Author: Steve Robinson

The Cato Institute in Washington, D.C. has released the “Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors: 2012,” and Governor Paul LePage is only one of four governors in the country who has received an “A.” The report is Cato’s signature state fiscal policy study. See the report  here. The report uses statistical data on spending and taxes from 2010 to 2012 and awards the governors grades A to F, based on two spending variables (per capita and actual change in spending), one revenue variable (dollar value of tax changes) and four tax variables (changes in the personal and corporate income tax rate,…

Obama.com owned by bundler in Shanghai with business ties to Chinese government A breaking story on Brietbart.com reveals that the Obama.com website is owned by a U.S. citizen living in Shanghai, China and may provide the opportunity for foreign or fraudulent donations. The website is managed by a small web development firm, Wicked Global, in Maine. Greg Dorr of Wicked Global lists on his LinkedIn page his additional employment with Peace Action Maine and Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights. This story was written by Wynton Hall on Brietbart.com. In an explosive report set to send shockwaves through official Washington, the Government Accountability Institute (GAI) released a 108-page GAI investigation into the threat of foreign…

By Pem Schaeffer Maine Wire columnist A few weeks back, I wrote on the subject of partisanship here on The Maine Wire. In so many words, I suggested that Angus King is a skillful political opportunist wearing an “independent” overcoat because it offers the best chance to fulfill his personal ambitions—much the same as embracing wind power offered the best chances for milking the government subsidy cash cow. I stand by that view. (You can read King’s manifesto here.) Directly related to this discussion, Alan Caron, a journeyman on the stage of Maine non-profit politics for many a year, recently…

This week heating oil increased by about 10 cents compared to this time last month. At nearly three dollars and 70 cents per gallon, many Mainers will experience another tough winter season trying to make ends meet. As your Governor, I do not want to see anyone left out in the cold. The price of energy is on the rise and it is time elected officials be willing to address the issue both in Augusta and Washington, D.C. Politics should not play a role in heating your home, but it does. Reducing Maine’s dependency on foreign oil is part of…

The MaineHousing Board of Commissioners is investigating $7 million paid in no-bid contracts over seven years to just two computer consultants. And the computer systems are still not done. The Maine Wire was the first to report the story. See it here. Treasurer Bruce Poliquin and MaineHousing Board of Commissioners members Linc Merrill, head of the board’s audit committee, and Peter Anastos, chair of the MaineHousing board, spoke at the State House on Wednesday, Oct. 3 about the federal investigation into MaineHousing’s failure to properly manage a housing assistance program under former executive director Dale McCormick. The Office of the Inspector…

Maine State Treasure Bruce Poliquin sets the record straight about the media’s repeated claims that the resignation of former executive director of MaineHousing, Dale McCormick, was the result of a politically motivated “witch hunt.” Treasurer Poliquin and MaineHousing Board of Commissioners members Linc Merrill, head of the board’s audit committee, and Peter Anastos, chair of MaineHousing’s board, spoke at the State House on Wednesday, Oct. 3 about the federal investigation into MaineHousing’s failure to properly manage a housing assistance program under former executive director Dale McCormick. The Inspector General at the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development has recommended that…

Treasurer Bruce Poliquin (right) and MaineHousing Board of Commissioners members Linc Merrill, head of the board’s audit committee, and Peter Anastos (left), chair of the board of commissioners, spoke at the State House on Wednesday, Oct. 3 about the federal investigation into MaineHousing’s failure to properly manage a housing assistance program under former executive director Dale McCormick. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) at the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development has recommended that MaineHousing return almost $200,000 paid for housing assistance in units that failed inspection. HUD is also questioning whether the $111,000 that MaineHousing spent on a…

In this video, Peter Anastos, chair of MaineHousing Board of Commissioners, speaks about hiring a new executive director at MaineHousing and the board’s investigation into more than $7 million paid to two computer consultants. He also mentions how the former executive director, Dale McCormick, deviated from MaineHousing’s mission by donating to social programs and spending $1 million on a failed carbon-credit scheme. Treasurer Bruce Poliquin (right) and MaineHousing Board of Commissioners members Linc Merrill (left), head of the board’s audit committee, and Anastos spoke at the State House on Wednesday, Oct. 3 about the federal investigation into MaineHousing’s failure…

By David Sorenson Over the years, Angus King and his friends have built up a tall tale about King as a straightforward, calls-it-like-he-sees-it kind of guy; someone who has nothing to hide and will always be frank with Mainers.  One needs only to look at his history with taxes – both ours and his own – to see that this tall tale needs to be chopped down to size. King Campaigned Against Higher Taxes in 1994 “My Position On Taxes Is Simple: We Don’t Need To Increase The Already Too-Heavy Burden On Maine People.” (Angus King, Independent For Governor: Making A…

