Author: Steve Robinson

The lone dissenting voice on the five-member Commission to Study the Conduct of Elections in Maine has warned state officials that Maine’s election system is vulnerable to fraudulent voting. “I believe that the testimony and evidence presented reveal a clear and present danger to our voting process in Maine,” wrote former Bangor Mayor N. Laurence Willey in a memo to the Democratic co-chairs of the Veterans and Legal Affairs (VLA) Committee. The commission voted 4-1 in February on their report, which stated, in part, that there is “little or no history of voter impersonation or identification fraud.” That statement was…

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) on Thursday released the 6th edition of Rich States, Poor States – a comprehensive review of states’ fiscal policies designed highlight pro-growth policies for lawmakers around the country. The study, written by Arthur B. Laffer, Stephen Moore, and Jonathan Williams, uses a host of economic variables to gauge the relative success of state-level policies. The ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index provides two rankings – economic performance and economic outlook. The performance ranking is a backward-looking measure based on three variables: state gross domestic product, domestic migration, and non-farm payroll employment. The outlook ranking is…

AUGUSTA – Scripted chants filled the air Wednesday as activists from the Maine State Employees Association (MSEA) and the Maine People’s Alliance (MPA) arrived at the State House on school buses to voice religious objections to Gov. Paul LePage’s biennial budget. “Hey, hey, ho, ho, this budget’s got to go,” they chanted, referring to the budget proposal the governor introduced in January. Hallowell Mayor and Associate Director of the Maine Women’s Lobby Charlotte Warren served as the master of sessions for the state workers’ union ceremony, which featured Leslie A. Manning, a former state worker and current board director for the…

AUGUSTA – In a late night session of the Maine House of Representatives, state lawmakers clung mostly to party lines in what some lawmakers called the biggest vote of the 126th Legislature. Voting 87-57, the House Democrats overcame bipartisan opposition to pass L.D. 1546, An Act to Strengthen Maine’s Hospitals, Increase Access to Health Care and Provide for a New Spirits Contract. The bill, which passed the Senate 20-15, is a combination of Gov. Paul LePage’s hospital repayment plan and a Democratic proposal to expand Medicaid. The evening began with House Speaker Mark W. Eves (D-North Berwick), in his first…

AUGUSTA – Sen. Dawn Hill (D-York), chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs, refused to allow Gov. Paul LePage to testify to budget writers on Sunday regarding the May 28 deadline the Department of Health and Human Services is facing. Hill’s decision to censor the governor came during an unusual weekend meeting of the Appropriations Committee. Budget writers had gathered to discuss the implications of a letter from DHHS Commissioner Mary Mayhew to the governor warning of an impending budget deadline. Following Mayhew’s testimony, LePage took to the microphone, but Hill politely denied him the opportunity to…

Tax economist and CEO of The Maine Heritage Policy Center J. Scott Moody testified Wednesday before the Rhode Island House of Representatives in support of a proposal to eliminate entirely that state’s sales tax. As Maine’s own Legislature debates the so-called Gang of Eleven’s proposal to expand the sales tax base and increase the sales tax rate, Moody shared with a fellow New England state how high sales taxes undermine economic growth. “Increasing taxes on the private sector has two consequences,” said Moody. “First, higher taxes will mean less money in the pockets of individuals and businesses which will reduce…

AUGUSTA – Gov. Paul R. LePage on Friday delivered a letter to to Democratic leaders challenging their decision to merge payment of Medicaid debt with Medicaid expansion. “While Democratic leadership is engaging in Washington-style politics and strong-arming members of its caucus to vote against the wishes of the Maine people, crisis is looming that will affect our most needy citizens,” LePage wrote in a letter to Senate President Justin L. Alfond (D-Portland) and House Speaker Mark W. Eves (D-North Berwick). “Democratic leaders are so focused on expanding welfare to cover able-bodied people, they have forgotten about the Mainers who are already on…

AUGUSTA – Top lawmakers on the so-called Gang of Eleven said Friday during a work session of the Legislature’s Taxation Committee that services provided by labor unions will be exempt under their proposed expansion of Maine’s tax code. The revelation came about after Sen. Doug Thomas (R-Somerset), the Tax Committee’s top Republican, asked the plan’s supporters  exactly which services the plan’s expansion of the sales tax would include, mentioning collective bargaining services specifically. “It is our intent to tax legal fees,” said Rep. Gary Knight (R-Livermore), the lead sponsor of L.D. 1496, An Act to Modernize and Simplify the Tax Code.…

AUGUSTA – Maine Democrats, led by Senate President Justin L. Alfond (D-Portland) and House Speaker Mark W. Eves (D-North Berwick) announced Thursday that the Veterans and Legal Affairs (VLA) Committee would combine Gov. Paul R. LePage’s hospital repayment bill with a separate proposal to expand Medicaid. “Later this afternoon, our proposal will be taken up by the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee,” said President Alfond. The announcement came during a press conference in the State House, with nearly every Democratic lawmaker present. Within hours the VLA Committee voted on strict party lines to merge the bills. The amended proposal now…

AUGUSTA – The Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee voted Wednesday against limiting Medicaid coverage of methadone and suboxone treatments, and in favor of repealing the two-year limit on reimbursement for the controversial opiate addiction treatment drugs. Members of the HHS Committee voted mostly along party lines as they rejected a Republican-backed bill (L.D. 802) that would have prevented MaineCare, Maine’s Medicaid program, from providing reimbursement for certain medication-assisted treatment for addiction. The bill, introduced by Rep. Lawrence E. Lockman (R-Amherst), would take effect beginning January 1, 2015. Lockman said his bill would save the State $15 million a year…

AUGUSTA – Democratic infighting continued at the State House on Wednesday as members of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee voted to peer pressure the Veterans and Legal Affairs (VLA) Committee to combine Gov. Paul R. LePage’s hospital repayment plan with a Medicaid expansion bill. “In a 10-4 vote, the Majority of the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services voted to strongly recommend that the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs include language directing the State of Maine to accept federal health care dollars in the committee bill to make a final payment to Maine’s hospitals,” said…

Here, I’d like to discuss the so-called Gang of Eleven’s LD 1496, designated “An Act to Modernize and Simplify the Tax Code.” This bill should actually be named “An Act to Increase Tax Revenues While Sponsors Croon ‘Don’t Tax You, Don’t Tax Me, Tax the One Behind That Tree.’” Why?  Referring to the current version of the bill, we find this introduction: This bill would overhaul Maine’s tax code. It is designed to raise a larger share of tax revenues from nonresidents, while relieving the tax burden on year-round residents. The bill reduces Maine state income taxes, corporate income taxes…

