Author: Steve Robinson

By Rachel Sheffield Heritage Foundation Last summer, the Obama Administration gutted the successful 1996 welfare reform law by offering to waive its work requirements. Now the debate is back, as several Members of Congress are trying to restore the reforms that helped so many out of poverty. The work requirements were the heart and soul of the historic welfare reform signed by President Bill Clinton. As a result of “workfare,” welfare rolls declined by half within five years, and employment rates among low-income individuals increased. Some of the biggest winners from workfare were children. Millions of children were lifted out of poverty. In 2003,…

As lawmakers in Augusta consider a bipartisan proposal to eliminate a statute of Maine law requiring non-union members to pay fees to government employee unions, Breitbart.com’s Lee Stranahan reports that teachers in Michigan are trying to outfox a similar law that state passed amid uproar in 2012: Michigan Republicans passed right-to-work legislation that banned mandatory union dues in December 2012, amid pushback from big labor. Now there’s a different kind of pushback as the state’s teachers unions are attempting to skirt the new law and keep the money rolling into union coffers. The teachers’ trick is to negotiate new contracts before the…

Residents in the Oxford County town of Byron will get the chance to approve a measure that would make the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution mandatory for all households. Byron Head Selectman Anne Simmons-Edmunds told FOX News Thursday she expects that all three members of the board favor the measure and that she expects the town’s estimated 140 residents to approve it at next week’s town meeting. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

WASHINGTON, DC – Uncertainty and increased insurance costs caused by President Barack Obama’s health care law are leading employers to lay off workers and slowing job creation, according to a new report from the Federal Reserve. The “Beige Book” – which assesses economic conditions in twelve regions across the country – shows how employers are responding to the Affordable Care Act – a.k.a. Obamacare – and the tsunami of new regulations. According to the report, new rules and regulations promulgated by Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius – 15,000 pages and counting – are driving premiums higher and increasing burdens on businesses…

Democratic leadership held a press conference Thursday  to ask Gov. Paul R. LePage to issue voter-approved general obligation spending bonds. The Governor has repeatedly stated that he will not allow the State to incur additional debt until its fiscal house is put in order, a stance that has caused Democrats in the Legislature and the State Treasurer’s office to seek ways to issue bonds without executive approval. Assistant Senate Majority Leader Troy Jackson (D-Allagash) said LePage is exercising too much control over the bonding process. “I’ve just never seen anyone try to have such an iron fist on the people of Maine’s mentality…

Sen. Rand Paul’s 13-hour old-fashion filibuster of President Barack Obama’s CIA director nomination began Wednesday and lasted well into Thursday morning. Paul used his time in the Capitol Building to call on the President to answer questions about the federal governments use of unmanned aerial vehicles to target U.S. citizens. “I won’t be able to speak forever, but I’m going to speak as long as I can,” said Paul. “When we ask the president ‘Can you kill Americans on American soil with drone strikes?’ it should be an easy answer,” he said. While Paul’s filibuster lasted long enough to grab…

Legendary conservative talk show host Howie Carr was talking welfare reform on Tuesday and referenced a story first reported by The Maine Wire. Carr spoke about the federal government’s increasing federal intervention in states’ administration of welfare programs including the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) February denial of Gov. Paul LePage’s proposal to put photo identification on Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards. “Indeed, according to a report at The Maine Wire, LePage first learned of the USDA’s denial in the Portland Press Herald in mid February, a paper — a real piece of crap, I might add — owned by…

Mainer’s with concealed handgun permits may think their names and addresses have been kept safe by emergency legislation passed in response to the Bangor Daily News’ public records request. In truth, these records have been in the hands of Democratic operatives since 2011. A Washington, DC-based political targeting firm requested a list of Maine’s concealed handgun permit holders in July of 2011, according to records acquired by Gawker.com via a Freedom of Access Act Request and obtained by The Maine Wire. According to the documents, the Maine Department of Public Safety released a CD containing the information, including names and addresses…

AUGUSTA — As Gov. Paul R. LePage pushes for more customized learning solutions, a new survey shows more than half of Maine voters favor policies that increase student access to private schools. Released by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and Maine Heritage Policy Center, the poll reveals strong support for town tuitioning and mixed reviews on the quality of K-12 education. The “Maine K-12 & School Choice Survey” found 55 percent of voters support town tuitioning, which allows families to use their public education funds for private school tuition; 38 percent oppose town tuitioning. Maine already has the country’s…

Some within the media have wrapped themselves in the flag of the freedom of access law. They are rallying to oppose legislation proposed by the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) and sponsored by Rep. Corey Wilson, Augusta that would make concealed weapons permit holders names and information private. Critics of this legislation are ignoring recent history in New York. Just after the Connecticut school shooting, the Gannett- owned, Journal News published the names, addresses and a detailed map of concealed permit holders in two New York Counties. The action was obviously a provocative attempt to label law abiding concealed permit holders with a scarlet letter. In…

AUGUSTA – Senate President Justin Alfrond (D-Portland) said in 2008 Maine could potentially solve its budget problems by not honoring the State’s debt obligations to hospitals. Alfond’s comments surfaced in a short video recently released by the Maine Republican Party. In the video, Alfond describes his suggestion to not pay the state’s bills as one of three ‘meaningful cuts.’ The Maine Republican Party released the following statement: “This video is just one more piece of evidence that Maine’s Democratic leaders have never been serious about paying off the hospital debt. This video is all the explanation the people of Maine…

Maine Gov. Paul LePage blasted the United States Department of Agriculture for denying his request for a waiver to allow the state to require food stamp recipients to provide photo identification when using their electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards as way to cut down on fraud. (Read the full story at DailyCaller.com) “[USDA] denied our request, saying that the use of photo ID would be ineffective in reducing fraud and abuse,” he said during his weekly radio address over the weekend. “This is a shocking statement.” The USDA also claimed in their denial letter that such a requirement would result in the…