Nominate an unsung hero to be a 2013 recipient, one of the highest civilian honors AUGUSTA – Governor Paul LePage and The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation today announced they are now accepting nominations for the Citizen Service Before Self Honors, which recognizes and honors those ordinary Americans who become extraordinary through their indomitable courage and selflessness. Citizen Service Before Self Honors are unique, because they are presented to unsung heroes by our nation’s most honored heroes—the fewer than 85 living recipients of our nation’s highest award for valor—the Medal of Honor.  The recipients comprise the congressionally chartered Medal of Honor Society, which is one of the most…

By Amy Payne The Heritage Foundation During last night’s debate between President Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney, Heritage’s domestic policy experts were live-blogging their analysis of the ideas discussed. Below are some of the highlights of our experts’ reactions to the major points made. Competing Tax Plans  Most of the time on taxes was spent on Romney’s tax plan. Romney’s plan, like most tax reform plans, would lower tax rates and make other changes to the tax code to encourage growth. The economy will not recover fully until we have tax reform. Obama repeated the falsehood that Romney’s plan would…

by Jack Rafuse Reuters – October 3, 2012 Gasoline prices are at all-time highs. As a result, energy policy concerns echo in boardrooms and family rooms across the U.S. At a recent House Energy Committee hearing on “The American Energy Initiative,” Harold Hamm, the top energy adviser of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, warned that President Obama’s proposed repeal of the energy tax provisions for oil and natural gas producers (including a manufacturing tax deduction that all U.S. manufacturers receive) would decrease drilling activity by 40 percent. Can the U.S. afford that? President Obama wants to end the right of major…

A new website, “ColleensWorld.com,” features dozens of online posts made by State Senate candidate Colleen Lachowicz, which include several references to her “love” and “enjoyment” of “stabbing” “poisoning” and “killing things” in the online fantasy game Word of Warcraft. The site also quotes Lachowicz as saying in an online post, “The insanity has gone on long enough. Individuals like me and others can not respond like a funded and organized government effort. Now if you’ll excuse me, I may have to go and hunt down Grover Norquist and drown HIM in my bath tub.” Grover Norquist, a national leader in…

“Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” – John Dalberg, Lord Acton By Harold A. Clough Before this Legislature leaves the stage, let’s remember one of its most enduring legacies. It restored honesty and accountability to state government by uncovering and cleaning up a quagmire of corruption and malfeasance. Under the control of the Democratic Party for decades, the corruption was allowed to fester unchecked. The old adage about absolute power was never more true, and the people of Maine were paying the price. In 2010, Maine voters elected Republican majorities to the House and Senate for the first time since…

AUGUSTA – The Maine Center for Clean Elections (MCCE) has issued a report linking the health insurance reform passed last year to greater contributions by Anthem to Republican candidates than in the past. Republicans passed a health insurance reform law (LD 1333, now Public Law 90) in 2011 that has deregulated the insurance market, allowing insurers to charge lower rates for lower risk insureds, thus making health insurance more affordable for more people and bringing more people into the pool of contributors to the insurance market.  The law has had the following effects: It is true, since PL 90, 90% of small businesses are…

King paid only 15% on nearly $4 million in income   AUGUSTA – Yesterday Angus King’s campaign released a deceptive summary that overstated the amount of taxes paid over the last seven years. Tax returns released later last evening show that the millionaire former governor actually paid a lower tax rate than GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Records show King’s effective tax rate on nearly $4 million in income over seven years was 15%. His lowest rate was 12%, in 2010. By comparison, Mitt Romney’s campaign reports that the presidential candidate paid 20.2 percent over a nine-year period, with a low year of 13%.…

This is a statement issued by Senator Collins’ office in Washington, D.C. A final report from the Housing and Urban Development Inspector General finds that the Maine State Housing Authority mismanaged its program and failed to ensure that participants in its Housing Choice Voucher program were living in decent, safe and sanitary conditions. The final HUD Inspector General’s report recommends that units deemed deficient in its investigation be repaired and that MaineHousing improve its inspection quality control to better ensure that all units always meet housing quality standards. In addition, MaineHousing should repay $194,956 from non-federal funds that it paid for…

This is a statement from Deborah Turcotte, public information manager at MaineHousing. AUGUSTA – The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Tuesday released its final audit report of MaineHousing’s administration of the Housing Choice Voucher Program. MaineHousing did not wait for this report to institute a corrective action plan and consulted with OIG and HUD regularly to implement it. The OIG concluded that “the actions taken by Authority officials are responsive to our recommendations.” OIG’s audit is one of several responses to an October 2011 Norway Advertiser-Democrat article that brought attention to what…

