Author: Steve Robinson

AUGUSTA – In a 5-7 party line vote, the Legislature’s Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee voted Monday to recommend passage of a Medicaid expansion bill, but the ‘nay’ vote of a key Republican lawmaker may foreshadow a momentum shift in the year’s most high-profile policy debate. “It’s like we learned nothing from the last time we expanded Medicaid in 2002. Enrollment skyrocketed beyond projections, resulting in more than $700 million in hospital debt,” said Sen. Jim Hamper (R-Oxford), a member of the HHS Committee. “We just paid that debt off and now we want to go down that same road…

AUGUSTA – A Sangerville Republican has asked the Democratic chairs of the Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee to begin a State House-wide investigation of the partisan activities of nonpartisan staff. “It is necessary for the integrity of our Legislature and the trust between parties and between elected members and staff to investigate the extent to which nonpartisan staff has engaged in partisan activity,” said Rep. Paul Davis (R-Sangerville), in a letter to GOC co-chairs Sens. Emily Cain (D-Penobscot) and Rep. Chuck Kruger (D-Thomaston). “This kind of activity shakes the public’s confidence in our ability to maintain a wall of separation between…

LEWISTON – The Mayor and City Council of Lewiston have asked the Maine Charter School Commission to reject a charter school application from Lewiston-Auburn Academy Charter School, Inc. (LAACS) over what they say are deficiencies and misrepresentations in its application. “[The] applicant identifies supporters who are not supporters and seems to be oblivious to Maine educational requirements,” Mayor Robert E. Macdonald and all seven members of the Lewiston City Council wrote in a Feb. 11 letter to members of the charter school commission. “The unsubstantiated, if not false, representations in this application are an affront to what we expect of…

When doctors discovered that Jeff and Kirsten Martin’s child would have serious medical complications, they urged her to terminate the pregnancy. When the Martins decided abortion was not an option, they began a lifelong journey of living with, loving, and caring for, their disabled daughter Emily. “My daughter was born in 1997,” said Martin. “We knew there were going to be issues, but things turned out to be worse than we thought.” Emily was born with dislocated hips, hydrocephalus, a condition more commonly known as water on the brain, and other brain abnormalities. She had a stroke when she was…

(Editor’s Note: The Portland-based Press Herald newspaper refused to publish this opinion editorial, written by Rep. Deb Sanderson (R-Chelsea), the top Republican on the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee. It appears here in full. For an explanation click here.)  I don’t blame many people for thinking expanding Medicaid in Maine under ObamaCare sounds like a great idea at first glance.  Free money from the federal government?  More people covered by free health insurance?  Where do we sign up? However, when you dig deeper and examine the fine print, as well as Maine’s past experiences with welfare expansion, you quickly…

Faking Sick: Sen. Dawn Hill (D-York), at last night’s meeting of the Appropriations Committee, told the audience that Sen. Emily Cain (D-Penobscot) couldn’t make the meeting because she was feeling ill. But it turns out Cain wasn’t too sick to enthusiastically fundraise for her congressional campaign. Cain put out this photo on social media at the same time she was supposedly too sick to be working in the State House. National Republican Campaign Committee Spokesman Ian Prior leaped on Cain’s playing flunky with a press release likening her to Ferris Bueller: “Emily Cain should be absolutely ashamed of herself for…

AUGUSTA – Members of Gov. Paul LePage’s cabinet gathered at the State House on Wednesday to deliver a message to the public: Expanding Medicaid will undermine funding for natural resource management and environmental protection. The cabinet members, surrounded by LePage supporters and Republican lawmakers, delivered the message one day after Assistant Senate Minority Leader Roger Katz (R-Kennebec) and Sen. Tom Saviello (R-Franklin) unveiled a new effort to push Medicaid expansion legislation as an amendment to a bill that would establish state contracts with managed care service providers. Many Republicans fear the purported compromise legislation will undermine attempts by conservative lawmakers…