The Mercatus Center, a project of George Mason University, has released a new video analyzing the expansion of states’ Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Watch the video (below):

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said on Friday it had targeted conservative groups for more thorough scrutiny during the 2012 presidential election. Groups with suspect words like “patriot” and “tea party” included in their names – roughly 75 in all – were selected for what many have called an unreasonable audit process. Now, an information request the IRS sent to a Richmond, Virginia-based tea party group in January of 2012 has surfaced, revealing stunning overreach on behalf of tax collecting bureaucrats aimed at silencing conservative political opposition. The request was sent from an IRS center in Cincinnatti, Ohio on January…

Watch the viral video of the Maine Democrats staging a press conference to attack Gov. Paul LePage, but failing spectacularly: [RELATED: Maine Democrats refuse to answer simple question about A-F alternative…]

YORK – He totaled a company van and subsequently failed a drug test, but according to workers at the Maine Department of Labor (MDOL), he still deserves to receive employer-funded unemployment benefits. “This is what we’re dealing with as employers in the state of Maine,” said Michael Estes, president of York-based Estes Oil Burner Service, Inc. Estes said the former employee got into a car accident while driving a company van and was therefore drug tested as is company policy. “He failed the drug test, so we terminated him,” said Estes. The worker then filed with MDOL for unemployment benefits.…

AUGUSTA – Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage on Monday met with representatives from the Maine State Employees Association (MSEA) to demand that the union stop spreading “fear and misinformation” about a shutdown of state government. “You are lying,” the governor told Tim Belcher, general counsel for MSEA. “I, as Chief Executive of the State, have had no plan to shut down state government. It did not come from the executive branch,” he said. “Why are you scaring people?” [RELATED: Maine Democrats reaffirm State’s role as union’s collections agent…] According to copies of letters distributed by the Governor’s Office, the MSEA…

AUGUSTA – Gov. Paul R. LePage on Saturday used his weekly radio address to once again call for action on a bill that would compensate Maine’s hospitals for nearly half-a-billion dollars in unpaid Medicaid bills. “More than one hundred fifteen days have passed since I put a plan on the table to pay the hospitals,” said Gov. LePage. “Nearly four months later, the hospitals are still waiting for the $484 million the state owes them,” he said. “By paying the State’s bills, we strengthen our economy and the hospitals that care for and employ Maine people. Hospitals will be able…

AUGUSTA – Gov. Paul R. LePage on Friday continued to roll out his education reform initiatives, releasing a pair of bills designed to increase school choice and educator accountability. The bills are expected to meet heavy opposition from school unions. The first bill, L.D. 1510, An Act to Ensure Statewide School Accountability and Improvement, would establish and implement school improvement plans based on the governor’s A-F grading system. The school improvement plans, according to the bill, must set specific, measurable objectives for substantive and continuous improvement in student outcomes. If the governor’s bill passes, under-performing schools will receive special, directed assistance to…

AUGUSTA – In a surprise move, House Speaker Mark W. Eves (D-North Berwick) ordered Democrats on the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee (HHS) to kill a bill from Gov. Paul R. LePage that would allow the state to exclude junk food from eligible food stamp purchases. State House sources said Friday that Democrats’ last-minute decision to oppose the bill came after the House Speaker’s top legal adviser  Alysia Melnick of Cape Elizabeth, entered the committee room and delivered marching orders for Democratic leadership. Sources said that prior to Melnick’s involvement, the Governor’s bill seemed destined for passage, and that the…

AUGUSTA – The Gang of Eleven defended its controversial tax overhaul on Friday during a packed public hearing of the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation. “I dare say there’s not a person in this state who does not recognize that our current tax code is antiquated and inadequate,” said Rep. Gary Knight (R-Livermore), lead sponsor of L.D. 1496, An Act to Simplify and Modernize the Tax Code. “We are severely hampered by an inordinately high income tax,” Rep. Knight said. “Everyone feels compelled to solicit professional help when filing their taxes,” he said. “Some will say we can just cut…

Maine is the 6th worst place to retire, according to a study produced by Bankrate.com that considered a host of variables. “The Pine Tree State can boast excellent access to medical care and a relatively mild crime rate,” the study says. “Yet it ranks No. 6 on Bankrate’s list of bad places to retire for a few reasons.” In addition to Maine’s frigid temperature, the study states, “Both the cost of living and state and local taxes are among the highest in the country.” The study comes as lawmakers on the Taxation Committee are slated to debate the so-called Gang…

AUGUSTA –The Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday considered a resolve that would spend $500,000 over four years to study the theory of anthropogenic climate change, also known as global warming. Rep. William Noon (D-Sanford) introduced L.D. 825 in order to study climate change theory and implement the recommendations of Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). His resolve directs DEP to resume its study on climate change pursuant to a 2009 resolve in preparation for a bill that would be presented to the 127th Legislature. According to the fiscal note attached to L.D. 825, the resolve would pull $244,447…

AUGUSTA – The Gang of Eleven’s tax plan is only one week old, but supporters say the version that emerges from the Taxation Committee will look quite different from the draft bill presented to the public last Wednesday. According to Rep. Gary Knight (R-Livermore Falls), lead sponsor of the bipartisan group’s plan, supporters of his bill are already discussing ways to make the complex tax overhaul more palatable for Mainers. “The final bill will not tax home heating fuel,” said Knight. He added that the Taxation Committee, on which he is the top House Republican, would make changes to the…

AUGUSTA – Top Democrats refuse to say how long the Party has been working on their school evaluation system or how that system will work, but said Wednesday their plan is definitely better than the Governor’s. Sen. Rebecca J. Millett (D-Cumberland) and Rep. W. Bruce MacDonald (D-Boothbay), co-chairs of the Education Committee, announced during a State House press conference that Democrats intend to present a proposal at some point in the future to assess – not grade – Maine’s schools according to a yet-to-be-determined formula that will be devised by an undefined group of “stakeholders.” While the ostensible purpose of…

U.S. Sen. Angus S. King Jr. (U-Maine) has obtained the services of NGP Van, Inc. — the same Washington, D.C.-based campaign service provider utilized by all national Democratic committees, thousands of Democratic political campaigns and hundreds of labor unions. In an April 30 email subject line “My First 100 Days,” Sen. King thanked supporters and told them to read the piece Bill Nemitz wrote for U.S. Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree’s news company, Maine Today Media. Wrote King, “[Nemitz] was with me practically full time and got a pretty good feel for what I have been doing during my first 100 days in…