Agents of the federal government are conspiring to politically damage Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage by coordinating with his Democratic opponents and leaking sensitive information to Maine’s newspapers. Sound like far-flung conspiracy theory? It’s not. According to documents obtained by The Maine Wire, employees of the federal government have on two occasions supplied communications intended for the Governor to his Democratic opponents or to the press, instead. The leaked information has not only benefited the media outlets, but has also disrupted the Governor’s ability to govern in the face of an increasingly over-reaching federal government. The first leak occurred in…

By Diana George Chapin On Feb. 23 the Bangor Daily News and Lewiston Sun ran an article, “The good, bad and pricey parts of using public money for land conservation.” This piece started an important public dialogue about conservation in Maine, but the article only opened a small window into a topic that desperately requires in-depth discussion in communities and across the state. Why? Because Maine people have been systematically propagandized by the message “conservation is good” without having a meaningful public discussion about some of the collateral damage the land preservation movement is generating in rural towns. On Tuesday, March…

By S.E. Robinson Maine Wire Reporter In a Thursday email blast to Maine Democrats, Democratic Party Chairman Ben Grant falsely stated that Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed budget will raise property taxes. “The GOP budget slashes funding to towns and municipalities, drives up property taxes on Maine families and puts our children’s education in jeopardy in order to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy,” said Grant in the email. (Emphasis added) As readers of The Maine Wire know, property taxes are controlled by cities and towns—not by the State. Only municipal governments can change property taxes. Although raising property taxes is…

The Center for Health Reform Initiatives, a project of the Maine Heritage Policy Center, today released a study on Maine’s new health care reform law (PL90) Crisis to Cure: Maine’s Health Care Reform Law is Helping Business. The report uses three unique case studies on real Mainers and real Maine businesses to show how PL90, less than two years into its implementation, is already providing more health insurance choices and cheaper costs. “Opponents of Maine’s new health care reform law (PL90) erroneously describe the law as ‘a gift to the insurance companies,'” said Center for Health Reform Initiatives Director Joel Allumbaugh. “In…

Rep. Terry M. Hayes (D-Buckfield) said Tuesday she is supporting right-to-work legislation introduced by Rep. Lawrence E. Lockman (R-Amherst) that would prevent the state employee unions from collecting agency fees from state workers who exercise their constitutional right to refuse union membership. Lockman’s proposal, An Act to Ensure the Voluntary Membership of Public Employees in Unions (LR 1367), would repeal two laws passed during the Baldacci administration that not only forced non-union state employees to pay fees to the union, but also caused the state to collect these fees from the paychecks of state employees. The bipartisan measure will be…

By S.E. Robinson State lawmakers on the Taxation Committee today heard testimony on LD 361, An Act to Promote Plug-in Electric Vehicle Sales, sponsored by Sen. Geoffrey Gratwick (D-Penobscot). Despite the Democrats’ protests against so-called “tax cuts for the rich” and their demands that wealthy Mainers pay their fair share, the bill would provide substantial tax benefits only to individuals capable of purchasing new electric plug-in vehicles—cars which typically retail for more than $35,000. Gratwick said his bill could very possibly be a tax cut for the rich. “It goes without saying that only people who can afford to buy…

An editorial from the Sun Journal, a Lewiston-Auburn-based newspaper, on Sunday praised Gov. Paul R. LePage’s proposal to retool the State’s liquor sales contract and use proceeds to pay off debts owed to Maine’s hospitals. It is reassuring to know the Maine Legislature can act swiftly in the face of an imminent crisis Like when we can’t get a drink before 9 on St. Patrick’s Day morning. In order to  preserve the “public peace, health and safety,” Rep. Barry Hobbins would move happy hour back to 6 a.m. when St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday, as it does this…

By Amanda Clark, Education Policy Analyst The rural towns of Athens and Brighton Plantation, nestled in the lower part of Maine’s second district, are in the works of withdrawing from School Administrative District #59.  Members of the respective withdrawal committees cite “local control” and parents’ primary role in the direction of their children’s education as the overall end goals of the independence pursued. This Customized Learning approach, with a selection of learning methods, allows a child’s needs and interests to be better met. Additionally, town tuitioning is a perfect way to confront the dilemma of a shrinking population and declining…

UPDATE: Saco Mayor Mark D. Johnston on Monday confirmed for The Maine Wire that the bacon-wrapped scallop banquet originally scheduled for Feb. 28 at the University of New England has been cancelled. Johnston said the decision was made for a number of reasons — none of which included the publication of this story. He said Maine’s mayors and lawmakers will likely gather at some point in the future to discuss Gov. LePage’s budget. Johnston declined to comment on that meeting’s menu.  State legislators will join the Maine Mayors Coalition Feb. 28 at the University of New England (UNE) in Biddeford…

By S.E. Robinson Maine taxpayers will be forced to repay more than $150,000 to the federal government – and could pay more than $250,000 – as a result of Maine State Housing Authority’s (MSHA) mismanagement of funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The repayment of federal funding is the result of a September 2012 audit by the HUD Inspector General which found two instances where MSHA had violated federal regulations. The federal investigations follows a review by Maine’s Office of Program and Government Accountability (OPEGA) which found systemic corruption and waste during the tenure of…

By Neal B. Freeman The Buckley Rule has been much invoked in recent weeks, in this space and elsewhere, and on almost every occasion it has been both misquoted and misapplied. As one who was present at the formulation, I feel obliged to record the “originalist” intention. It was the winter of 1964 and the unresolved question at NR editorial meetings, week to week, was this: Whom should the magazine support for the Republican presidential nomination? To outsiders, the question would have seemed all but settled. Issue by issue, NR gave every appearance of being all in for Barry Goldwater. Heck,…

By Amy Payne, Heritage Foundation You’re busy. So busy you barely have time to read these words. So why should you care about the U.S. debt? Does it affect your life? Unfortunately, high government debt is having more of an impact on each of us than we realize. Heritage’s Romina Boccia explains that high levels of federal debt are linked to all of these problems for Americans: Higher interest rates on mortgages, car loans, and other loans. For many people, this means having to wait to buy a home. High interest rates on loans can prevent people from getting a…