AUGUSTA – Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew delivered the Paul LePage administration’s weekly address, focusing on Medicaid expansion, difficult decisions and priorities within DHHS’ target populations. Here is her address: Difficult decisions must be made in Augusta.  Tough choices are needed to ensure that state government can live within its means and that we can support and care for those who need us most. Hello, this is Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew. Currently the Legislature is debating whether to add another 100,000 people to MaineCare, the state’s tax-payer funded healthcare program,…

AUGUSTA – Maine’s nonprofits are expecting to see a decrease in donations after the Legislature last year limited the tax deduction for charitable giving. Brenda Peluso, director of public policy for the Maine Association of Nonprofits, told WCSH that the $27,500 tax deduction limit imposed by last year’s budget bill is expected to have a cooling effect on donors. “I have heard some people say they are going to double down, reduce their contributions to make up for their losses in 2013 in 2014,” Peluso said, according to WCSH. “Our conservative estimate is that the non-profit sector will lose $20 to…

AUGUSTA – Top Republicans in the House of Representatives have rejected a bill from Assistance Senate Minority Leader Roger Katz (R-Kennebec) and Sen. Tom Saviello (R-Franklin) that would expand eligibility for Medicaid while simultaneously contracting with managed care service providers. The measure was unveiled Tuesday as an apparent compromise between pro-expansion Democrats and Republicans. “ObamaCare’s welfare expansion would be so devastating for Maine’s economic future that we simply cannot support it or anything that’s attached to it,” said House Minority Leader Ken Fredette (R-Newport).  “We have reached many productive compromises with our Democratic colleagues over the past year, but Medicaid…

Medicaid: After early indications that Democratic leaders were attempting to move a Medicaid expansion bill out of committee Wednesday and schedule House and Senate votes Thursday, it appears Sen. Roger Katz (R-Augusta) has put the brakes on. The expansion package is now expected to move out of committee this week and to the floor of the House and Senate next week. It will include Medicaid expansion, a managed care contract bill sponsored by Katz, and host of other compromise provisions. Read more about the bill here. — Public Resists Obama IRS Crackdown: The Barack Obama administration, vis-à-vis the Internal Revenue…

AUGUSTA – Republican Sens. Roger Katz (R-Kennebec) and Thomas Saviello (R-Franklin) on Tuesday released a draft of a “compromise” Medicaid expansion bill along with talking points designed to sell the measure to wary Republican lawmakers. Katz and Saviello are expected to present their bill to the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Commission on Wednesday. Below are talking points and details of the bill. The talking points, entitled, “A Republican Vision for Mainecare Expansion,” outline a bill that would both expand eligibility for MaineCare, as Medicaid is called in Maine, and order the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – After intense backlash from mostly conservative circles, the federal government has backed away from the Federal Communication Commission’s plan to survey America’s newsrooms. Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins on Tuesday delivered a letter to Tom Wheeler, chairman of the FCC, condemning the so-called “Multi-Market Study of Critical Information Needs” (CIN – pronounced – sin).  “I cannot recall a regulatory proposal more offensive to the principles of the First Amendment,” wrote Collins. “A free press is central to American liberties, and allowing the executive branch to attempt to influence the news the public receives is chilling and completely…

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) released a report Friday which estimated that health insurance premiums will increase for 11 million people who work for small businesses. Nationally, CMS is “estimating that 65 percent of the small firms are expected to experience increases in their premium rates while the remaining 35 percent are anticipated to have rate reductions.” In terms of the number of workers the rate hikes will affect, CMS writes, “Specifically, we have estimated that the premium rates for roughly 11 million people will increase…” The report quotes an independent 2011 analysis of the Affordable Care…