AUGUSTA – A top Democratic committee chair on Tuesday came out in opposition to the decision of Senate President Justin L. Alfond (D-Cumberland) and House Speaker Mark W. Eves (D-North Berwick) to link Medicaid expansion to repaying the nearly half-a-billion dollar Medicaid debt owed to Maine’s hospitals. The Democratic leaders in the 126th Legislature have had plenty of trouble keeping their caucus in line, and according to reporting from the Bangor Daily’s Matt Stone, a high-ranking Democratic committee chairman has said he opposes their decision to demand that Gov. Paul R. LePage’s hospital debt repayment bill be linked to a…

AUGUSTA – Maine taxpayers rallied at the State House on Tuesday in support of economic freedom. Despite multiple advanced notices, Maine’s traditional media outlets decided the event was unworthy of coverage. Only taxpayer-funded Maine Public Broadcasting Network attended the rally, which featured speakers from Americans for Prosperity, The Maine Heritage Policy Center and Maine Taxpayers United. Watch a video of the rally below: Want the news the liberal media won’t cover? Be sure to “Follow” The Maine Wire on Twitter and “Like” us on Facebook!

AUGUSTA – Liberty-minded Mainers gathered at the State House Tuesday for an Economic Freedom Rally featuring speakers from The Maine Heritage Policy Center, Americans for Prosperity-Maine, and Maine Taxpayers United. The event focused on tax, regulatory and spending bills winding through the 126th Legislature, including the so-called Gang of Eleven’s proposed tax increase. (Recommended: Gang of Eleven Touts Tax Increase…) “The politicians and the bureaucrats and the lobbyists aren’t used to rallies like this,” said Carol Weston, state director of Americans for Prosperity – Maine (AFP). “When the Left storms the State House with their buses, their bull horns and…

Renowned tax reform crusader Grover Norquist, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Americans for Tax Reform, said Monday that the tax bill Maine’s so-called Gang of Eleven has proposed is like offering Mainers a pizza sprinkled with glass shards. “The gang of eleven’s plan is like baking a pizza and sprinkling glass shards on top,” Norquist said. “And when you say you don’t want to eat it, they say, ‘what, you don’t like pepperoni?’” Norquist said the pizza – i.e. cutting Maine’s income tax to four percent and eliminating the estate tax – would be a great idea without the shards…

AUGUSTA – State Democratic leaders have suspended a rule providing for transparency in the proceedings of the Legislature. Senate President Justin L. Alfond (D-Cumberland) and Speaker of the House Mark W. Eves (D-North Berwick) informed lawmakers in an email Wednesday that they are suspending the public notice requirement for advertising public hearings. “Effective today, the notice requirement for advertising public hearings for bills that are referred to committee after May 3rd is waived entirely,” the Democratic leaders wrote in an email to state lawmakers. Suspending the public notice requirement will make it difficult for Maine citizens to monitor the progress…

AUGUSTA – Republican and Democratic leaders held dueling press conferences on Tuesday over Gov. Paul R. LePage’s proposal to pay nearly $500 million owed to Maine’s hospitals and a separate Democratic proposal to expand Maine’s Medicaid program. “Paying Maine’s hospitals is incredibly important for our economy,” said Senate Minority Leader Mike D. Thibodeau (R-Winterport). “It seems just recently Maine Democrats put a new wrinkle in this agreement trying to attach the whole Medicaid expansion debate with paying Maine hospitals,” he said. “It’s unfortunate.” “I would call on the Democrats to do what they know is the right thing to do…

Reduce Maine’s income tax to four percent: Working Mainers would see their income taxes cut in half, from eight percent to a maximum rate of four percent. Nearly all tax deductions would be removed in order to simplify Maine’s income tax policy. Eliminate the estate tax: Also known as the Death Tax, an estate tax is assessed on the property of deceased individuals. Reforms signed into law by Gov. Paul LePage in 2011 raised the estate tax exemption from $1 million to $2 million effective January of 2013. The Gang of Eleven’s proposal would eliminate the estate tax entirely. Reduce…

AUGUSTA – Giving hope to those who believe democracy flourishes through compromise, Republicans and Democrats in the so-called Gang of Eleven joined forces Wednesday to unveil legislation that would amount to a net tax increase for Maine. “This is huge,” said Rep. Gary Knight (R-Livermore), top House Republican on the Taxation Committee and lead sponsor of An Act to Modernize and Simplify the Tax Code. Knight said the goal of his bill is to improve Maine’s archaic tax code and attract businesses to the state. His plan is an attractive one: it cuts Maine’s income tax in half, from eight…

AUGUSTA – Expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act – also known as Obamacare – will cost Maine taxpayers $40 million dollars over the first biennium, according to a preliminary report from the Office of Fiscal and Program Review. The final price tag for L.D. 1066, a bill from Rep. Linda F. Sanborn (D-Gorham) that would expand Maine’s Medicaid program (MaineCare), is not yet available online, but from the preliminary numbers it is apparent that expansion will hit Maine taxpayers hard. That expanding Medicaid, an anti-poverty program in conception, will cost Mainers $40 million over the first two years may come as a…

According to a new report from the Washington, DC-based nonpartisan Government Accountability Institute (GAI), President Barack Obama has spent more than twice as much time on vacation and golfing (976 hours) than he has spent in meetings about the economy (474.4 hours). The report, “Presidential Calendar: A Time-Based Analysis,” analyzed the official White House calendar and other media reports starting at the president’s inauguration and running through March 31, 2013. Other findings from the GAI report include: President Obama has devoted 3.6 percent of his working hours to economic meetings throughout his presidency. So far this year, President Obama has…

AUGUSTA – With less than two months remaining in the current legislative session, Democrats in Augusta appear to be in complete disarray over whether to pay Maine’s nearly $500 million hospital debt – and what, if anything, to demand in return. Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage has made repaying the hospitals a chief priority of the 2013 legislative season, but he has encountered an ideologically rigid Democratic Party that is interested more in partisan games than solving problems. LePage introduced his hospital repayment plan, which uses bonds taken against liquor contract revenues to pay the half-a-billion-dollar debt, four months ago.…