An investigation into the Maine State Housing Authority has revealed mismanagement and a lack of oversight that could cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. Federal investigators have recommended that HUD’s Boston Office of Public Housing should require MaineHousing to pay back almost $200,000 in housing assistance payments for units that did not meet federal housing quality standards. A further investigation will be made into $112,000 in payments to an information technology consultant who worked on the Homeless Management Information Systems program. The consultant was paid $848,000 in just two years. The Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Housing…

Governor LePage joins the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence at annual tea and ceremony AUGUSTA – Today, Governor Paul LePage joined the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence (MCEDV) at the Blaine House for their annual tea and awards ceremony to kick-off Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The ceremony recognized six men in Maine for their work to prevent domestic violence. Governor LePage was also recognized for his efforts to end domestic violence in Maine. “Domestic violence is a serious societal problem; but there is hope because this abusive behavior can be eliminated,” said Governor LePage. “I have worked with…

By Bruce Poliquin Maine State Treasurer Have you ever wondered what it really means to approve a “Bond Issue” at the voting booth? On November 6, Maine voters will be asked to approve, or not, four such items that will be listed on the ballot. As State Treasurer, it’s my job to prepare the Treasurer’s Statement, which explains the financial impact to Maine taxpayers if they approve the bond issues. The Treasurer’s Statement is to be visibly posted in the polling stations throughout Maine on election day. Voters can also view it online at the websites of the Secretary of State  and myOffice of…

By Diana George Chapin On a hot afternoon in summer, one might imagine Ron Rudolph and Peter Palm resting in the shade chatting about sports or the grandkids. But the two men are so caught up in dealings with their local land trust, it consumes their conversation. The men own neighboring properties in the Waldo County town of Unity, both of which are affected by the activities of Sebasticook Regional Land Trust (SRLT). When Rudolph purchased his 114-acre farm in March of 2001, the land was conveyed to him by the previous owner with a two-page deed. In April 2008,…

To the Editor: This November voters in Maine’s Second Congressional District will choose between the Eastport Mustard Mechant, Kevin Raye, and the East Millinocket Boloney Butcher, Mike Michaud. The first has completed his term as Maine Senate president with an indisputable list of achievements. Often working across the aisle, Raye helped enact important reforms in health care, the easing of the regulatory burdens, tax reductions and welfare containment. In contrast Mike Michaud simply continued to sit through his fourth term in a Congress, which was praised and appreciated by just 10 percent of the population in 2012. The remaining 90…

By Governor Paul LePage My administration has one primary principle that governs education policy, and it is a simple one: “What is best for the student?” That is the number one question that we ask ourselves when we develop education policy. Education is the foundation to success. I know, for me, education was the catalyst that got me off the streets. But the fact is education in Maine has become a partisan issue when it ought not to be. I had the opportunity earlier this year to take part in the Governor’s Education Symposium hosted by the Hunt Institute and…

By Salim Furth, Ph.D The Heritage Foundation On Thursday, the Department of Commerce revised its second quarter estimate of economic growth (in terms of real gross domestic product, or GDP) down to 1.3 percent from 1.7 percent. Anything less than a 2 percent rate of growth is more typical of an economy wilting towardrecession than an economy recovering from a recession. Indeed, bad policies emanating from Washington are creating an environment where recession is more and more likely. Taxmageddon, a $500 billion tax increase, waits in 2013 if Congress and President Obama fail to act. The Heritage Foundation has argued that uncertainty associated with Taxmageddon isalready dissuading…

Governor LePage advocates for reforms in Maine’s energy laws AUGUSTA – Today, Governor Paul LePage released the following statement in regards to the study, The Economic Impact of Maine’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, conducted by the Maine Heritage Policy Center and the Beacon Hill Institute for Public Policy Research: “By 2017, this study predicts energy prices will increase by $145 million for consumers, costing the State of Maine about 1,000 jobs. We already pay a statewide total of approximately $220 million more per year for electricity than the national average. This study shows that special interests are hurting Maine’s economy and costing…

AUGUSTA – Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew said Tuesday that the State will appeal the recent decision by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) that shifts the responsibility of $4.8 million of overpayment to Food Supplement recipients from recipients to the State of Maine. “The financial burden has been wrongly shifted to the Maine taxpayer,” Mayhew said. “FNS’s decision is based on erroneous claims of system failure that could not be further from the truth. We will aggressively pursue an appeal of this decision.” In March, Maine was directed by FNS to recover funds from those who…

Banning BPA has been the lynchpin of a movement by environmentalists in Maine to phase out hundreds of commonly used chemicals, which would increase manufacturing costs and raise prices for consumers. But Health Canada, Canada’s federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, has determined that BPA does not pose a risk to consumers. As stated on its website, Health Canada’s mission is “for Canada to be among the countries with the healthiest people in the world.” Read the report here. This story was posted September 27 on Greenwire, an online news site run by Environment & Energy Publishing in Washington, D.C.,…