UPDATE: Following the publication of this story, sources say Sen. Katz objected to the timeline set by Democratic leadership. Medicaid expansion will come out of the Health and Human Services Committee Wednesday and be scheduled for House and Senate votes Tuesday. AUGUSTA – Multiple State House sources have confirmed that a bill to expand Medicaid may move forward this week as an amendment to an Augusta Republican’s bill. By tying House Speaker Mark Eves (D-North Berwick)’s Medicaid expansion bill to Assistance Senate Minority Leader Roger Katz (R-Augusta)’s L.D. 1487, backers of the expansion proposal can float a “compromise” expansion bill…

Cumberland County GOP: Talk radio legend Howie Carr headlined the Cumberland County Republican convention Saturday. Carr told an audience of more than 100 Republicans to make sure their “moonbat” friends know that independent gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler is a viable option for progressive voters. The Portland native also told the crowd that the Federal Communication Commission’s recent push to monitor newsrooms across the country would have the unfortunate consequence of forcing news readers in other states read the local equivalents of the Portland Press Herald and Bangor Daily News. Carr also plugged The Maine Wire and praised our exclusive investigation…

PORTLAND – The Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC) on Thursday released a study of the pending proposal to expand Medicaid which predicts disastrous results for Maine’s private sector should the bill become law. “Many of Maine’s policymakers have already fallen for the siren call of Medicaid expansion as provided for under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare),” writes MHPC Chief Executive Officer and Chief Economist J. Scott Moody. “At first glance, expanding Maine’s Medicaid program looks like free money since Uncle Sam has promised to pick up the entire tab for the first three years,” writes Moody. “Who…

Big Brother in the Newsroom (update): After learning yesterday that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is sending researchers into newsrooms across the country to investigate how editors and reporters select newsworthy content, more details have come to light regarding the “critical information needs” review. President Obama’s administration will send government contractors out with the goal of assessing whether news outlets are meeting the public’s “needs” – which needs are defined by the administration. Now we know the scheme will be managed by the daughter of Democratic U.S. Rep James Clyburn. From the Washington Examiner: “Advocates promote the project with Obama-esque…

Big Brother FCC Enters Newsrooms: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is preparing to send spies researchers into newsrooms across the country to investigate how news outlets decide what to report. The so-called “Multi-Market Study of Critical Information Needs” is scheduled for a field test this spring in Columbia, S.C. The FCC report will explore how Fox News decides to report on presidential scandals while MSNBC is content to investigate Justin Bieber’s latest shenanigans. Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders annual ranking of countries’ press freedom just ranked the U.S. 46th – behind Germany (14th), Australia (28th), and El Salvador (38th). — In…

AUGUSTA – A non-partisan analyst on the Legislature’s Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee engaged in partisan activism to push a Democrat-backed Medicaid expansion bill last year, according to emails obtained through a public records request. The emails surface one week after top State House staffers held a closed-door meeting with Republican lawmakers in an attempt to convince them that the HHS committee analyst, Jane Orbeton, is not inappropriately advocating for the Democratic Party’s policy agenda. “I was thinking of 70,000 people and trying to put faces on them,” Orbeton said in a May 20 email to Sen. Margaret Craven…

AUGUSTA – Lawmakers on the Taxation Committee heard testimony Wednesday on a proposal that may give state government the power to collect property taxes, but with only a hollow concept draft to consider, it’s unclear what the bill would do. Democrats say the concept bill, L.D. 369, would provide funding equality between schools in poor and wealthy areas. But Republicans see the bill as a throwback to the failed statewide property tax bill that Maine voters repealed in the 1970s. “This bill is a phantom bill, it’s just a title and sentence. And yet we’re having a hearing on it,”…

Minimum Hike Wage Kills Jobs: The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office is quickly becoming a thorn in the Obama administration’s side. First it dropped a bombshell report showing how the Affordable Car Act’s mandates would cause workers to work fewer hours – the equivalent of 2 million jobs lost by 2017. Now the CBO says President Obama’s call to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 could cost the American economy as many as 500,000 jobs. CBO’s rationale is simple: If you raise the cost of a good (labor), people (employers) will buy less of it. — U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan…