By S.E. Robinson U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock Thursday invoked George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four in a decision analyzing Maine Municipal Association’s (MMA) involvement in several ballot initiatives over the past decade. “There is… a certain Orwellian aspect to the vision of government-sponsored speech drowning out the voices of ordinary citizens and in so doing assuring the continued sustenance and primacy of government itself,” wrote Judge Woodcock in a 56-page decision which ultimately dismissed First Amendment claims levied against MMA. “As a matter of policy, there is something intuitively odd about the government taxing tax protesters and others…

By S.E. Robinson Less than two years into its implementation, the Republican-led health care insurance reform, known as Public Law 90, is helping stem rate increases for Maine individuals and businesses.  But despite evidence of the law’s benefit, Democrats in Augusta and activists on the left are waging a campaign against what they have pejoratively dubbed “the rate hike law.” In the decade prior to PL 90, the typical small-group and individual rate payer in Maine saw average annual increases of 17 and 13 percent, respectively. By comparison, recent rate increases have averaged just 11 percent in the small-group market…

By S.E. Robinson Maine Wire Reporter UPDATED: The State House echoed with “solidarity claps” and chants of “Keep Maine Healthy, Tax the Wealthy!” on Tuesday as amateur activists with the Maine People’s Alliance (MPA) descended on Augusta to lobby lawmakers. The daylong tutorial began at 8:00 a.m. with a training session in Cross Office Building, where MPA personnel briefed rally-participants on a host of legislative initiatives, including revenue sharing with municipalities, toxic substances regulation and the expansion of MaineCare and Medicaid proposed under the federal Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). After getting caught up to speed on MPA’s platform and agenda,…

This is the governor’s weekly radio address for February 9, 2013. To listen to the audio version, click here. Hello. This is Governor Paul LePage. It was an honor to speak with Maine families during my State of the State address and reflect honestly on the progress made during the past two years and the challenges we face as a State. I believe you and your family can prosper as long as government is efficient and effective. You deserve a government you can trust and afford. Government should be transparent to the public. You deserve to know how government spends taxpayer…

By S.E. Robinson Maine Wire reporter As Democratic lawmakers in the 126th Maine Legislature seek changes to Gov. Paul LePage’s health care insurance reform, known as Public Law 90, left-leaning non-profits across the state are gearing up for the fight. The Portland-based Maine People’s Alliance (MPA), a well-known advocate of progressive causes, is leading the campaign against PL 90 through its front organization, the Maine Small Business Coalition (MSBC). PL90, which has already driven down health insurance costs for consumers, allows more competition among insurers and more choice for consumers while keeping crucial consumer protections intact. PL90 already complies with or…

MHPC CEO J. Scott Moody and MHPC Education Policy Analyst announce the launch of the new GreatSchoolsforME.org website, which provides a wealth of information on Customized Learning in Maine, local schools, student test scores and comprehensive data on school spending. They spoke February 6, 2013 at a press conference at the State House in Augusta.

A new study released Wednesday by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) debunks myths which advocates of higher taxes use commonly—and wrongly—when attempting to justify tax increases. Using overwhelming theoretical and empirical evidence, Tax Myths Debunked confirms what is clearly proven in Rich States, Poor States: The key to economic prosperity at the state level is in free-market, pro-growth policy. Co-authored by economists Dr. Randall Pozdena, former vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and Dr. Eric Fruits, Tax Myths Debunked shows the fallacy of seven popular tax myths commonly used by advocates of higher taxes: Myth 1: Increased government spending stimulates the…

By Curtis Dubay The Heritage Foundation The federal income tax is now a centenarian. On February 3, 1913, the 16th amendment to the Constitution was ratified. The revenue the income tax raises allowed Congress to greatly expand the size of the federal government. We will likely never return to a federal government the size we had before the 16th amendment became law. Even though the income tax raises gargantuan amounts of revenue that allows for big government, it can only raise so much. The individual income tax’s top rate has been as high as 91 percent as recently as 1960 and…

Hello. This is Governor Paul LePage. It is no secret that the federal government is deep in debt. Yet politicians in Washington continue to recklessly borrow more and more money for new government programs. For example, the U.S. Department of Energy proudly touts that since 2009, $90 billion dollars has been spent on “government investments and tax incentives” for clean energy projects. The return on those investments has not been overly successful in developing new technologies; Solyndra comes to mind. And Maine families who purchase heating oil or gasoline know all too well that these technologies have not lowered the…

MHPC CEO J. Scott Moody speaks at a press conference at the State House about his study, “Where Have Maine’s ‘Rich’ Gone?”, which shows that Maine has fewer high-income taxpayers earning more than $200,000 or earning more than $1 million when compared to the national average or neighboring New Hampshire (which has no individual income tax). Carol Weston, state director for Americans for Prosperity—Maine, then speaks about who Maine’s “rich” really are: hard-working families who own small businesses.

Legislators calling for the repeal of Gov. LePage’s tax cuts for the “rich” ignore the reality that Maine’s previous top individual income tax rate of 8.5 percent has already pummeled high-income taxpayers, forcing them out of state or into nonproductive tax shelters. Consequently, Maine’s economy suffers from underinvestment, a lack of jobs and lower state revenue. An MHPC study released Wednesday,“Where Have Maine’s ‘Rich’ Gone?”, shows that Maine has fewer high-income taxpayers earning more than $200,000 or earning more than $1 million when compared to the national average or neighboring New Hampshire (which has no individual income tax). Despite have…

“When school children start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of school children.” — Albert Shanker, President of the United Federation of Teachers [1964-1984] and the American Federation of Teachers [1974-1997] Now that the new year has turned, towns across the state have entered the semester of budget preparation, presentation, deliberation, and enactment.  This seems like a good time to review the factors, organizations, and political pathologies that drive school system priorities, in particular. Last year, we addressed school budget theatrics in this column: https://www.themainewire.com/2012/06/op-ed-not-so-secret-libretto-tricks-school-budget-intimidation/. Now I intend to prove that the only group that has no champion…

By Rachel Sheffield The Heritage Foundation The third annual National School Choice Week is officially underway. Once again, school choice advocates—including parents, teachers, schoolchildren and administrators, and many others—will come together to promote educational choice, with more than 3,600 events taking place nationwide. School choice is something to celebrate, because it gives families the power to choose the best schools for their children—helping children to improve educational outcomes and increasing overall parental satisfaction. School Choice Students Graduate at Higher Rates For example, students who participate in the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (DCOSP)—a private school voucher program for low-income K-12 students—graduate…