AUGUSTA – After more than a month of consideration, Senate President Justin L. Alfond (D-Cumberland) has refused to allow any Senate Republicans to sit on the Marine Resources Committee — an act Republicans say is part of a worrisome pattern. Senate Republican Leader Michael Thibodeau (R-Waldo) said Monday that Alfond has decided to put party politics over the best interests of the people of Maine by refusing to allow a Republican to take a committee seat that Sen. Richard G. Woodbury (UD-Cumberland) would rather not have. Said Thibodeau, “In mid-February, [Senator Woodbury], who serves on the Marine Resources Committee, told…

AUGUSTA – Maine Republican Party Chairman Richard M. Cebra on Monday called on Senate President Justin L. Alfond (D-Cumberland) to convene the Conduct and Ethics Committee in response to a growing pattern of irregularities and disruptions during State House hearings. “The Legislature currently has some very serious issues to consider that will have a profound impact on all of our citizens. Maine taxpayers deserve to have their elected representatives act in a professional manner,” Cebra said in a statement. According to Republicans, several legislative committees have been plagued with lapses in proper parliamentary procedure and egregious breaches of decorum. Sen. Gary Plummer…

AUGUSTA – While many Mainers have long believed the Maine Democratic Party is comprised of fools, two Democratic State Senators proved as much on Wednesday by donning clown noses during a public hearing of the Health and Human Services Committee. Sens. Colleen Lachowicz (D-Waterville) and Margaret M. Craven (D-Lewiston) performed their asinine act as several Maine citizens — many who waited more than six hours to do so — testified on a bill concerning availability of beds for low-income Mainers in nursing homes. “It’s one thing not to agree on issues,” said Maine GOP Chairman Richard M. Cebra. “It’s entirely…

An Investigation by The Maine Wire finds the Clean Election Act has failed to keep big money out of politics, but rather served as a piggy bank for Democrat campaigns Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage announced his intention to reduce taxpayer funding for political campaigns – also known as the Maine Clean Elections Act –  in his 2014-2015 biennial budget. Of course, Democrats want you to know they are fighting to continue a program that last year spent $1.9 million in taxpayer cash on politics. What they don’t want you to know, is why. One reason why Democrats are fighting…

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, DC, has released a new video with clips of Congressional Democrats who are opposed to the Market Place Fairness Act, otherwise known as the Internet Sales Tax.

WASHINGTON, DC – Maine’s Sen. Angus King, an un-enrolled Democrat, took to the Senate floor Thursday for his inaugural speech and used the time in the spotlight to offer his colleagues a history lesson on the origins and history of the United States government. Roughly 15 minutes into his speech, King referred to the so-called Ryan Budget passed in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives as a “political document.” “I don’t believe that the Ryan budget is really about debts and deficits,” said King. “It’s about shrinking government.” King then offered what for many will be a surprising statement: “Federal spending isn’t…

This column originally appeared in the April 24, 2013 edition of the New Hampshire Union Leader By Charles M. Arlinghaus Other states have always been annoyed by states like New Hampshire without a sales tax. Tax competition is distressing to the uncompetitive. But few tax grabs are as ill considered, unfair, and anti-competitive as the federal government’s attempt to impose a massive new internet sales tax. New Hampshire in particular needs to be careful. The new tax will lead to the elimination of the sales tax competitive advantage that is the foundation of our retail economy. Under the American tax…

AUGUSTA – In a party line vote Wednesday, the Maine House of Representatives passed L.D. 230, An Act To Establish the Commission on Health Care Cost and Quality.  The bill would establish a partisan commission to develop a health improvement plan for Maine, with members to be appointed solely by the Senate President, Speaker of the House, and two legislative committees. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) testified in opposition to the bill because the measure is wasteful in its duplication of existing efforts at the DHHS Office of MaineCare Services and the Maine Centers for Disease Control (CDC).…

AUGUSTA – Maine’s mayors and municipal officials have done a lot of complaining about Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage’s budget proposal and its cuts to revenue-sharing agreements with towns and cities. But one thing critics of the Governor’s budget proposal have not done is offer a better plan. On Thursday, LePage called on municipal officials to offer solutions, rather than belly-aching and political rhetoric, during negotiations on the upcoming biennial budget proposal. “The problem is there are only three large budget areas – education, welfare and revenue sharing,” LePage wrote in a letter to officials in Maine’s cities and towns.…

AUGUSTA – In a strict party-line vote Wednesday, State Democrats defeated a Republican-backed proposal to end forced unionism in Maine’s private sector. Rep. Lawrence E. Lockman (R-Amherst), the sponsor of L.D. 831, An Act to Prohibit Mandatory Membership in a Union or Payment of Agency Fees as a Condition of Unemployment, said Wednesday’s 92-53 vote rejecting his bill is just a temporary setback in a nationwide movement that will inevitably come to Maine. “This bill was inspired both by principle and by economics,” said Lockman. “The principle is liberty, the bedrock of our uniquely American heritage of limited government and…

“President Obama does not want an immigration bill to pass,” said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) during a Wednesday interview with CBS News’ Jan Crawford. Cruz, a darling of the Tea Party movement, has taken a no-holds-barred approach to tangling with the Obama Administration. Said Cruz, “I think that the president wants to campaign on immigration reform in 2014 and 2016. And I think the reason that the White House is insisting on a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally is because the White House knows that insisting on that is very likely to scuttle the bill.” “Like”…

AUGUSTA – Due to “inadequate internal control procedures,” the Maine Department of Labor gave more than $100,000,000 in jobless benefits to Mainers who might not have been actively searching for a job, according to the 2012 report of the Maine State Auditor. State Auditor Pola A. Buckley, a Democratic political appointee, delivered her bombshell report to Senate President Justin L. Alfond (D-Cumberland), House Speaker Mark W. Eves (D-North Berwick) and Republican Governor Paul R. LePage on March 28. Buckley wrote in the audit, “Approximately $42 million in federally funded unemployment claims and $61 million in claims funded by Maine’s employers…

AUGUSTA – State workers who have been forced to pay fees to the Maine State Employees Association (MSEA) since 2007 will suffer forced wage garnishment for at least another two years after the Legislature’s decision to reject an Amherst Republican’s bipartisan proposal. Standing on the floor of the Maine House of Representatives, Rep. Lawrence E. Lockman (R-Amherst) testified in support of his bill, L.D. 786, which would eliminate the MSEA’s monopoly over public sector collective bargaining rights thus rendering union membership voluntary. “Simply put, if the unions were doing their job and offering services that workers are willing to pay…

