’ manic outlook, party luminaries and caucus leaders are working with the Father of Obamacare to design a transfixing sequel to the current blockbuster.  They’ve even directed that history be…

The editors of the Portland Press Herald refused to publish the following response to an article which appeared in MaineToday Media’s various newspapers on Dec. 5.  By J. Scott Moody – As the CEO of The Maine Heritage Policy Center and lead author of our Free ME initiative, I take strong exception to Colin Woodard’s Dec. 5 article, “Washington County residents wary of plan to eliminate taxes”. Woodard’s story is fraught with misconceptions and amounts to a deceptive, politically-motivated attack on MHPC and our statewide tax reform proposal. The record needs to be set straight. First, the vast majority of…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King last week joined forces behind a bill that would exempt emergency first responders from certain requirements of the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare. Obamacare forces employers with more than 50 full-time employees to provide health insurance to employees who work more than 30 hours per week, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has ruled that firefighters and other first responders that receive nominal benefits from their departments (including stipends and end-of-the-year awards) count as “employees.” The Obamacare regulations together with the IRS’ ruling means many firefighters and…

Transparency and accountability are core functions of government. Democracy does not equal self-government when elected officials can thwart routine journalistic inquiry into the activities of government. The following story paints an alarming portrait of what passes for transparency and accountability these days in Augusta. * * * The saga began on May 8 when top Democratic lawmakers assembled at the State House for a press conference. The event was billed as a chance for the Democrats to unveil their response to Gov. Paul LePage’s A-F school grading program. “Time and again, Governor LePage’s words don’t match his deeds,” said Sen.…

By Pem Schaeffer and Stanley Ralph The introduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as revealed by the roll-out of HealthCare.gov, is an epic public embarrassment, living up to predictions of a train wreck. We’re watching government at its most harmful and ineffectual. This is not rocket science — no risky new technology is required; no laws of physics have to be invented or repealed. While the technology itself may present some challenges, problems like this more often than not stem from poor leadership, discipline, and accountability. We were privileged to spend our careers on a team responsible for the…

An Auburn Democrat is taking fire after the Maine Republican Party obtained an email rant he sent to various public officials. In the typo-ridden, profanity-laced email, Rep. Brian D. Bolduc (D-Auburn) belligerently ridicules truck drivers whom he believes are irresponsibly using their “jake breaks” too close to his house. Bolduc’s email is scathing towards Maine truck drivers and includes stern orders and threats directed at police and town officials. Wrote Bolduc, “We need more police survalence to crack down on this sh**. They rumble past our homes before they get to the bridge and to turn onto mill street especialy those…

The number of Mainers choosing Obamacare plans at the dysfunctional HealthCare.gov website is still well below expectations, according to a Tuesday report from the Department of Health and Human Services. Just 1,747 Mainers — or 0.13 percent on Maine’s population — have picked an insurance plan, according to the DHHS report for the months of October and November. That number includes people who have not actually paid their first premium. While its an improvement from October’s total of 271, it’s still far below expectation. All told, 12,667 Mainers were deemed eligible for a healthcare.gov plan. This number reflects only those…

The top advocate for expanding medical welfare in Maine confirmed Tuesday that he has returned to his position with a major beneficiary of Maine’s medical welfare programs and will return again following the conclusion of the 126th Legislature. In June, The Maine Wire reported exclusively on the potential conflict of interest for Speaker of the House Mark W. Eves (D-North Berwick), who has emerged as the top proponent of a Democrat-backed plan to expand Medicaid, the medical welfare program known in Maine as MaineCare. Eves serves as Director of Business Development for Sweetser, a 501(c)3 non-profit that is heavily reliant…

U.S. Sen. Angus King has joined a Democratic “strike force” designed to help sell Obamacare to a public wary after the troubled law’s bungled implementation. “As part of the new push from the White House to try to highlight the benefits of Obamacare amid the troubled rollout of the law, a group of House and Senate Democrats are holding daily phone calls with administration officials to coordinate the messaging of the day and serve as a communications “strike team” on the Hill,” reports Buzzfeed.com. According to the report, the Senate Democratic strike team will include Senate Leaders Harry Reid, Chuck…