Liberals rush to protect the Sweetser Speaker: After 26 House Republicans signed a letter asking House Speaker Mark W. Eves (D-North Berwick) to recuse himself from the Medicaid expansion debate due to a potential conflict of interest, the main stream media has finally caught notice. (It might also help that the Speaker’s crude attempts at intimidating his GOP colleagues became public: Report: Speaker Eves coming unglued over conflict allegations.) Rather quickly liberals have emerged to protect the top advocate for expansion. The reliably left-wing Ethan Strimling and somewhat less opinionated Steve Mistler both brought forth their best defenses for the…

“There is no precedent in human history for economic growth on declining human capital – and that’s before anyone invented unsustainable welfare systems.” – Mark Steyn,  America Alone The Maine Heritage Policy Center has done considerable research and exposition on Maine’s ‘demographic winter’ in recent years.  To date however, we see precious little policy emphasis to do anything to reverse it.  In many ways, we see just the opposite: continued opposition to most development; unyielding pressure for greater spending and taxes; inability to understand fundamental economic vitality; and continuance of a multi-decade, multi-generational welfare oriented culture. Most troubling is that…

Once again, like a recurring nightmare, another gaping hole has been ripped in the state budget. And once again, it’s the same hungry beast ripping the biggest budgetary holes in the state’s checkbook: Medicaid, the profoundly broken and dysfunctional medical welfare program we call MaineCare. The estimated Medicaid fiscal gap is approximately $78 million, which must be resolved by the time the Legislature adjourns in April. The nightmare gets worse. Another $40 million budget holemust be filled somehow. That $40 million total was booked as “revenue” when the Democrat-written budget was passed last year over a veto by Gov. Paul LePage.…

BRUNSWICK, Maine – Bowdoin College officials have banned a local lawyer and his wife from leading campus Bible studies with students after the couple refused to sign a non-discrimination agreement they say violates their Christian faith. “The college has terminated us,” said Robert B. Gregory of Damariscotta. Gregory, along with his wife Sim, are volunteers with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, a charitable organization that promotes Christian ministry on American college campuses through Bible studies, social gatherings and leadership training. The Gregorys, both graduates of Colby College in Waterville, have been providing Christian ministry at the Brunswick campus for almost a decade…

AUGUSTA – Twenty-six Republican state representatives delivered an open letter to House Speaker Mark Eves (D-North Berwick) Wednesday morning asking him to recuse himself from any vote on Medicaid expansion due to his potentially conflicting role as director of business development for a major Medicaid beneficiary. “We, the undersigned members of the Maine House of Representatives, write to respectfully request that you recuse yourself from all votes pertaining to Medicaid expansion, and order your staff in the Speaker’s office to halt all activities promoting legislation to expand Medicaid enrollment in Maine,” the letter states. “Mr. Speaker, you are a good and…

AUGUSTA – The Maine House of Representatives on Tuesday took up LD 1762, the bill that forestalls $40 million in revenue sharing cuts with a $21 million raid on the rainy day fund, a $4 million sweep of the income tax relief fund, and $15 million in revenue surpluses. Republican lawmakers offered floor amendments to provide structural alternatives to the budget gap that would not jeopardize the state’s credit rating or shut the door on future tax relief. House Minority Leader Ken Fredette’s floor amendment would task the Governor’s Office of Policy and Management with finding spending reductions to equal the $40 million needed…

AUGUSTA – A top Republican lawmaker on the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee is questioning the objectivity of non-partisan legislative staff after emails obtained by The Maine Wire show one senior analyst engaging in questionable activity.  The Maine Wire’s request for public records revealed extensive correspondence between Jane Orbeton, senior analyst on the Legislature’s HHS Committee, and employees of Maine Equal Justice Partners (MEJP), a left-wing advocacy group. Committee analysts work under the Office of Policy and Legal Analysis (OPLA) and are tasked with conducting research on bill proposals and drafting bill language under the direction of the committee.…