AUGUSTA – Lawmakers at Tuesday’s public hearing of the Taxation Committee heard testimony for an amorphous blob of policy proposals that could become the largest middle class tax hike in Maine history. The handful of tax proposals will likely become one omnibus bill, but the basic elements of the final proposal Democrats will produce are predictable: repeal of the 125th Legislature’s tax cut and the creation of a new Robin Hood Assessment. [RELATED: Fee Hike: Democrats allow $3 million motor vehicle registration fee increase…] The hearing began with a bill from Rep. W. Bruce MacDonald (D-Boothbay) to repeal tax cuts passed…

WASHINGTON – National Journal conducted an analysis of Sen. Angus S. King, Jr.’s voting record to date and found Maine’s allegedly independent junior senator votes with Democrats as often as the former chairman of the Democratic Party. Read the full National Journal report: When Maine’s Angus King ran as an independent candidate for the Senate last year, he carefully guarded which party he would caucus with in Washington and how he would vote. “They’ll know the answer when they get to the K’s,” King said of roll-call votes. The answer is: with the D’s. In his first 100 days casting…

AUGUSTA – As demonstrators gathered at the State House Tuesday to support a Farmington Republican’s push for better labeling of foods that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs), new information has come to light regarding U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree’s financial and political ties to top GMO firms. In advance of the Agriculture Committee’s public hearing for Rep. Lance Harvell’s (R-Farmington) bill to regulate food containing GMOs, crowds gathered shouting “No, No, G-M-O!” and brandishing signs and slogans – even some that appeared on the backs of old Pingree for Senate signs. That Pingree’s old political materials are being recycled to protest…

AUGUSTA – Less than six weeks after its first stint in the Maine House of Representatives, Democratic representatives voted Tuesday to enact L.D. 405, a bill to allow motor vehicle registration fee increases of 50-67 percent—or $3 million. The House accepted the Transportation Committee’s divided ought-to-pass report on March 14 and the Senate concurred on April 4.  Today’s House vote – 89-57 mostly along party lines – puts the fate of the bill in the Senate. House Republicans said Democrats are asking Mainers to pick up the tab for the rapidly growing government of their dreams. “Just yesterday, Democrats rejected millions of…

AUGUSTA – The Maine House of Representatives voted Tuesday on Rep. Corey A. Wilson’s (R-Augusta) proposal to exempt concealed hand gun permits from Freedom of Access Act requests. The final vote was 106 yeas to 40 nays. How did your Representative vote on L.D. 345? “LIKE” us on Facebook “Follow” us on Twitter

The Center for American Progress – a leftist think tank with intimate ties to the White House– recently published a fact sheet about gun violence in Maine. The sheet is true propaganda that omits important contextual information about gun deaths in Maine in order to advance an ideological agenda — namely, that more than 90 percent of gun-related deaths in Maine are self-inflicted. The Center states the following: “In Maine, 113 people were killed in gun-related violence in 2010, or one every three days.” True. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 113 Mainers died in firearm-related incidents. What the Left…

According to the Associated Press, the Tsarnaev brothers were motivated by radical Islam: BOSTON (AP) — The two brothers suspected of bombing the Boston Marathon appear to have been motivated by a radical brand of Islam but do not seem connected to any Muslim terrorist groups, U.S. officials said Monday after interrogating and charging Dzhokhar Tsarnaev with crimes that could bring the death penalty. The brothers, ethnic Chechens from Russia who had been living in the U.S. for about a decade, practiced Islam. Read the full AP story 

Ten – that’s how many bullets Democrats think Mainers’ firearm magazines should hold. Twenty-one – that’s how old Democrats think Mainers should be before they can obtain a concealed carry permit. AUGUSTA – Despite President Barack Obama’s incontestable failure to force his sweeping national gun-control agenda through Congress, Maine Democrats are continuing their push for controversial state-level gun-control legislation. During a Monday afternoon meeting of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, state lawmakers considered two Democrat-backed proposals to restrict the purchase and use of firearms in Maine. [RELATED: Angus King: “Pretty Disappointing Obama’s gun-control bill died…] The first proposal,…

AUGUSTA – The Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee on Monday heard testimony regarding several bills Democratic lawmakers are pushing to make severe — and costly changes to voting in Maine. Two of the proposals would change Maine’s popular election system into a run-off election system, while two additional bills would enact ranked choice voting. All four proposals will impose significant costs on the state and its municipalities and are designed to prevent candidates from winning elections with a plurality of the popular vote. Sen. John Tuttle (D-York) has introduced L.D. 1358, An Act To Amend the Election Laws To Require…

Contrary to media reports, there is no federal investigation of Governor LePage. Rather, the U.S. Department of Labor will be cooperating with the LePage administration to conduct an audit of Maine’s unemployment insurance system. AUGUSTA – The acting Secretary of the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) and Maine Gov. Paul R. LePage agreed Wednesday to cooperate on an audit of Maine’s unemployment insurance program. “I have said repeatedly that the unemployment compensation system must maintain a fair and consistent application of the law throughout the process,” said LePage. “That will benefit both employees as well as employers.” If the…

The Way Life Should Be. Our motto rings true as Maine consistently ranks high in quality of life. However, for the past three years Maine ranked last on Forbes Magazine’s best places to do business list. It’s not surprising considering Maine has the second highest corporate tax burden, third lowest productivity per worker, and a shrinking economy and population. Recently, our legislators had an opportunity to help restore Maine’s competitiveness, and squandered it. (Recommended: Big Labor: Democrats kill bipartisan bill to protect state workers’ paychecks from union…) Two bills, L.D. 831 and L.D. 786, sponsored by Rep. Lawrence E. Lockman…

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Sen. Angus S. King, Jr., an un-enrolled Democrat, said Friday in his weekly YouTube address that it was “pretty disappointing” to see President Barack Obama’s much-ballyhooed gun control legislation die. “There really wasn’t any good reason to go against it,” said King. “It was pretty much a straight party line vote, not entirely, but largely.” “It’ important to know that the bill got a majority of the Senate. It got 55 votes. And normally – in a normal universe – that would be enough votes to pass it,” said King. “But of course, down here, we have…

Defense against land trust costs Limington taxpayers funds, property In rural town of Limington, a dozen miles or so southwest of Sebago Lake, the quiet balance of country life has been upset over the past few years by a number of land use and property rights disputes between a local land trust and residents, as well as the desire of a land trust to receive the designation of property tax-exempt. While land use disputes have caused much discord for the local population, the tax exemption case has garnered statewide attention, as land trusts across Maine watch carefully for a precedent-setting…