There’s surprisingly little gold in the world. This infographic shows all the gold ever mined. If all the gold ever mined was melted into a solid cube, the cube with sides of 20.5m would fit in an Olympic-size swimming pool. One ton of gold is worth $64.3 million at $2,000 per ounce. The small gold sphere in front of the couch weighs 1 metric ton exactly, with a value over $50 million dollars. The couch, which is made of $100 bills, is worth $46.7 million. The pickup truck can carry only 133 of the 400-ounce bullion gold bars, weighing a total of 1.66 tons and maxing out…

Fourth quarter 2012 numbers are out; rate payers win big AUGUSTA – Health insurance premium numbers for the fourth quarter of 2012 are out, and they bring good news for Mainers with private insurance policies.  Click here for charts distributed by the Bureau of Insurance before the Legislature’s Insurance and Financial Services Committee yesterday. In the fourth quarter of 2010, before the enactment of PL 90 by Republican legislators, 2.9 percent of businesses saw their health insurance premiums go down.  In Q4 2011, the first quarter of PL 90 implementation, that number increased to 9.2 percent.  Now, recently released numbers…

Audio of the Governor’s Weekly Message can be found here. Hello. This is Governor Paul LePage. Maine is in the middle of a cold spell. With rising prices for heating oil, Mainers are spending more to fill their tanks to keep warm this winter.  Gas, groceries, and the basic necessities are increasing forcing Maine families to manage tight budgets. Furthermore, the federal government takes more from your paycheck. The average family is paying 1,000 dollars more in payroll taxes. I believe Mainers should be able to keep more of their hard-eared money.  That’s why I have lowered taxes for the majority…

Maine already has the 12th highest energy costs in the country; offshore wind project will raise prices on Mainers AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage responded to the Maine Public Utilities Commission vote Thursday to approve the Statoil North America, Inc. proposal for a long-term contract with Maine utilities for the development of an offshore wind project. As proposed, this project would cost nearly $200 million, an exorbitant price to be paid for by Mainer ratepayers. The Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) voted 2-1 on Thursday morning to allow Statoil North America, Inc. to move ahead with plans. PUC Chairman Thomas…

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, recently elected by new Democratic majorities in the Maine Legislature, has fired Small Business Advocate Jay Martin and hired Peggy Schaffer, a veteran of Democratic politics, for the post. Schaffer —who has no business experience—has worked as a partisan Democratic staffer in the State House, a public sector lobbyist and a political organizer for Maine’s teachers’ union. She recently wrote an opinion column in the Bangor Daily News critical of private sector employers. By all accounts, Jay Martin was a competent, knowledgeable and responsive Small Business Advocate for the Office of the Secretary of State.  The Legislature created…

AUGUSTA – On Wednesday, Patrick Woodcock submitted comments to the Maine Public Utilities Commission regarding the Statoil North America, Inc. proposal for a long-term contract with Maine utilities for the development of an offshore wind project. In those comments, Woodcock raises concerns relative to the cost passed on to Maine consumers and overall economic benefit to the State of Maine. Described as the Hywind offshore wind pilot project, Statoil North America, Inc. requests Maine ratepayers to absorb above market electricity rates totaling $203 million to subsidize the project. Annual costs to Mainers for this pilot project are estimated to total…

MaineCare growth, pension reform, proactive fiscal management specifically cited House Republican leadership responded Wednesday to the revision of Maine’s bond rating from AA+ to AA by Fitch Ratings and hyper-partisan responses from Senate Majority Leader Seth Goodall and State Treasurer Neria Douglass. “I am disappointed with Goodall’s and Douglass’s response to this downgrade, which reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the report; namely, the finding that an ‘increasingly contentious decision-making environment’ will prevent us from overcoming the state’s fiscal challenges,” said House Republican Leader Ken Fredette (R-Newport). Fredette noted that in fact most of what the Fitch report cited as positive…

AUGUSTA – House Republican leadership on Wednesday joined Democratic and Senate Republican leadership in announcing the names of the 15 members to be appointed to the Committee on Maine’s Workforce and Economic Future.  The committee will be charged with proposing legislation to close the “skills gap” that exists in the job marketplace, whereby employers often cannot find workers with the skills they need to fill available jobs. House Republican members on the committee include Reps. Paul Bennett (R-Kennebunk), Peter Johnson (R-Greenville), Joyce Maker (R-Calais), and Jeff Timberlake (R-Turner). “I look forward to seeing the findings of the Workforce Committee because…

Paul LePage is one of the most unpopular Governors in the country. Only 39% of voters approve of him to 55% who disapprove. But there’s a decent chance that he might get reelected next year for the same reason that he won in the first place: a three-way split with a Democrat and an independent that allows him to scrape by with less than 40% of the vote. Public Policy Polling tested five contests that included LePage, independent Eliot Cutler, and different Democratic candidates and in each LePage comes out ahead even though he only gets 34-37%. Only two of the…

Amanda Clark, education policy analyst at MHPC, presented this report at luncheon events in Portland and Brewer. She will present it again in Auburn on January 31. This is the first of a three-part series that she will present on customized learning in Maine. Download the report here. By Amanda Clark MHPC Education Policy Analyst Customized learning is a student-focused system where kids enroll in the curriculum which best meets their educational needs.  Customized learning is not new and, in fact, is at the heart of Maine’s well-rooted educational history going back to the days of town academies.  Unfortunately, this…

United States spent $75,706,080,000 dollars on Food Stamps in 2011. America has over 44 million people on Food Stamps, or 14,588 participants for each Walmart Super Center. The food stamps program’s real name is Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). With one of the lowest percentages of SNAP participation by population (8.60%) in the country, New Hampshire is ranked number 49. With a population of 1,328,188, Maine had 247,943 people on food stamps in 2011 (18.67%), ranking it at number 20 nationally. New Hampshire has a similar population as Maine, totaling 1,318,194, but in 2011 had 134,536 fewer people on food…