By Peter A. Steele The Maine Wire Maine’s Renewable Portfolio Standard legislation, which requires that some of the state’s electricity must be generated by expensive “renewable” sources, will raise the cost of electricity by $145 million within five years and will result in the loss of 1,000 jobs. Homeowners will pay $85 more a year for electricity—and businesses will pay over $600 more—just because proponents of “green energy” have mandated that a certain percentage of Maine’s electricity must come from wind, solar, tidal and biomass sources. But industrial businesses are in for a real shock: their electricity costs will increase…

By Amy Payne The Heritage Foundation President Obama recently said, “The most important lesson I’ve learned is you can’t change Washington from the inside.” That’s demoralizing to hear when a recession is bearing down on the economy—and it’s an inside job. The Congressional Budget Office has forecasted a fresh recession to hit next year if Taxmageddon, a nearly $500 billion tax increase, hits the nation and Congress and the President drive us off the “fiscal cliff.” President Obama has done nothing but ignore this warning. In a new report, Heritage’s J.D. Foster explains that the very fact that we can see a recession coming…

Governor Paul R. LePage said Wednesday that Maine-based workers’ compensation insurer Maine Employers’ Mutual Insurance Company (MEMIC) has declared a 2012 dividend of more than $13 million. This represents an increase of $1 million from its 2011 dividend payment. In November, approximately 19,000 policyholders will be receiving checks from MEMIC. The checks represent more than 10 percent of 2009 premiums. The dividend amount is based on premiums paid in 2009, as MEMIC performs a review every three years to determine its ability to pay a dividend. “This is an example of a Maine-based insurance company succeeding and benefiting many other…

Crash Barry, author, reporter and columnist, posted this piece as part of The Crash Report on his website. The author of  “Tough Island, True Stories from Matinicus, Maine” and  “Sex, Drugs and Blueberries”, Barry is now working on his next book, “Marijuana Valley, Maine: A True Story.”   By Crash Barry Someone passed along the code for me to join a conference call on Sept. 21 between Angus King staffers and the King campaign’s county chairs. The candidate himself was supposed to join the conversation from Washington D.C. where he was actively raising much-needed cash. Alas, King was busy meeting money-people, so…

The Maine State Web Portal, www.Maine.gov, has received national recognition from the Center for Digital Government (CDG) as one of the best state government web portals of 2012. Additionally, CDG gave Maine.gov a prestigious award for its Regulatory Licensing and Permitting service, noting its innovation and efficiency in serving both government and business. Maine.gov was named as a finalist by the Center for Digital Government in its annual “Best of the Web” competition for government websites. This places Maine.gov as one of the Top 10 state government websites in the country. Government websites are evaluated based on their innovation, web-based delivery of…

U.S. Senator Susan Collins has cosponsored legislation to audit the Federal Reserve. S. 202, The Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2011, was introduced by Senator Rand Paul. “I agree that stronger oversight and greater transparency of the Federal Reserve are crucial, given the fact that decisions made by the Fed have such a tremendous effect on our economy,” said Senator Collins. “In fact, in the last Congress I introduced the Federal Reserve Credit Facility Review Act, which would have given the Government Accountability Office the authority to audit a wide range of credit activities undertaken by the Federal Reserve.  I have…

By Peter J. Thomas and Peter Ferrara The Conservative Caucus The Obama campaign has poured millions into advertising claiming Mitt Romney’s tax proposals would increase taxes by $2,000 a year on the average middle class family.  That is one of the most brazen fabrications in the history of presidential politics. Romney’s tax plan only cuts taxes on the middle class – there is no middle class tax increase of any sort.  Romney actually proposes cutting income tax rates across the board for everyone by 20%.  That reprises Ronald Reagan’s 1981 Kemp-Roth tax cut, slashing income tax rates across the board…

The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research has published a new report, “Liberating the Energy Economy: What Washington Must Do,” detailing how America can “drill, dig, build, and ship its way out of the current economic and jobs malaise.” Written by Mark P. Mills, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, the report recommends lifting capricious regulations that are now suppressing American energy productivity. Below is his executive summary. The United States is the largest single supplier of grains, accounting for about 40 percent of global exports. We enjoy the associated trade, jobs and revenue benefits that come from being the world’s…

The Honorable John Atwood, Chair of the Commission to Study the Conduct of Elections in Maine, has announced that the group will be holding a public hearing on September 27, 2012 at the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF).  The hearing will begin at 5:45pm and will be held in the UMF Olsen Student Center, Dining Hall C. This past May, Secretary of State Charles E. Summers, Jr. appointed a Commission to Study the Conduct of Elections in Maine, in accordance with Resolve, Chapter 133 (enacted by the 125th Maine State Legislature).  He tasked the Commission with conducting a study…

According to new data released today by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis, Maine’s personal income growth (pdf) in the second quarter lagged the national average. Maine’s personal income growth was the 36th fastest in the country at 0.9 percent while the nation grew at 1 percent between the first and second quarter of 2012.  Maine was also the slowest growing state in New England.