Republican State Senators are co-sponsoring a Democratic proposal to restore the Maine Education Association’s (MEA) “virtual monopoly” of teachers’ taxpayer-funded health insurance. Sens. Roger Sherman (R-Aroostook) and Tom Saviello (R-Franklin) are co-sponsors of An Act to Protect School Administrative Units and Taxpayers (LD 300), introduced by Rep. Henry Beck (D-Waterville). Beck’s bill would repeal a law passed in 2011—and subsequently upheld by two federal courts—that allows school districts to obtain medical loss information from the MEA Benefits Trust (MEABT) which manages a statewide health insurance plan for most of Maine’s public school work force. Ralph W. Sarty Jr., former Republican…

U.S. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said Wednesday the Affordable Care Act – also known as Obamacare – could become a “train wreck” as the Obama administration readies to implement the massive healthcare overhaul. According to a report from TheHill.com, Baucus, the chairman of the Finance Committee and a “key architect” of the healthcare law, is concerned that people – especially small business owners – do not understand how the law will work. [RELATED: Maine Democrats assail MGARA amid Obamacare chaos…] “I just see a huge train wreck coming down,” he told Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, according to…

A lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Colorado’s 21-year old Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) could have dire implications for constitutional restraints on spending and taxation in almost every other state, including Maine. At issue is the very essence of republican self-government. The case – Kerr v. Colorado – is winding its way through the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. Colorado Attorney General John Suthers is representing the state against individual plaintiffs. The plaintiffs in the case – 34 current and former state legislators and local officials, mostly Democrats – are arguing that when a state constitution or…

Early reports on the Boston Marathon bombing have presented two theories as to who might be responsible for what White House officials have labeled an act of terrorism: home-grown right-wing radicals or Islamic terrorists. No individual or group has stepped forward to claim responsibility for the attack. The Pakistani Taliban, a group that has previous made threats against the U.S., denied responsibility, according to the Associated Press. While law enforcement officials questioned an injured Saudi national immediately following the event, reports indicate that he appears to be unconnected. Although President Barack Obama, in his initial public address, declined to use…

At least two people are dead and more than two dozen injured after three explosions rocked the city of Boston on Monday in what city officials are calling an “ongoing” event. Two explosions occurred at the finish line of the Boston Marathon as stragglers in the famous foot race completed their 26.2 mile trek, while a third device went off at JFK Library in a controlled explosion. Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Director Rob McAleer is monitoring the situation as it develops, according to a press release from Gov. Paul R. LePage. “It’s a very sad Patriot’s Day in Boston,”…

As Americans nationwide prepare to fork over Uncle Sam’s pound of flesh, 55 percent of respondents questioned in a Gallup poll report that their level of taxation is fair. This is the lowest percentage Gallup has measured since 2001. The results are based on Gallup’s Economy and Personal Finance poll, conducted April 4-7, and annually since 2001. The recent high in Americans’ perceptions that their taxes were fair, 64%, came in 2003, after President Bush signed tax cuts into law and weeks after the Iraq war began. Gallup’s history of asking this question stretches back to the 1940s. From 1943…

“The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.” – George Bernard Shaw Modern day consumerism has given us the concept of truth in packaging, or more formally, “Fair Packaging and Labeling,” which went into effect in 1966, compliments of our elected betters in Congress.  The intent was to prevent the public from being misled by “unfair and deceptive” packaging and labeling methods for consumer products. On its face, this is a great idea. It would be an even better one if elected officials and their support staffs applied it to their own…

AUGUSTA – As President Barack Obama’s sweeping health care overhaul causes regulatory chaos across the nation, Maine Democrats and other advocates of government-run health care are keeping true to the Party mantra – never let a crisis go to waste. During public hearings and work sessions last week, lawmakers on the Insurance and Financial Services Committee discussed several bills related to the President’s Affordable Care Act (ACA), more commonly referred to as Obamacare. The Democrat-backed proposals, which have the support of Maine’s left-leaning interest groups, are varied, but each seeks to extend government control over health insurance while repealing the…

AUGUSTA – The lawyer who helped fuel sensationalist claims about Gov. Paul R. LePage’s March 21 meeting with state workers is a staunch partisan with political motives for attacking the Governor, according to a report released Monday by the Maine GOP. David G. Webbert, an Augusta-based attorney who also serves as president of the Maine Employment Lawyers Association, stoked the fires of false controversy last week in interviews he gave to several Maine newspapers. Several Maine newspapers, starting with the Lewiston Sun Journal, ran stories last week based on the anonymous gossip of disgruntled state workers who claimed LePage illegally…

Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage on Friday published an opinion editorial with the Wall Street Journal in which he invited the country’s top firearm manufacturers to bring their businesses to Maine and pledge never to sign gun control legislation for the Pine Tree State. “We are dismayed to see strict anti-gun legislation in states that are home to some of our country’s best firearms manufacturers,” wrote LePage. “Beretta USA Corp. in Maryland, Colt Manufacturing Co. in Connecticut and Magpul Industries in Colorado are facing hostile—and hysterical—legislation from politicians who slap them in the face for providing their states with jobs,…

AUGUSTA – Republicans and Democrats on the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee sparred Friday over a host of bills GOP lawmakers believe will undermine public charter schools and online learning and restrict school choice. “The attacks on education reform that have come from the Democrats and the education establishment really are unrelenting,” said Rep. Peter Johnson (R-Greenville), the top House Republican on the Education Committee.  “All of these bills are little bites that combine to make the promise of charter schools dimmer for thousands of Maine students at a time when nobody should have a monopoly on our children’s education,”…

Maine – Old Orchard Beach Town Councilor and 2012 Emerge Maine graduate Robin Dayton has become the subject of the Maine Attorney General’s investigation into allegations that she used hate speech on Wednesday to ridicule a black Auburn resident. Dennis E. Graise, Detroit native and Maine resident since 2005, was at the Old Orchard Beach post office on Wednesday gathering signatures for a local recall initiative — an initiative which includes the recall of Dayton — when he noticed a woman approaching him who appeared irate. “She was yelling mean stuff and putting on a show,” said Graise. “She came back…

On Wednesday the Lewiston Sun Journal, the Bangor Daily News, and Maine Today Media all ran stories based on the anonymous gossip of disgruntled state workers with axes to grind against Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage. The anonymous Department of Labor (DoL) workers reportedly said LePage “scolded” them and told them to “skew” the outcomes of unemployment insurance (UI) hearings in favor of Maine employers. The Maine State Employees Association (MSEA) and high-ranking Democrats are now criticizing the Governor and calling for the Attorney General to investigate. [Recommended: Disgruntled state workers lie about Blaine House Bully to cover errors…] The events provide a…