A counselor working for the non-profit Sweetser has told House Speaker Mark W. Eves (D-North Berwick) that she has witnessed significant abuse of welfare programs and that stopping welfare abuse would be a good way for the state to save money. Elizabeth S. Bodor of Scarborough wrote Eves in January regarding MaineCare and Medicaid reimbursements for Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors (LCPCs) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs). The purpose of her email was to object to a provision of Gov. Paul LePage’s budget proposal which would have limited MaineCare reimbursements to professionals like her. But in the end of her…

The chief Democratic advocate for Medicaid expansion may have misrepresented his professional relationship with a private school that stands to benefit financially from expanding the medical welfare program known as MaineCare. In June, The Maine Wire reported exclusively that House Speaker Mark W. Eves (D-North Berwick), who has advocated stridently for MaineCare expansion, also served as Director of Business Development for Sweetser, a non-profit social service agency that is heavily reliant on MaineCare funding and has benefited from previous expansions of MaineCare. (According to tax documents, Sweetser files as a private school.) At the time, Eves dismissed suggestions that he…

Senate Minority Leader Michael Thibodeau (R-Waldo) will soon join the field of Republicans running for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, a Republican source has told The Maine Wire. In a phone interview, Thibodeau declined to say if or when he will announce his candidacy but said he was considering. “My number one priority is to fulfil my duty as Senate Republican leader,” he said. Thibodeau’s entry would make the Republican primary a four-way race. Former State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin, former Senate President Kevin Raye and Blaine Richardson are also Republicans running to fill the seat vacated by Democrat Rep. Michael Michaud. The…

The following letter to the editor appeared in the Nov. 30 edition of MaineToday’s Media Kennebec Journal. The headline is the original headline as written by MTM staff.  During the tea party-led government shutdown, I watched C-Span and all the other news channels. One news channel promotes the nonsense that is the tea party. The more I watched, the more I got upset with the tea party. It didn’t care about the people who were furloughed. What did the shutdown accomplish? Most of the furloughed people live paycheck to paycheck. All the tea party wanted to do was stop Obamacare.…

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia on Tuesday published its monthly State Coincident Index – a ranking of states’ economic health – placing Maine among the top 10 growing economies. The index is based on four state-level variables: nonfarm payroll employment, average hours worked in manufacturing, wage and salary disbursements deflated by the consumer price index, and the unemployment rate. Data for the index is obtained via the federal Bureaus of Labor Statistics and Economic Analysis. The state ranked in the second-highest tier in September’s report, with growth between 0.6 and 1.0 percent. Maine’s ranking in the more recent October index…

PORTLAND – Two Portland lawmakers are looking to capitalize on voters’ short memories, claiming in taxpayer-funded mail pieces that it was Democrats who pushed a bill that paid Maine’s hospitals for more than $700 million in medical welfare debt. Senate President Justin Alfond (D-Portland) and Rep. Matt Moonen (D-Portland) have both sent mailers to their constituents touting paying the hospitals as one of the many successes of the Democrat-controlled 126th Legislature. Neither letter makes clear that Democratic lawmakers put up great resistance, called Gov. Paul LePage’s plan unconstitutional and voted for it only after their every roadblock crumbled. “[We] made…

AUGUSTA – Having fun in Maine could become more expensive if the Legislature OKs a Democrat-controlled task force’s recommendation to put new taxes on amusements. The  so-called Tax Expenditure Review Task Force is a product of the 126th Legislature’s biennial budget. To achieve “balance,” Democratic budget writers delegated the task of creating $40 million in new taxes to a committee controlled mostly by liberal Democrats and liberal interest groups. On Monday, the tax hike task force recommended placing new taxes on amusements, such as movie tickets, ski passes, and other forms of  entertainment. [RELATED: Tax hike task force looks for $40…

The present conversation over Medicaid expansion, as witnessed daily in editorial pages and at the State House, is misleading because the expansion would not do what supporters think it will. For supporters of Medicaid expansion, the decision is a no-brainer: it’s federal money paying for uninsured poor Mainers to get health care. For them, only politics could motivate the opposition. They whole-heartedly believe an expansion would simply move uninsured people onto Medicaid, thus reducing charity care costs which are ultimately passed along to those covered with private insurance. But Maine’s own experience expanding medical welfare shows that it does not…