By Jamie Py When gasoline went to $2.25, I can remember exactly where I was: coaching my son’s football team. I remember because my fellow coaches and the parents of other players were extremely concerned about the outrageous run-up in prices. Now, most people don’t have that seared-in-my-mind moment for something as mundane as a high gasoline price. But, since I’m the face of the retail gasoline marketers, it was a big deal at the time. I was further deluged with media calls and requests for interviews and, ultimately, the TV crews came directly to my house. As long as…

By Prof. John Frary U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens traveled to Benghazi on September 11 to open an American Cultural Center. A mob of Islamic fanatics murdered Stevens, along with three other America diplomats. This murder followed a mob attack on the U.S. embassy in Cairo. In legal terms this would be the same as an attack on New York, Portland or Lubec. International law recognizes embassies as the sovereign territory of the nation that establishes it. It seems to follow that the U.S. would be as legally justified in deploying military force in defense of its embassies as it…

Recognized for her involvement in bettering the lives of military families, First Lady Ann LePage was honored Friday as the 2012 Maine Person of the Year by the Association of the United States Army (AUSA). This is AUSA’s 17th year of hosting this gathering as a way to thank Army soldiers and their families. The event was held at the Rhumbline Motel in Kennebunkport Friday evening. The annual award honoree is chosen by the executive board of the AUSA, Joshua Chamberlain Chapter for Military Appreciation. The criteria are dedication, generosity, benevolence, integrity and unconditional commitment to the men and women…

By David Sorenson  Recently discovered Democratic campaign literature suggests that Democrats are trying to tout government reform as a major achievement and priority of theirs. It was their appointees, however, who caused the waste, fraud and abuse cited below, and it was their lack of oversight that allowed it to continue for so many years. The Legislature’s Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability (OPEGA) is a government oversight office that was created by Republicans. Years ago, Democrats tried to close it down in order to cut costs in the face of budget-busting welfare expansions, but the then-minority Republicans fought…

Governor LePage encourages educators to promote all options for students The LePage administration has shared a report released Tuesday by Georgetown University that promotes career and technical education – in both high school and in post-secondary programs – as a significant path to good-paying jobs. The report found that 29 million well-paying middle class jobs go to workers without bachelor’s degrees. Certificate programs, community college, and training programs lead to these middle-class jobs. The 29 million jobs cited pay between $35,000 and $75,000, according to the report, with 40 percent paying over $50,000. The report calls career and technical education…

Maine People Before Politics today is releasing to the public their first ever People’s Report Card. A report card based on 13 key votes in the 125th Maine Legislature, the People’s Report Card is designed to educate the public on the work of their legislators in regard to policies that promote economic growth, reform Maine’s regulatory environment, restrain government spending and their willingness to resist the influence of the special interest groups that have long dominated the halls of the Maine State House. “We’re very excited to be able to offer this report card to the public,” said Jason Savage,…

By Alexis Levinson The Daily Caller On Wednesday, independent Senate candidate Angus King’s campaign sent out a fundraising email decrying how Republican outside money was trying to buy the Maine seat he’s running for. On Thursday, King will be in Washington, D.C., raising money at a reception held by a prominent Democratic lobbyist. In the fundraising email on Wednesday, King’s wife, Mary Herman, wrote: “the recent coordinated assault by outside Republican groups is making an assumption that ought to offend us all: They are literally trying to buy this election, and they couldn’t care less about Maine.” King is referring to…

By Amy Payne The Heritage Foundation The controversy over the Obama Administration’s gutting of welfare reform continues to grow. Two new government reports show the move’s illegality and effects on taxpayers. And the House of Representatives is set to vote today to approve or disapprove Health and Human Services’ (HHS) rewriting of the 1996 law. Yesterday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a new report saying that in the years since the Clinton-era reform added work requirements to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, five states inquired about waivers of TANF requirements. The report confirms that since welfare reform was enacted,…

Public Policy Polling, a national polling firm based in Raleigh, N.C., is reporting that the lead by former Maine governor Angus King has been slashed to just eight points ahead of his Republican challenger, Charlie Summers. PPP’s newest poll on the Maine Senate race finds it much closer than expected, with Angus King leading 43% over 35% for Republican Charlie Summers and 14% for Democrat Cynthia Dill. King’s popularity is not what it was at the beginning of the campaign: 52% of voters have a favorable opinion of him to 35% with an unfavorable one. That +17 spread is down a…