AUGUSTA – Maine’s Republican Senators sent letters Wednesday to many mayors, city managers, selectman, school board members, and other municipal officials detailing the state’s current budget problems and how they came about. “The letters detail how Maine’s expansion of Medicaid, coupled with continued slow economic growth, have led to the current budget shortfall of more than $800 million,” according to a press release from the Senate Republican Office. Senate Minority Leader Michael Thibodeau (R-Waldo) said the letters were intended to rebut messages from special interest groups regarding the proposal for a temporary suspension of revenue sharing for towns and cities.…

LESSONS FOR TODAY FROM THE IMMORTALS, BUCKLEY AND REAGAN Remarks by Neal B. Freeman Amelia Island, Florida, March 23, 2013 Looking over this audience, I sense that I may have been around the political track a few more laps than most of you. I can tell you that every lap is unique in its own way — and that the lap we completed last November was uniquely disappointing. Rarely in my experience has a winning candidate appealed to meaner spirits. Never has a winning candidate seemed less interested in calling his countrymen to reconciliation and common purpose. When has an American…

The Lewiston-based Sun Journal  reported Wednesday that Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage bullied Maine Department of Labor (DOL) staff during a March 21 meeting at the Blaine House. The report, which relies entirely on anonymous hearsay from disgruntled state workers, is a stunning act of journalistic malpractice. According to multiple sources in the Governor’s Office, the anonymous allegations contained in the report are false. [RELATED: Hatchetgate: the anatomy of a hit piece…]  John Butera, senior economic adviser to the Governor, was present for the meeting at the Blaine House. He said LePage arranged the meeting in order to discuss whether…

Our College came under attack last week. It was an attack on our students, our alumni, our faculty, and our values. It is an attack that continues today on the blogs, in the comment streams, and on Twitter. It’s time to respond. [RELATED: Scholars say Bowdoin College is “dominated by progressive ideology”] Why has it taken us a week to answer the charges contained in a 359-page document (plus another 119 pages or so of background material) financed at a cost of “well over $100,000” by an individual who has not spent more than a few hours on our campus…

AUGUSTA – Maine Democrats’ major campaign promise last year was the repeal of Republican-backed health care insurance reform known as Public Law 90 (PL90), but now that they control the Maine House and Senate they face a problem:  PL90 is working. The Insurance and Financial Services Committee on Tuesday worked on six proposals to modify health insurance regulations in the state of Maine. Lawmakers ultimately decided to toss out three of the bills, but they have not abandoned their pursuit of repealing PL90 and are even considering measures that would go far beyond the federal Affordable Care Act, also known…

On April 22, in cities across America, some environmental activists will celebrate Earth Day, claiming only increased government control can protect the environment. Those celebrations will expose a couple ironies. First, many activists will arrive in a Toyota Prius, which has become the symbol of environmental consciousness. Ironically, however, the Prius is not a triumph of political planning but of the free market. In the 1990s, while California was requiring “zero-emission” vehicles, leaders at Toyota and Honda saw an opportunity to sell cars to people who want to spend less on gasoline, drive a car that emits less carbon dioxide,…

Gov. John E. Baldacci took to radio Tuesday morning to correct Republican “half-truths” and “misstatements” concerning Maine’s nearly $500 million hospital debt, but wound up spinning his own false yarn. On the Voice of Maine’s George Hale and Ric Tyler Show, Baldacci echoed comments made at a press conference last week that ads run by Maine People Before Politics, a 501(c)4 group connected with Gov. Paul R. LePage, were rife with falsehoods. Baldacci said he called a press conference last week to call attention to the half-truths and misstatements of ads run by Maine People Before Politics. In exchange with…

UPDATE: Members of the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday afternoon rejected a proposed ban on Agenda 21. Only three lawmakers voted in favor of the bill. Rep. Jarrod Crockett (R-Bethel) said he believes the bills supporters will have a future opportunity to discuss the bill before the full House. AUGUSTA – Maine Democrats maneuvered during Tuesday’s meeting of the Judiciary Committee to kill a Republican-backed ban on implementation of United Nations “Sustainable Development” Agenda 21 in Maine. Rep. Ricky D. Long (R-Sherman) introduced L.D. 220, An Act To Ban the United Nations Agenda 21 in Maine.  in order to prevent any state…

By Rep. Heather Sirocki – Here in Maine, we value our privacy and our laid-back lifestyle.  That’s why it came as a surprise to me that the Maine People’s Alliance (MPA), a controversial liberal activist organization, has deployed political salespeople to knock on our doors at night.  At 7:30pm on Valentine’s Day they knocked on my door in Scarborough. The activists’ information is based on prepared talking points and, if presented with any questions, they have limited knowledge.  They are collecting signatures for a petition to raise taxes on “the rich.” Many of them are from out of state.  One who…

AUGUSTA – After shaking hands on an agreement to honor the Boy Scouts of America, Maine Senate President Justin Alfond (D-Cumberland) and House Speaker Mark Eves (D-North Berwick) ordered Democrats to oppose it. Sen. Andre Cushing’s (R-Penobscot) nine-month old resolution honoring the Boy Scouts was a bipartisan proposal expected to pass with ease. Cushing said in a statement from the Republican Senate office that he was dismayed by the actions of the Democratic leadership in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Said Cushing, “This is a resolution that simply honors one of the most enduring institutions for young men in the…

BRUNSWICK – Bowdoin College entered the national spotlight last week when the National Association of Scholars (NAS) published a voluminous – and sharply critical – report on the state of the liberal arts at Maine’s top private college. NAS released the study April 3 during a Manhattan Institute press conference in the University Club of New York in New York City. “The report is perhaps the most deep and specific to date on how progressive ideology has altered the character of American higher education,” said former U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett. “Bowdoin has supplanted the ‘classical liberal’ principles of…

In response to the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, several leftist groups have been hard at work in Maine seeking support for a constitutional amendment that would severely restrict the rights of people who choose to work through incorporated entities. In Citizens United, the Court overturned on First Amendment free speech grounds the federal ban on “independent political expenditures” by for-profit and non-profit corporations and unions.  Such expenditures are independent of any party or candidate.  The court, however, left intact the existing ban on direct corporate contributions to candidates and political parties. While leftist…