Obamacare Chaos: President Obama has once again unilaterally changed his signature health care law without Congress. From CNSNews.com: “President Barack Obama’s Treasury Department issued a new  regulation today that for the second time directly violates the plain and unambiguous text of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act by allowing some businesses to avoid the law’s Dec. 31, 2013 deadline to provide health insurance coverage to their employees.” U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) says Obama is interested in exempting corporations, but not families. Charles Krauthammer says, “This is the kind of stuff you do in a banana republic…” Despite…

Maine Wire Editor Steve Robinson joined Harold Pachios for an hour-long interview to be aired on the Community Television Network in the greater Portland area. Watch the interview below. Part I: Becoming conservative at Bowdoin College, Big Labor, Governor LePage and Welfare Dependency  Part II: Economic freedom, Welfare Abuse & Reform, and Minimum Wage

The Daily Catch is a new daily post The Maine Wire. It will feature top local and national news stories of interest to conservatives. If you have a story you would like included in the Daily Catch, please send an email to Editor Steve Robinson at [email protected].  — Conservatives Unveil Alternative to Obamacare: A coalition of conservative leaders have assembled under the banner of The 2017 Project to offer a proactive alternative to President Obama’s troubled health care overhaul. Weekly Standard editors William Kristol and Jeffrey H. Anderson describe the project as follows: “It would solve the three core problems that…

AUGUSTA – Maine House Republicans on Friday panned an anti-jobs bill that targets call centers in the state and had its public hearing before the legislature’s Labor, Commerce, Research, and Economic Development (LCRED) Committee Thursday. The bill, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Troy Jackson (D-Allagash) would inflict a virtual “death sentence” on businesses who move some operations out of state, revoking all state tax incentives and grants retroactively.  Both the Maine Chamber of Commerce and the Maine Department of Labor testified against the measure. “Senator Jackson’s bill punishes call centers for factors beyond their control and asks them to make a promise…

AUGUSTA – State legislators on Monday will consider a proposal to give government employees $5 million in merit and longevity pay increases. L.D. 1639 is “emergency” legislation sponsored by Sen. Thomas Saviello (R-Somerset). According to the fiscal note for the bill, it will cost approximately $5 million through fiscal year 2014-15. Through fiscal years 2015-16 and 2016-17, the package will cost taxpayers an additional $8 million in General Fund and Highway Fund revenues.

AUGUSTA – The Maine State Workers’ Compensation Board announced Friday that rates will decrease by nearly 8 percent to 7.7 percent. The largest decrease in the rate since 1998 will save Maine employers more than $15.2 million in 2014. “Maine employers and employees should take credit for the improvement in the workers’ compensation system,” said Governor LePage. “Maine claim frequency is relatively flat, lost time is stable, and the average medical costs per case are down. There has been a concerted effort in the state to improve safety in the workplace, promptly return injured workers to employment as soon as…

Could we puhleeease stop abusing common English for political purposes?  This week I read another opinion item by a progressive carrying on about a number of their favorite priorities, like equality and women’s rights, and ‘increasing access to health care.’ If you look up the definition of access, you find this: ac·cess [ak-ses]  noun 1.  the ability, right, or permission to approach, enter, speak with, or use; admittance: They have access to the files. 2.  the state or quality of being approachable: The house was difficult to access. 3.  a way or means of approach: The only access to the house was a rough dirt road. Which affirms a long held view that everyone has ‘access’ to health care.  The issue is not ‘access,’ but how the care is paid for.  Anyone can walk into the same Doctor’s office I use; ‘access’ is not constrained.  And…