PORTLAND – A recently elected Portland City Councilor said Friday that if John F. Kennedy were alive today the former president would be a moderate Democrat after the fashion of President Obama. “Nice Governor LePage honors JFK but “JFK Republican” is absurd. If JFK was alive today he’d be a moderate Democrat, like Obama,” said at-large Portland City Councilor Jon Hinck on Twitter. Hinck, 59, is a liberal Democrat who served in the Maine House of Representatives from 2006 to 2012 and was elected to the Portland City Council this November with 58 percent of the vote. He replaced out-going…

AUGUSTA – The Maine GOP announced Thursday a new youth outreach effort designed to showcase and promote “young rising stars” in the Republican Party. Executive Director of the Maine Republican Party Jason Savage said the initiative, spearheaded by Republican National Committeewoman Ashley Ryan, reflects a broader focus on creating opportunity for the next generation. “#GEN207 will accomplish many important tasks from training and supporting young Republican activists and candidates, to providing an outlet for young people across the state to make their thoughts and ideas heard,” said Ryan, who is the youngest person ever elected to the RNC. “It is…

AUGUSTA – Maine’s jobless rate hit 6.7 percent in the month of October—the rosiest unemployment picture the Pine Tree State has seen since November of 2008. The unemployment rate estimate for Maine was 6.7 percent in October, down from 6.9 percent in September and 7.2 percent one year ago, according to a press release from Department of Labor Commissioner Jeanne Paquette. “The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated 47,300 were unemployed, down 3,800 over the year,” said Paquette. Maine’s unemployment rate was better than the national average of 7.3 percent. Of New England states, only New Hampshire (5.1) and Vermont…

Democratic candidate for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District Sen. Emily Cain (D-Penobscot) launched her campaign’s first attack on two of her likely Republican opponents Thursday. In a fundraising email, Cain campaign hand Levi Knapp said the National Republican Campaign Committee’s decision to recognize two of Cain’s Republican opponents has “made it clear that [Republicans] are going to spare no expense to buy this seat.” Knapp further alleges that both former Senate President Kevin Raye and former State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin aim to cut Social Security and end Medicare. “Washington Republicans want nothing more than to have another reliable vote for cutting…

AUGUSTA – A proposal to turn abandoned state buildings into housing for homeless veterans of the U.S. armed services won approval from the Legislative Council during an appeal hearing. Rep. Corey Wilson (R-Augusta)’s bill was originally rejected on Oct. 30 by Democrats who control the council, but won unanimous approval Thursday. [RELATED: Augusta Republican to appeal denial of veterans’ homeless shelter bill…] According to Wilson, the bill will allow the Bureau of General Services to sell two buildings that were formerly part of the Augusta Mental Health Institute campus to Bread of Life Ministries, a non-profit veterans’ organization. The buildings are…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) announced Thursday that 36 congressional candidates have made their “On the Radar” list for the 2014 elections. Both former Senate President Kevin Raye and former State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin made the list. “These 36 candidates all provide a stark contrast to their liberal opponents, whose support of ObamaCare and this Administration’s big-government, job-destroying agenda has taken a toll on the American people,” said NRCC Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR). “With ObamaCare’s bad policies and botched rollout affecting families across our nation, and our country diving deeper into debt each and every day,…

Maine Sen. Angus King joined Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Democrats Thursday to cast historic votes limiting the right of the minority to filibuster in the U.S. Senate. King’s vote helped Democrats overcome Republican opposition to President Obama’s cabinet nominees and federal judicial appointments. The final vote was 52 to 48, with Sen. Susan Collins voting with fellow Republicans and three Democrats in favor of protecting the filibuster. King’s Senate office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Democrats were trying to break the filibuster rule in order…

AUGUSTA – Fixing Maine’s sprawling Department of Health and Human Services programs will fall on Gov. Paul LePage’s shoulders once again following the Democrat-controlled Legislative Council’s decision Thursday to reject every single welfare reform bill. “We’re not trying to vilify the poor. I grew up poor,” said House Minority Leader Ken Fredette (R-Newport), as he urged his Democratic colleagues to allow his three welfare reform bills full hearings in the Legislature beginning this January. But the measures ultimately failed to get approval from the Legislative Council, which is chaired by House Speaker Mark W. Eves (D-North Berwick), a top critic…