Today’s Rasmussen Reports poll shows that in New Hampshire, Romney is at 48%,while Obama is at 45%. The latest Rasmussen telephone survey of Likely Voters in New Hampshire shows Romney with 48% support to President Obama’s 45%. Four percent (4%) prefer some other candidate, and three percent (3%) are undecided. In its Swing States Daily Tracking Poll, Rasmussen Reports shows that Romney at 47%, while Obama is at 46% The Swing State tracking poll features a combined view of the results from 11 key states won by President Obama in 2008 and thought to be competitive in 2012. The states, which…

By Amy Payne The Heritage Foundation The leak of a video featuring former Governor Mitt Romney has sparked debate about government dependency and the number of people in the United States who do not pay federal income tax. In the video, Romney refers to “47 percent” of Americans and says that they are “dependent upon government” and “pay no income tax.” While these groups are not necessarily one in the same, there is overlap between the two, and the percentages on government dependency and non-tax-paying are very similar. It is true that nearly half of all tax filers—those who are filing…

Cartoon courtesy of NetRightDaily.

By Michael Patrick Leahy Brietbart.com Add former Maine Governor and current Independent candidate for Senate Angus King to the long list of Obama administration cronies who have personally made money off the $800 billion Obama Stimulus program. King’s personal bailout came in the form of a $407,000 “success fee” he received in 2011 from a wind energy project that remains in business today only because it received a $102 million federal loan King played a major role in securing. On Monday, Breitbart News spoke with Crystal Canney, communications director for the Angus King for Senate campaign, about charges that Mr.…

By Julia Shaw The Heritage Foundation Yesterday, September 17, was Constitution Day. It’s not a federal holiday, and that’s fitting. After all, for 225 years now, the Constitution has not taken a day off. Ours is the longest lasting, most successful constitution in history. But even this relatively short document contains a few clauses that even seasoned experts forget. 1. Slaves Aren’t in the Constitution, but Pirates Are When the 13th Amendment was ratified, not a single word of the Constitution needed to be deleted. The word “slave” or “slavery” never appears. In fact, the framers refused to use the words—opting instead…

Followers of AsMaineGoes.com, the state’s oldest and most popular online forum, saw three charts last week detailing the rise of state spending under former governor Angus King, who is now running for U.S. Senate. The charts, which show dramatic increases in state spending and a surge in MaineCare, as well as the decline of financial reserves, during the King administration, were in posts attributed to State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin. Poliquin said he does not post on AsMaineGoes.com, and he did not put the charts there. But he said the charts show data that is available publicly. “The public data shows…

“Obama’s Failing Agenda,” a nationwide bus tour by Americans for Prosperity to protest the health care takeover, out-of-control federal spending and and ideological “green energy” policies, will host rallies on Monday in Augusta, Freedom and Portland. Speakers include Joel Allumbaugh, director of health care policy for The Maine Heritage Policy Center, and State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin. Mary Adams of Garland, a one-woman dynamo and Maine’s most passionate tax activist, was scheduled to speak this morning at the rally in Freedom, but she will be out of state and cannot attend. “People don’t hear about local control any more, and yet…

By James Carafano The Heritage Foundation The breaking news keeps breaking when it comes to revelations surrounding the attacks and protests aimed at U.S. embassies going on throughout the Islamic world. Protests have spread to at least eight countries. Reports indicate that four people have been arrested relating to the killing of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya and three other embassy staff there. That offers at least the promise of getting more information about the deliberate attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi. Meanwhile, in the U.S., government authorities identified the man behind the controversial film purported as the cause for the…

By Maine State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin This is the fourth year in a row that Washington career politicians have spent more than $1 trillion than they collected from us in federal taxes and fees. They recklessly make up the difference by either borrowing the money or printing it. As the advancing federal Debt Clock shows, our country now suffers under a $16 trillion mountain of public debt. (Click here to watch our federal government’s frightening Debt Clock march on.) Every American man, woman and child owes more than $50,000—and growing—primarily to those investors who loaned Washington the $16 trillion. This…

Governor Paul R. LePage and Secretary of state Charles E. summers, Jr. encourage Mainers and eligible dependents serving overseas to request their absentee ballots With the November elections quickly approaching, Governor Paul LePage and Secretary of State Charlie Summers are reminding Maine’s service members and eligible dependents to make sure they are able to vote. National Military Voter Readiness Day on September 15, 2012, is a day designed to raise awareness among service members and their families serving overseas to ensure they are registered to vote and to request an absentee ballot. “Mainers and their families serving overseas and abroad devote…

On Wednesday the Maine Delegation, led by Governor Paul LePage, departed Hong Kong and flew north to Shanghai to continue the second leg of what has been a very productive and informative week-long trade mission to China. China is already Maine’s third largest foreign market with $275 million worth of products exported last year. “China is the world’s fastest growing economy, and for Maine companies looking to develop new exports, we have seen firsthand there is huge potential here,” said Governor LePage. More than a dozen Maine businesses and organizations are taking part in the mission that is providing valuable…

Dr. Barbara Bellar, candidate for Illinois State Senate, District 18 sums up Obamacare in one sentence.