AUGUSTA – A labor union boss for the AFL-CIO Maine demonstrated an impoverished understanding of basic public policy on Wednesday in an interview with Maine Public Broadcasting Network. Commenting on Gov. Paul LePage’s recently unveiled Open For Business Zones, AFL-CIO Maine Executive Director Matthew Schlobohm said, “This is the Maine Heritage Policy Center’s free Maine zones.” LePage’s Open For Business Zones, which he announced during his State of the State address, have little in common with MHPC’s  Free ME. Indeed, the only commonality seems to be a focus on stimulating economic activity within a geographic designation, without raising taxes. But…

Join The Maine Heritage Policy Center via livestream for an in-depth presentation and discussion about the recent report,What Does Bowdoin Teach? How A Contemporary Liberal arts College Shapes Students. Dr. Herbert London, Dr. Peter Wood, Dr. KC Johnson, and Dr. Michael Poliakoff will discuss how higher education has transformed from strong intellectual traditions, a core curriculum, and a commitment to Western Civilization, to a new focus on race, class, gender, and the environment. Out went the old style of scholarly generalists as teachers, and in came the new style of research specialists as faculty members. The new liberal arts dedicated…

AUGUSTA – Republican Gov. Paul LePage delivered his third State of the State address Tuesday night, using the opportunity to outline his plans to promote private-sector job creation with “Open for Business Zones”, reform Maine’s welfare system, and crack down on drug-related crime. “I love my state. I am proud to call myself a Mainer. I want every Mainer to succeed and prosper,” said LePage. “But Maine is at a crossroads. We have huge challenges.” “Higher taxes and bloated government have not improved our lives. Higher energy costs have not attracted major investments to Maine. More welfare has not led…

Senate President Justin Alfond (D-Portland) delivered the Democratic address in a video released roughly 30 minutes before Gov. Paul LePage’s State of the State address.

AUGUSTA – Democratic leaders threw bipartisanship and compromise by the wayside Monday night as they deceived their GOP colleagues into leaving the State House and subsequently voted on a $40 million budget bill without a single Republican lawmaker present. Republican lawmakers reacted to the maneuver, which involved Democratic members of the powerful Appropriations Committee, with disgust and astonishment. “Democrats had met with their Republican colleagues on the budget committee earlier in the evening, agreeing to take the matter up during Tuesday afternoon’s work session.  All Republican appropriators left the State House with that agreement.  Democrats then assembled in the committee…

AUGUSTA – The Augusta-based Maine Health Access Foundation announced Wednesday it has given awards worth nearly $670,000 to liberal political activists, a money bomb the foundation hopes will increase legislative support for a bill to expand Medicaid. MeHAF, a charitable foundation with more than $110,000,000 in assets, was formed following the sale of Blue Cross of Maine, a non-profit charitable health care insurer, to Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, a for-profit insurer; MeHAF was legally incorporated in April of 2000 using proceeds from the sale as an endowment. When charities dissolve, Maine state law requires that their assets be…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Republican Governor’s Association (RGA) criticized U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud on Monday over the Democratic candidate for governor’s vote in favor of a “Cap and Trade” carbon tax scheme. “Maine, like many other parts of the country, has been gripped by freezing weather and soaring heating costs. If U.S. Congressman and Democrat candidate for governor Mike Michaud had his way, the cost to heat your home would be even more expensive,” RGA Communications Director Gail Gitcho said in press release. Gitcho said Michaud voted in 2009 to pass Cap & Trade, “a national energy tax that would…

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama and Fox News host Bill O’Reilly traded barbs Sunday during a pitched pre-Super Bowl interview. O’Reilly, a top critic of the Obama administration, probed the president about the flawed rollout of his signature health care law, the IRS’ targeting of conservative non-profit groups, and the 9/11 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. Here’s video of the interview:

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama and Fox News host Bill O’Reilly traded barbs Sunday during a pitched pre-Super Bowl interview. O’Reilly, a top critic of the Obama administration, probed the president about the flawed rollout of his signature health care law, the IRS’ targeting of conservative non-profit groups, and the 9/11 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. Here’s video of the interview:

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…