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage today issued the following statement honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and recognizing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: “On this day our state and nation remembers the life and work of a man who dedicated his life to ensure civil rights for all Americans. We honor Dr. King for his quest for equality through civil disobedience and non-violent means. Equality of opportunity is the essence of the American dream, and America decided to make people more equal by providing them educational options. As Dr. King once said, “Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of…

Audio of the Governor’s Weekly Message can be found here. Maine people work hard to pay their bills, and government should too. Hello. This is Governor Paul LePage. This week, I submitted emergency legislation that when enacted, will lower Maine’s debt by nearly half of a billion dollars. Maine owes its hospitals $484 million in unpaid medical bills which go back as far as four years ago. Many Mainers know what it is like to juggle their bills until pay day arrives. Imagine waiting for up to four years to be paid for your work. The State has used its…

While much focus has been placed on Governor LePage’s proposal to suspend revenue sharing payments to municipalities in order to balance the state’s budget, several important aspects of the proposal have gotten less attention. Gov. LePage’s proposal prioritizes education, maintaining funding for Maine schools after they received a $63 million boost in the last biennial budget. The Baldacci Administration cut education funding by $100 million in its final three years. The budget proposal also addresses the workforce skills gap by restructuring the apprenticeship program and increasing funding by over $1 million for Jobs for Maine’s Graduates. Furthermore, schools will receive an additional…

By Michael Sandoval The Heritage Foundation More than 41 percent of the U.S. population is “enrolled in at least one federal assistance program,” adding tens of billions of dollars to the national debt each year, according to new research by The Heritage Foundation’s Patrick Tyrrell and William W. Beach. That means that a startling number of people in the United States draw income from money their family earns as well as money transferred to them from U.S. taxpayers via some form of federal assistance spending, according to the report from the Center for Data Analysis at Heritage. The rate of growth…

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage has proposed a balanced state budget that reflects necessary fiscal discipline which reduces the impact to education, pays bills, right-sizes government, and provides a safety net for the most vulnerable. (The full budget document is available by clicking here.) “Our state is facing a fiscal crisis, and we need to examine our spending practices, evaluate the delivery of services and gain control of our welfare system,” Governor LePage said. “Maine’s economic security and future is at stake and we must make hard choices so we do not leave our children with unmanageable debt.” This biennial…

Audio of the Governor’s Budget Message can be found here. Hello. This is Governor Paul LePage. These are challenging and difficult times. Our State is facing a fiscal crisis and we need to examine our spending practices, evaluate the delivery of services and gain control of our welfare system.  Maine’s economic security and future is at stake and we must make hard choices so we do not leave our children with unmanageable debt. My challenge as Governor – and our challenge as a  state – is to find ways to help Maine families prosper, improve the business climate, foster better educational…

By Sally C. Pipes Wal-Mart just announced that it will not offer health insurance to new employees who work less than 30 hours a week. It’s reserved the right to do the same for existing workers. For these new policies, Wal-Mart’s employees can thank Obamacare. The federal health reform law’s “employer mandate” requires companies with over 50 employees to provide insurance for anyone working 30 or more hours a week or face fines. That creates a strong incentive for companies to push their workers into a workweek fewer than 30 hours — and thereby avoid the additional costs Obamacare intends…

By Janet Trautwein Some Americans recently began receiving checks in the mail from their health insurers. These “rebates” were required by the federal healthcare reform law’s “medical loss ratio” (MLR) rules, which mandate that insurers spend at least 80 percent of premiums on healthcare expenses. According to the Obama Administration, the rebates prove that the MLRs are working — that they encourage “insurers to give you better value and [hold] them accountable if they don’t.” But these rebates won’t lower most Americans’ health costs. They may make it more difficult for people to secure affordable health insurance. Not everyone will…

Governor Paul R. LePage responded to the Maine Charter School Commission Wednesday morning after the group turned down four of five applications for public charter schools – before even going to a public hearing on them. “Once again this group of people has failed to live up to its responsibilities to Maine students,” Governor LePage said. “This is truly a dereliction of duty. What we are talking about is a Commission moving far too slowly and putting political favors ahead of the needs of our children,” Governor LePage said. “It’s really quite shocking, if you think about it.” On Tuesday,…

A report by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Michigan shows that high cigarette taxes have fueled “rampant tobacco smuggling” across the country. In 2011, Mackinac found that 13.65 percent of all cigarettes consumed in Maine were smuggled in. Maine, which adds $2 in tax on each pack of cigarettes, is ranked 23rd for smuggling out of the 47 states studied in the report. Mackinaw found that New Hampshire was the highest ranking “export” state: for every 100 packs of cigarettes consumed in N.H., almost 27 packs were smuggled out. Massachusetts increased its cigarette tax from $1.51 to $2.51 per pack in…

By John Vinci NetRightDaily As of January 4, 2013: States NOT establishing a State Exchange (26), including Maine: ALABAMA ALASKA ARIZONA FLORIDA GEORGIA INDIANA KANSAS LOUISIANA MAINE MISSISSIPPI MISSOURI MONTANA NEBRASKA NEW HAMPSHIRE NEW JERSEY NORTH DAKOTA OHIO OKLAHOMA PENNSYLVANIA SOUTH CAROLINA SOUTH DAKOTA TENNESSEE TEXAS VIRGINIA WISCONSIN WYOMING Undecided States (0): States establishing a federal “partnership” Exchange(7): ARKANSAS DELAWARE IOWA ILLINOIS MICHIGAN NORTH CAROLINA WEST VIRGINIA States planning to establish a State Exchange (17): CALIFORNIA COLORADO CONNECTICUT HAWAII IDAHO KENTUCKY MARYLAND MASSACHUSETTS MINNESOTA NEVADA NEW MEXICO NEW YORK OREGON RHODE ISLAND UTAH VERMONT WASHINGTON Read more at NetRightDaily.com: http://netrightdaily.com/2013/01/status-of-state-health-insurance-exchanges/#ixzz2HJ2ofUbQ