Democratic U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud’s Nashville smear machine is working overtime. On Monday, the Democrat candidate for governor blasted Republican Gov. Paul LePage over Maine’s problem-riddled Medicaid ride system. And on Wednesday, in an email focused on the LePage administration’s forthcoming audit of Maine’s welfare programs, Michaud campaign manager Matt McTighe implied in a fundraising pitch that LePage is corrupt. [RELATED: Michaud campaign hires mudslinging specialist…] “Governor Paul LePage is spending nearly $1 million to hire a Tea Party crony to “evaluate” Maine’s Medicaid program,” wrote McTighe. “Let’s just call it like it is right now: Governor LePage is using taxpayer…

AUGUSTA – An Amherst Republican says he will make an appeal to the Legislative Council on Thursday regarding his bill to give state employees the freedom to choose whether to financially support the Maine State Employees Association. It’s a Sisyphean task given that the six-person Democratic majority has firm control of the Legislative Council. But Rep. Lawrence Lockman (R-Amherst) says his bill, “An Act to Protect Fair Share Workers from Unauthorized Withholding of Agency Fees,” reflects the wishes of his constituents and many state employees. Lockman, who sits on the Labor Committee (LCRED), spearheaded the bipartisan push to repeal a 2007…

The LePage administration announced Tuesday that it has contracted with an outside consulting firm to audit Maine’s welfare programs, including Medicaid. The Rhode Island-based Alexander Group is headed by the former head of public welfare departments in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, Gary Alexander. According to HHS, The Alexander Group will assist Maine in addressing financial challenges and in crafting a program that effectively serves individuals and is sustainable. The work will include an evaluation all of Maine’s welfare programs as well as the Democrat-backed proposal to expand Medicaid. “DHHS and the Alexander Group will undertake a complete assessment of all…

Ken Altschuler and Mike Violette, hosts of WGAN Morning News with Ken and Mike, grilled Senate President Justin Alfond Wednesday morning over his decision to reject Rep. Amy Volk (R-Scarborough)’s human trafficking bill. Far from a mea culpa, Alfond blamed “Miss Volk” for not reaching out to Democrats on the Legislative Council. Ken & Mike: Why did Amy Volk’s bill not make it through the first time when your wine-tasting bill did? Alfond: “Well, let’s just back things up here. Uh, you know. We had over 400 bills. This was a rapid-fire process where we had very little information. We…

Democratic candidate for governor Rep. Michael Michaud attacked his Republican opponent on Monday over problems with Maine’s taxpayer-funded ride program for Medicaid beneficiaries. “Mainers deserve more than a government driven by dysfunction where disabled Mainers are being left stranded, waiting for a ride,” Michaud said in a prepared statement. [RELATED: Michaud campaign hires mudslinging specialist…] Michaud said the state should cancel its contract and get its money back, though the Congressman did not propose an alternative system for providing Medicaid recipients with transportation. Problems with Maine’s Medicaid ride system arose in August following the LePage administration’s decision to switch to…

The U.S. Census Bureau may have produced fraudulent job statistics in order to bolster President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election odds, according to a bombshell news report published Monday. The allegedly fake jobs report showed a decline in unemployment from 8.1 percent in August to 7.8 percent in September of 2012. According to the New York Post report, reliable sources within the federal government now say those numbers were manipulated. Read the full story here.

President Obama’s rendition of Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Gettysburg Address does not include “under God.” As first reported by WMAL’s Chris Plante Show Tuesday, Obama joined 61 other lawmakers, politicians, media figures and celebrities, including every living president, to recite the Gettysburg Address for a documentary film. In Lincoln’s address, delivered November 19, 1863, the Republican said, in part, “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we…

President Barack Obama on Monday told a conference call of progressive community organizers that “more than 100 million Americans” have successfully signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. “In the first month alone, we’ve seen more than 100 million Americans already successfully enrolled in the new insurance plans,” said the Commander in Chief, according to an audio recording posted by the Daily Mail. In the audio clip provided below, Obama does not correct his assertion that roughly one-third of the country enrolled in Obamacare-approved insurance plans in the month of October. According to official government numbers released…