The Portland Press Herald ran an editorial on September 8 stating that lowering Maine’s liquor prices is bad public policy. Their logic: lowering prices is bad because it might encourage more people to drink, which would unleash other social costs. The problem with that logic is that Mainers already have easy access to cheaper booze: they can simply buy it across the border in New Hampshire. Cross-border shopping in New Hampshire is a major pastime for Mainers. We all know people who make a regular run to buy liquor, cigarettes or other everyday items in New Hampshire. When Mainers go…

By Pat Murray In 2007 I began to research elementary math programs because my son, a second grader at the time, was bringing back homework in math that seemed to be in a foreign language. I soon learned that elementary and middle schools throughout the nation had been systematically converted from traditional math programs to the new fad of reform programs. Programs like Everyday Mathematics, Investigations in Number, Data and Space, Math Trailblazers, Connected Mathematics and Math Thematics that did not teach—and actually discouraged—the standard algorithms for arithmetic. This expensive but futile exercise began in 1989 and has resulted in…

With winter approaching, Governor LePage joins in requesting full funding for the federal LIHEAP program AUGUSTA – Governor Paul LePage joined with 13 other Governors across the country to submit a letter requesting Congress fully fund the federal government’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) this winter. In a letter written to the leadership of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations, the Governors requested that the LIHEAP program be funded at last year’s levels in any funding agreements for FFY 2013. This includes a potential six-month continuing resolution to fund the federal government through March 2013. “LIHEAP is vital…

By Kristen De Pen State Budget Solutions Executive Summary of “Throwing Money at Education Isn’t Working:” Education funding remains a major issue in the United States. One controversial aspect is whether increasing funding for education guarantees better student performance. Download the full report here. State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009-2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending as a percentage of total state spending, and a comparison of average graduation rates and average ACT scores per state. The study shows that states that spend the most do not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor do they have the highest…

On Monday, September 17, the “Obama’s Failing Agenda” bus tour, a nationwide project of Americans for Prosperity, will host rallies in Augusta, Freedom and Portland. Carol Weston, State Director of Americans for Prosperity-Maine, will be joined by local speakers to discuss specific policies that are failing Maine. See list below for details about each rally. “Mainers are struggling and Obama’s policies aren’t helping. This bus tour is an opportunity to urge President Obama to stop spending away our prosperity and instead advocate for the free-market, limited government policies that can make us strong again,” said Carol Weston, state director of…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), former Chair and current Ranking Member on the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, was honored today by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) with its “Guardian of Small Business” award in recognition of her exceptional voting record on behalf of America’s small business owners.  Snowe, who received a perfect score of 100 percent from NFIB, was honored with this distinction for voting favorably on critical small business issues.  Senator Snowe also received the award in 2010, when she was similarly given a 100 percent rating from NFIB for…

Cartoon provided by NetRightDaily.

By Pem Schaeffer Several years ago, I heard Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia being interviewed about so-called “moderate” judges. “What is a moderate interpretation of the text?” Scalia said. “Halfway between what it really means and what you’d like it to mean? There is no such thing as a moderate interpretation of the text. Would you ask a lawyer, ‘Draw me a moderate contract?’ The only way the word has any meaning is if you are looking for someone to write a law, to write a constitution, rather than to interpret one.” To make this concept more personal, how you…

HONG KONG – The first three days in China have proven to be productive and successful for the LePage Administration. After arriving in Hong Kong late Sunday, the Maine Delegation, led by Governor Paul LePage, met with various officials and business leaders. The mission is a coordinated effort by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), Maine International Trade Center (MITC), and the U.S. Department of Commerce. “We are here to tap into this country’s growth and opportunity and make those face to face connections,” said Governor LePage, the first Maine Governor to lead a trade mission to Mainland China.…

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In accordance with a Presidential proclamation, the United States flag and the State of Maine flag shall be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset today, September 11, 2012, in remembrance of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Flight 93. Today marks the 11th anniversary of the attacks which killed 2,752 Americans. Governor Paul LePage released the following statement in regards to the 9/11 terrorist attacks: “Today marks the eleventh anniversary of that tragic day on which America was forever changed. The terrorists who hijacked our skies, attempted to attack…