Weekly Address, January 7, 2013 Hello. This is Governor Paul LePage. This week, newly elected officials across our country and state started what is supposed to be the work of the people. Budget talk has dominated discussions for months and the ‘so called’ fiscal cliff is starting to hit home for many Mainers. Maine’s average household income is about $48-thousand, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and the federal payroll tax change will affect thousands of working families leaving them with less money. An average family will lose about $1,000 from their paycheck in 2013 because of the payroll tax…

My two-year term as Maine State Treasurer ends today.  I’ve been humbled and honored by the privilege to serve the State Legislature and the hard-working people of Maine.  I thank you deeply for this rewarding opportunity. The Maine Legislature elects our four Constitutional Officers, including the State Treasurer.  The November elections returned the legislative majority back to the Democrat Party, where it had been for most of the past 40 years.  The incoming majority elected the current State Auditor and former Democrat State Senator Neria Douglass as our next State Treasurer.  I congratulate Treasurer-Elect Douglass and have been pleased to…

By Rasmussen Reports Last week began with a “fiscal cliff” deal that surprised no one and earned mixed reviews. It ended with another mixed unemployment report that is unlikely to change the general concerns about the nation’s economy. Voters are evenly divided in their views of the last-minute deal to avoid the “fiscal cliff”reached by President Obama and Congress. Most Democrats like it; most Republican don’t. Very few expect government spending to go down as a result. Most voters continue to favor across-the-board spending cuts, but the “fiscal cliff” deal, in fact, contains by one estimate only $1 in spending cuts…

RedState.com The Northeast region—including Maine—leads the United States in outbound migration, according to the results of United Van Lines’ 36th annual “migration” study, which tracks which states the company’s customers move to and from during the course of the year. Washington, D.C., continues to lead the nation in inbound moves based on the study findings, which analyzed moves from the full year 2012. The Top Five outbound states for 2012 were: New Jersey, Illinois, West Virginia, New York and New Mexico, but Maine ranks in the Top Ten. New Jersey (62 percent) displaced the outbound leader from last year, Illinois (60 percent), reclaiming…

By Senator Susan Collins While our country spent September 11, 2012, remembering the terrorist attacks that took place eleven years earlier here at home, brave Americans posted at U.S. government facilities in Benghazi, Libya were fighting for their lives against a terrorist assault. When the fight ended, four patriotic Americans, including our Ambassador, were dead.  While we mourn their deaths, it is also crucial that we examine the circumstances of the attack in Benghazi. As leaders of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Senator Joe Lieberman (I/D-CT) and I recently released the findings of our bipartisan report on the terrorist attack in Benghazi,…

Governor Paul LePage has released a new video detailing his efforts to reduce taxes and create jobs in Maine. The Governor has made it very clear that two of his main priorities are improving the business climate in Maine, to create jobs and grow the economy, and lifting the incomes of Maine’s working people. In the short video, he discusses the largest tax cut in Maine history.  This tax cut, proposed by Governor LePage and passed by the Legislature after he took office, has reduced the taxes of all working Maine people while providing a hand-up for those trying to climb…

AUGUSTA – Kenneth Fletcher today announced he will be retiring from state government as the Director of the Governor’s Energy Office. Fletcher advised Governor Paul R. LePage for two years focusing on initiatives that have both lowered energy costs and expanded options for Mainers in the energy market. “I truly appreciate the opportunity to have worked with Governor LePage on lowering Maine people’s energy costs. Governor LePage has clearly articulated the importance of lowering electricity prices while creating options for residents and businesses to control their total energy costs,” Fletcher said. Since 2010, the average price of electricity has decreased,…

By Amy Payne The Heritage Foundation While you were sleeping—or ringing in 2013—the Senate voted to raise taxes. After missing the midnight deadline, Congress and the President have technically sent the nation over the fiscal cliff, meaning higher tax rates are already in effect for all income tax brackets. But the Senate’s deal, brokered by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) and Vice President Joe Biden, would target the tax increases on those making more than $250,000. The Senate voted 89-8 to limit deductions for taxpayers making more than $250,000, which would raise their taxes, and to hike tax rates for those…

Hello. This is Governor Paul LePage. The number of motor vehicle crashes, deaths, and related injuries occurring on our roadways continue to have a devastating toll on our citizens and visitors to our great State. As of this past week, 163 people have died on Maine roads during 2012 and that is too many deaths, too many relatives, too many friends and too many Maine citizens. The safest driving occurs when drivers direct full attention to the road and their surroundings. Most alarming is the number of young drivers killed as a result of distracted driving. Sadly, 14 teens have…

By James Gattuso and Diane Katz The Heritage Foundation It seems that no aspect of American life can escape government regulation. In the past year, regulators drafted rules that addressed everything from caloric intake to dishwasher efficiency. Most of these rules increase the cost of living, others hinder job creation, and many erode freedom. Not all regulations are unwarranted, of course, but increasingly, the rules imposed by the government have less to do with health and safety and more to do with whether government or individuals get to make basic pocketbook and lifestyle decisions that affect them. And it is not just the…

By Romina Boccia The Heritage Foundation Budget policy in 2012 was characterized by deficit spending, major increases in the national debt, and a heated debate over the “fiscal cliff.” With just days left for President Obama and lawmakers in Congress to avert a major tax hike, sequestration, and other major policy changes, today we bring you a list of the top 10 facts on federal spending in 2012: Four years of trillion-dollar-plus deficits. Fiscal year 2012 concluded with a $1.1 trillion deficit, marking the fourth year of trillion-dollar-plus deficits. Too much spending is the root cause of the federal government’s deep and sustained deficits.…

The end of 2012 was marked by lawmakers engaging in a distracting fiscal cliff debate over tax rates when the solution to the real fiscal crisis lies in an entirely different area of the budget. Federal spending on entitlements and interest on the debt drives the federal budget crisis. Together the three major entitlements of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid (including Obamacare), as well as net interest, make up more than half of all spending in the federal budget today. Their share of the budget will grow to over two-thirds of all spending in 10 years. By 2025, the major entitlement programs…