AUGUSTA – A Hampden lawmaker on Saturday condemned his colleagues following a highly partisan decision Friday to close debate on a bipartisan bill that would have protected state workers’ paychecks from the Maine State Employees Association (MSEA). “In my 5 terms, I have never seen so much blatant partisanship by the majority party in a committee,” said Rep. Brian Duprey (R-Hampden). Duprey made his comments in a letter sent to Sen. John Patrick (D-Rumford) and Rep. Erin Herbig (D), co-chairs of the Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development (LCRED) of which Duprey is a member. [RELATED:…

AUGUSTA – Democratic lawmakers on Friday used procedural tricks to kill a bipartisan proposal to protect Maine state workers from the state-abetted wage garnishment on behalf of government workers unions. Rep. Lawrence E. Lockman (R-Amherst), lead sponsor of L.D. 786, An Act To Ensure the Voluntary Membership of Public Employees in Unions, said Sen. John L. Patrick (D-Rumford), Co-chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, and Economic Development (LCRED), motioned to close debate during Friday’s work session before it even began. [RELATED: Lawmakers debate bill to protect state workers’ paychecks from Big Labor…] Lockman said Patrick’s decision to silence…

The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR), a Fredericksburg, Virginia-based 501(c)4 lobbying group, began running ads last week on the popular conservative news website Drudge Report targeting U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). The high-profile ad buy urges Collins to join Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in pledging to filibuster “ANY and ALL gun control legislation.” “That includes so-called ‘Gun-Trafficking,’ ‘Mental Health Screenings” or expanding ‘Background Checks!’,” according to the ads. The ads follow similar ads from another gun group, the National Rifle Association (NRA), targeting Maine’s junior senator, un-enrolled Democrat Angus King of Brunswick. [RELATED: Maine’s Angus…

Myth #1: The Medicaid Expansion is largely funded by free federal money for state governments. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as “Obamacare,” the federal government would pay the lion’s share of costs for new Medicaid enrollees.  But the federal government first takes that money through taxes on individuals, families and businesses across America, including those in Maine. The Congressional Budget Office has already increased its estimate of the cost of Obamacare over ten years from $940 Billion to $1.76 Trillion.  In the words of Thomas Jefferson, “the principal of spending money to be paid by posterity,…

AUGUSTA – Members of the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services gathered in Cross Office building Tuesday for a packed public hearing on a bill that would expand Maine’s Medicaid program – also known as MaineCare – to include individuals eligible under the federal Affordable Care Act – also known as Obamacare. “This bill will allow Maine to expand medical coverage under the MaineCare program to adults who qualify under federal law,” said Rep. Linda F. Sanborn (D-Gorham), lead sponsor of L.D. 1066, An Act To Increase Access to Health Coverage and Qualify Maine for Federal Funding. The…

Well, at least we’re not dead last. A survey of 8,000 small businesses across the country published by Governing.com on the regulatory, tax and economic climate of all 50 states has placed Maine 40th in terms of the state’s friendliness to small business. If that sounds like progress since Forbes published a similar study placing Maine 50th, guess again. According to the survey, nine states were excluded from the review because less than 20 businesses from those states responded to the survey. Only Rhode Island’s business climate ranked less friendly than Maine’s. Utah, Alabama and New Hampshire took home the 1, 2 and 3 spots,…

AUGUSTA – Rep. James J. Campbell, Sr. (U-Newfield) was called out of order several times Monday morning as he vehemently defended the same unions that funded his 2012 campaign. Sen. John Patrick (D-Rumford), Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development (LCRED), struggled to contain Campbell as the committee heard testimony concerning L.D. 786 and L.D. 831 – a pair of bills that would reform Maine’s public and private sector union laws. Both bills were introduced by Rep. Lawrence E. Lockman (R-Amherst). L.D. 786 would prevent unions from coercively collecting dues and fees from public…

AUGUSTA – Maine lawmakers heard testimony on Monday concerning Right-to-Work legislation that would make labor union membership voluntary for Maine workers. While proponents of the bill point to the economic benefits other states have seen after passing similar laws, union leaders and pro-union Democrats are not convinced. “This proposal is inspired by principle and economics,” said Rep. Lawrence E. Lockman (R-Amherst), lead sponsor of L.D. 831, An Act To Prohibit Mandatory Membership in a Union or Payment of Agency Fees as a Condition of Employment. “The principle is liberty. And the economic justification is being proven again and again as…

AUGUSTA – Lawmakers debated a bill on Monday morning that would give Maine’s state workers freedom to choose whether they want to belong to the Maine State Employees Association (MSEA) – a not-for-profit corporation also known as the state workers union. L.D. 786, An Act To Ensure the Voluntary Membership of Public Employees in Unions, introduced by Rep. Lawrence E. Lockman (R-Amherst), would protect state workers’ paychecks from mandatory wage garnishments and end a controversial 6-year-old experiment whereby Maine serves as a collections agent for MSEA. “I’m here today to speak on behalf of the disenfranchised minority of state workers…

AUGUSTA – Republican Gov. Paul R. LePage told Mainers on Saturday that electricity rates in the Pine Tree State are far too high and the state-mandated wind power industry is to blame. “Maine’s energy costs are 10th highest in the nation, and our electric bills are 34 percent higher than the national average,” said the Governor. “But it does not have to be this way. Affordable energy is available right here in Maine and just across our northern border.” LePage has been engaged in negotiations with Canadian officials regarding a deal that could drastically lower electricity rates Maine’s businesses and families pay.…

The Do-Nothing Democrats in Augusta have two months and twenty days remaining before the Legislature must adjourn and still have not taken action on any of the problems facing Mainers. Here’s a review of legislative priorities the Democrats have considered instead. Selling the Governor’s House: L.D. 858, An Act To Partially Fund Tax Breaks for the Wealthy by Eliminating Certain Gubernatorial Benefits. Rep. Diane Russell (D-Portland), who failed to attend the public hearing to present her bill, told the Bangor Daily News that she presented it because she thought Republican Gov. Paul R LePage “ought to know what it’s like for…

AUGUSTA – Rep. Lawrence Lockman (R-Amherst) joined the George Hale and Ric Tyler show Friday morning to discuss a bill he has introduced that would give state workers the freedom to choose whether to join the Maine State Employee Association (MSEA). “It’s a corrupt money laundering scheme that funnels $750,000 per year into the coffers of the union,” said Lockman. Listen to Lockman’s GHRT interview here: Lockman said that under the Baldacci administration, the Legislature passed a law requiring the state to collect dues and agency fees on behalf of the MSEA – the state’s public sector employees union. The…