Blaine Richardson, a Republican candidate for Congress in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, announced Tuesday that he has been endorsed by National Defense PAC. “I am very honored to receive this endorsement from one of the leading voices in the effort to replace the politicians in Washington D.C. with military veterans,” Richardson said in a written statement. NDPAC, a national organization committed to putting U.S. veterans in elected office, has previously endorsed former Maine Secretary of State Charlie Summers and former Florida Republican Rep. Allen West. NDPAC Chairman Rear Admiral James J. Carey, USN (ret) said, “Blaine Richardson will bring military…

Betsy Smith, former executive director of the gay advocacy group EqualityMaine, has endorsed unenrolled liberal Eliot Cutler in the governor’s race over U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, who recently announced that he is gay. The announcement provides further evidence that fierce competition between Cutler and Michaud is causing Maine’s left-of-center voters to splinter along interesting lines. Smith, who says she’s a Democrat and agrees with the Democrat Party platform, has formed Campaign for Maine, a political action committee comprised of Democrats, Republicans and unenrolled voters working to elect Cutler. In an opinion editorial for the Bangor Daily News, Smith explained why…

Fresh off an overwhelming victory, Lewiston Mayor Robert MacDonald has endorsed former State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin in the Second District congressional race. “I’m pleased to endorse Bruce Poliquin in his candidacy for Congress,” MacDonald said in a statement. “Bruce was the best State Treasurer that Maine has ever had,” “He’s an honest and hard-working Franco-American whose grandfather was born and raised in Lewiston,” said MacDonald. MacDonald, who won his most recent election with 61 percent of the vote, is a former Lewiston police detective. The early endorsement may play a role is determining which Republican congressional candidate gets the nod, as…

Maine’s highest-ranking Democrat lawmakers made a decision on Halloween Eve that distills and crystallizes everything Mainers loathe about the partisan politics of Augusta. Liberal legislators, led by House Speaker Mark Eves (D-North Berwick) and Senate President Justin Alfond (D-Portland), voted in lockstep to kill a bill that would have helped victims of the human sex trade. Go ahead and read that sentence again, and let it sink in. The bill is a simple, straightforward proposal from my colleague, Rep. Amy Volk (R-Scarborough). It would grant courts the power to vacate prostitution convictions from the records of former sex slaves. The practical impact would be to…

Democratic Reps. Michael Michaud and Chellie Pingree voted Friday against legislation designed to ensure Americans can keep their old insurance plans that have been cancelled or jeopardized by the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Thirty-nine House Democrats joined all but four Republicans in voting for the bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich), who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee. Democrats described the bill as an attempt to undermine the controversial health care law, but the bill’s supporters said it was a way to help President Obama keep the broken “if you like your plan, you…

President Barack Obama announced Thursday that his administration would not enforce key provisions of the Affordable Care Act that have caused an estimated 5 million Americans to lose their health insurance. The constitutionally-dubious proposal comes as the beleaguered president faces a tidal wave of anger and mistrust stemming from the disastrous consequences of his signature achievement. The proposed change is a transparent attempt to repair the broken promise that helped the White House sell the ACA, also known as Obamacare, to the American people and moderate congressional Democrats – “If you like your plan, you can keep it. Period”. That…

The Obama administration has finally revealed how many people have picked health insurance plans through Obamacare’s dysfunctional HealthCare.gov exchanges — and the number is embarrassingly low. According to the administration, 106,185 people have applied for private insurance through the new marketplaces, which are a product of the controversial Affordable Care Act. That total amounts to 20 percent of the administration’s enrollment target for the month of October. In Maine, just 271 people have signed up for insurance through the marketplace. Conversely, 8,500 have had their Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plans cancelled because of Obamacare, while 3,800 have seen significant alterations…

AUGUSTA – Maine Democrats have launched a campaign against Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage’s two-month old policy regarding communications between the legislative and executive branches of state government. The governor, in characteristic fashion, will have nothing of it. The policy, first announced on Aug. 14, requires all communication between LePage administration officials and the Democrat-controlled Legislature’s committees be in writing. On Monday, House Majority Leader Seth A. Berry (D-Bowdoinham) and Sen. Linda M. Valentino (D-Saco) penned an opinion editorial for the Bangor Daily News blasting LePage’s “unprecedented” policy. “We have never encountered such unfathomable behavior,” wrote the lawmakers. Although Valentino…