By Alyene Senger The Heritage Foundation Not all surprises are good. When it comes to Obamacare, the original projections are turning into unfortunately different realities. For the past 11 days, Heritage has highlighted one of the various changes in Obamacare projections (e.g., cost, enrollment, etc.) from when the law first passed until now. In 2014, Obamacare expands Medicaid eligibility to able-bodied, childless adults earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). If a state chose not to expand, the federal government would stop funding their existing Medicaid programs. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that by 2016, Obamacare…

Not all surprises are good. When it comes to Obamacare, the original projections are turning into unfortunately different realities. For the next two days, Heritage is going to highlight one of the various changes in Obamacare projections (e.g., cost, enrollment, etc.) from when the law first passed until now. Obamacare was passed into law under the guise that it would expand access to health coverage while simultaneously reducing the federal deficit. In 2010, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that Obamacare would result in deficit reduction totaling $143 billion from 2010–2019. In 2012, the CBO estimated that Obamacare would result in deficit…

By Rob Bluey The Heritage Foundation Christmas arrives this year at a time when our nation is on the brink of the fiscal cliff. With time running out for President Obama and Congress to reach an agreement, this Christmas Eve we bring to you 2012 twist on Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” It was produced by Public Notice as part of its Bankrupting America project. The poem was sent to members of Congress and President Obama “to lift their spirits during the final weeks of negotiations and hopefully inspire some responsibility.” We hope you enjoy it. Have a safe…

This is the Governor’s weekly message. An audio file of the message can be found here. Hello. This is Governor Paul LePage. Celebration and family are at the heart of the holidays. It is a time of giving to those less fortunate, remembering our troops around the world who are fighting to keep us safe, and reflecting on the year gone by. Ann and I recently had the opportunity to visit one of the most sacred grounds of our nation, Arlington National Cemetery. As the final resting place for more than 400,000  military war casualties and their families, dating back to…

  Jimmy Stewart in the 1939 film “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”Wouldn’t you just know it; the venerable Senate filibuster is back in the news. The Maine Sunday Telegram on December 9 featured a “Maine Voices” column on the subject. Terms like “the nuclear option” and “the constitutional option” were on display. Senator Chuck Schumer, that unctuous 55-gallon drum of sanctimony, is trying to ride the fence on the issue, claiming the filibuster is vital to senate operation, but that “Republicans are abusing it.” This loosely translates to “Hey, we Democrats want to use the filibuster any way we please,…

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage asks that the people of Maine observe a moment of silence on Friday, Dec. 21, at 9:30 a.m., in remembrance of the victims of the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. “Governor Dannel Malloy of Connecticut has declared Friday an official day of mourning in his state and has asked all governors to share in that observance by calling for a moment of silence at 9:30 that morning. We share in the grief of the Newtown community at this tragic loss of innocent life,” expressed Governor LePage. In a letter…

By Joel Allumbaugh Director of MHPC’s Center for Health Reform Initiatives The last of three cases studies on how Obamacare will affect real Maine businesses shows that the staggering increase in health insurance costs could actually force a retail operation into bankruptcy. (Download the case study here.) Depending on how many employees become eligible for Obamacare, the company would be compelled to spend either 54% or 134% of its profit margin to pay for health insurance. In the first scenario, spending more than half of the company’s profit margin on Obamacare would result in layoffs and other drastic cost-cutting measures. In…

Peter Anastos, chairman of the MaineHousing Board of Commissioners, and State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin talk about the “astounding” results of new management at MaineHousing, which has driven costs per unit down by 36% and will create 148 more units of affordable housing units than last year. Last year, 177 units were created; this year, 325 will be created at a cost savings of $74,000 less per unit. This press conference was held December 18, 2012 at MaineHousing’s main office in Augusta. See complete story here.

Thanks to new leadership at the Maine State Housing Authority, the cost of developing or rehabilitating affordable housing units in Maine has been reduced by 36 percent and 148 more units than last year will be available to low-income families. Last year, 177 units were available. This year, 325 will be available—and they will cost almost $74,000 per unit less to create. The significantly reduced costs and increased units result from a year-long effort by MaineHousing’s Board of Commissioners and staff, in partnership with Maine’s development community, to place incentives on lowering costs. Six affordable housing projects will receive…

Not all surprises are good. When it comes to Obamacare, the original projections are turning into unfortunately different realities. For the next 8 days, The Heritage Foundation is going to highlight one of the various changes in Obamacare projections (e.g., cost, enrollment, etc.) from when the law first passed until now. One of Obamacare’s primary goals was to dramatically reduce the number of uninsured. To achieve this, Obamacare depends on a Medicaid expansion, new government subsidies funneled through exchanges, and an individual mandate to get people covered. In 2010, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that Obamacare would insure 32 million…

By Scott Rasmussen The Rasmussen Report Having survived the Supreme Court and the November elections, President Obama’s health care law now faces an even bigger hurdle: the reality of making it work. Implementation of any massive new program requires cooperation, something the health care law can’t count on. Overall, just 46 percent of voters nationwide have a favorable opinion of the law, while 49 percent offer a negative view. The reasons are pretty much the same as they’ve been all along. Just 22 percent believe the law will reduce the cost of health care. Forty-eight percent believe costs will go up.…

Not all surprises are good. When it comes to Obamacare, the original projections are turning into unfortunately different realities. For the next 9 days, Heritage is going to highlight one of the various changes in Obamacare projections (i.e. cost, enrollment, etc.) from when the law first passed until now. The federal government will provide subsidies to offset the cost of coverage in Obamacare’s new exchanges for those with incomes between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level. In 2010, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that exchange subsidies would average $6,000 per enrollee in 2019, for a total…

Governor urges Mainers to weatherize homes, contribute to community organizations that provide heating assistance to those in need AUGUSTA – As the snow flies and Mainers fill their fuel tanks for the winter ahead, Governor Paul R. LePage is reminding them of an interactive home heating cost calculator available on his Energy Office website at www.maine.gov/energy. The calculator allows Maine homeowners to estimate their costs to keep warm during the heating season ahead based on different types of fuels, their costs and their efficiency in different heating appliances. For example, a well-insulated 1,500 square-foot house based on current fuel prices cost nearly…

The Alyene Senger The Heritage Foundation Not all surprises are good. When it comes to Obamacare, the original projections are turning into unfortunately different realities. For the next 10 days, Heritage is going to highlight one of the various changes in Obamacare projections (i.e. cost, enrollment, etc.) from when the law first passed until now. To pay for massive new spending provisions, Obamacare includes 18 new or increased taxes, fees, and penalties. In 2010, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that Obamacare’s provisions would generate $669 billion in additional revenue for the federal government from 2010-2019. This figure includes taxes, penalties, fees, and associated…

By Michael Sandoval The Heritage Foundation In just a little over a decade, the U.S. federal debt will exceed 100 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), an “economically damaging” level, according to analysis from The Heritage Foundation based on numbers provided by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and the Congressional Budget Office. To the numbers: Fiscal year (FY) 2012 closed on September 30 with the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimating spending of $3.5 trillion and a deficit of $1.1 trillion. Debt held by the public was $11.3 trillion (73 percent of GDP). According to the CBO, debt will explode to 199…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As she concludes her 40 years of service in elective office to the people of Maine and the nation, U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) delivered her final speech on the floor of the United States Senate on Thursday.  During her remarks, Snowe, the third longest serving woman in the history of the United States Congress, discussed her remarkable life story, her rise from the corridors of the Maine Statehouse to the halls of Congress, and her impressive list of legislative accomplishments, always borne from her trademark consensus-building and bipartisan approach. In her remarks, Snowe – who…

This story was posted Wednesday in Forbes. See it here. By Kurt Badenhausen Forbes For the third straight year Maine ranks No. 50 in Forbes seventh annual Best States for Business. Maine’s problems run deep. It has the second highest corporate tax burden at 16% above the national average, according to Moody’s Analytics. Energy costs, like the rest of New England, are also sky high at 27% above the U.S. average. The state is burdened with the oldest population in the U.S. with a media age of 42. The numbers tell the story on Maine. Its economy contracted 0.6% a year between 2006…

Paying Obamacare penalties would be less expensive than providing health insurance A case study from a blueberry farming operation in Maine shows that providing health insurance benefits under Obamacare would result in a staggering annual increase of more than $184,000. (Download PDF of full case study here.) Due to the crushing mandates of Obamacare, this farm would face a whopping 203% increase of in the cost of providing health insurance benefits. The blueberry farm now pays $90,540 a year to provide health insurance for its full-time employees. Under Obamacare, the farm could pay as much as $274,762 to cover both full-time and…

PORTLAND—The proposed East-West Highway across Maine is featured in a new Sierra Club national report as one of the worst transportation projects in the United States. The report, “Smart Choices, Less Traffic: 50 Best and Worst Transportation Projects,” cites the proposed $2 billion, 220-mile, four-lane freight truck highway’s serious negative impacts on Maine’s air and water quality and critical wildlife habitat. “The proposed East-West freight truck highway would permanently destroy Maine’s central landscape, threatening local communities, landowner private property rights, forests, air and water quality, and potentially leaving Maine taxpayers on the hook for this risky project,” said Karen Woodsum,…

Governor recognizes Gorham organization which helps military families and children AUGUSTA – In recognition of the sacrifices made by children of military families, and to highlight the work being done to acknowledge those sacrifices, Governor Paul R. LePage has proclaimed December as Operation Tribute Month. Launched in 2007, and based in Gorham, Operation Tribute provides a holiday gift to participating children of Maine’s military families, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard, as well as the Reserves and National Guard. Since its founding, the non-profit organization has acquired, wrapped and individually distributed more than 16,000 holiday gifts…

By Curtis Dubay The Heritage Foundation The one glaring omission in President Obama’s fiscal cliff demands for higher rates on top earners is that he’s already raised their taxes. That’s right! When he signed Obamacare into law, he raised tax rates on families earning more than $250,000—his definition of rich. He has done so by including in the 18 separate Obamacare tax hikes an increase of the tax rates on income and investment. Obamacare raises the hospital insurance (HI) portion of the payroll tax on wage income over $250,000 from 2.9 percent to 3.8 percent. And it applies that 3.8 percent rate to investment income—capital…

Hello. This is Governor, Paul LePage. Several weeks ago, I used my radio address to talk about the compassion of Maine people and their great generosity. The heart of Maine beats especially strong this time of year, as many drop a dollar in a red Salvation Army kettles or a holiday ham at a local food pantry. Others –including those who have little profit to part with– donate slightly worn coats or give of their time to serve meals at a shelter or shovel snow for a senior. But perhaps our country’s most humbling show of heart at the holidays…

This article, titled “Stealthy Wealthy: Donald Sussman, Rep. Pingree make strange bedfellows”, was posted December 7, 2012 by The Sunlight Foundation. By Anupama Narayanswamy The Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group In the five or so years since hedge fund manager Donald Sussman and Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, have known each other, the investment tycoon has made his mark in her state, becoming its top political donor in 2012 and a major backer to Democratic super PACs. He’s also found ways to bankroll her campaign, while buying a controlling interest in the local papers that cover her district. Sussman, the billionaire manager of boutique hedge…

By Amy Payne The Heritage Foundation It seems that every day now brings another business owner in the news talking about cutting workers’ hours or making other cost-cutting moves in anticipation of Obamacare’s impact in 2013. Here are just a few of the business owners’ comments on the health care law: “We’ve calculated it will [cost] some millions of dollars across our system. So what does that say—that says we won’t build more restaurants. We won’t hire more people,” Zane Tankel, chairman and CEO of Apple-Metro, which runs 40 Applebee’s restaurants. >> Tweet this quote “There’s no other way we can survive it, because…

By David Kreutzer, Ph.D. The Heritage Foundation The wind production tax credit (PTC) has created an industry that produces overpriced, intermittent power, and it will continue to produce overpriced, intermittent power so as long as there is a PTC to pay for it. Here are the top seven myths associated with the PTC: Myth #1: Wind power is, or will soon be, cheaper than conventional sources. Fact: If this were true, then there would be no need for subsidies. First, this is a rerun of an argument that has been made for at least 20 years. Second, if wind were already…