This video from Energize Vermont reveals the destruction to the natural environment caused by the “Gold Rush” of wind-turbine projects. Similarly, the pristine environment along Maine’s mountaintops has been blasted, bulldozed and obliterated, all for insignificant gains in “renewable energy.”

by Ben Shapiro – Breitbart.com The Obama administration is famous for its crony capitalism. It’s famous for wasting money on disastrous investments like Solyndra to pay off its political allies. It now appears, however, that they go a step further: they put public funds in bad investment loans, then double down on their bad loans with free cash grants. Here’s the short story: Angus King, former governor of Maine, Obama supporter, and front-running independent Senate candidate, owned a wind company. Obama’s Department of Energy handed over a deeply questionable $102 million loan to that company. It appears that as that company was coming under investigation, King quickly divested himself of…

“The Machine” explains why our K-12 education system isn’t producing better schools — and how it’s rigged to make money for unions and politicians. Please take just 4 minutes to watch the video, which was produced by the Moving Picture Institute.

Maine People Before Politics today revealed a shocking conflict of interest at the Portland Press Herald and Maine Today Media, owner of the Herald, Kennebec Journal and Waterville Sentinel. “While we were initially disappointed with the publishing of an untrue statement and the conspiratorial tone of the recent ‘Special Report’ on digital learning policy published by the Portland Press Herald and Maine Today Media, a newly revealed conflict has blown a hole in the credibility of this report, the investigative reporter and Maine Today Media as a whole,” said Jason Savage, executive director of Maine People Before Politics. Maine Today Media allowed Colin Woodard to publish a report…

By Amy Payne The Foundry The unemployment rate is now 8.1 percent, marking 43 months straight that it has stayed at 8 percent or above. At least 12.5 million Americans are out of work. Yet President Obama has been trying to convince people that he’s a job-creating President. Have 4.5 million new jobs been created under President Obama, as several speakers in Charlotte claimed last week? A fact check shows that under President Obama, the U.S. economy has created a net 415,000 private-sector jobs—less than 0.2 percent of the 155 million-member American workforce. But even that statistic does not tell the…

By John Jaques As executive director of the Baxter Academy for Technology and Science, I would like to set the record straight and dispel some of the myths surrounding public charter schools in Maine. Presently Maine has three approved public charter schools: the first two will open this fall, the Maine Academy for Natural Sciences in Hinkley and the Cornville School in Cornville (both near Skowhegan). The third approved school is the Baxter Academy for Technology and Science in Portland, which will open in September 2013. First, we call them public charter schools for good reason: these schools are…

LePage Administration looks to lower prices for Mainers  The Maine Energy Office announced Friday that electricity rates in Maine as compared to the national average are much higher than other states. The data, provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, indicates that Maine rates are improving. However, Maine is still 24 percent above the US average at 11.94 cents/kWh (per kilowatt hour) as compared to the national average of 9.62 cents/kWh. Maine has the 12th highest electricity prices in the United States. Maine’s 2010 average all-sector retail price was 31 percent above the national average decreasing to 26 percent above in 2011.…

MHPC, ACLU joined forces to spearhead effort for more open government The Maine Freedom of Information Coalition, a broad group of individuals and organizations—including the “Tom and Jerry of Maine politics”—presented its 2012 Maine Sunshine Award to State Sen. Richard W. Rosen in recognition of his steadfast support of open government. “Senator Rosen did an outstanding job in this legislative biennium of sponsoring and shepherding an important piece of right-to-know legislation, LD 1465,” said Suzanne Goucher, president and CEO of the Maine Association of Broadcasters and president of the Coalition. “Among other provisions, this bill establishes that every unit of government…

By Joel Allumbaugh Consumers for Affordable Health Care, a Maine advocacy group that promotes government-run health care coverage, is trying to pin the results of decades of bad insurance regulations on Public Law 90, the first market-based effort to dig us out of the incredible hole we find ourselves in. A press release about CAHC’s new report, “Few Winners, Many Losers: Evaluating the Impact of Key Provisions of Maine’s New Health Insurance Law To Date,” offers five misleading bullet points to summarize the report. First, CAHC points to the fact that 54% of individual policyholders saw higher premiums. But they…

By Amy Payne The Heritage Foundation Yesterday, the U.S. national debt passed $16 trillion. On President Barack Obama’s watch, the debt has increased by 50 percent, as campaign promise after campaign promise has drowned in a sea of federal spending. When he was running for President, Obama condemned George W. Bush for adding $4 trillion to the national debt over eight years, calling it “irresponsible” and “unpatriotic.” Now—in less than four years—Obama’s Administration has already added almost $6 trillion to the debt. That means he is on track to triple Bush’s debt increase over eight years. It is important to understand the…

By Peter A. Steele The Maine Wire While the furor over inappropriate spending at the Maine State Housing Authority has faded, one large expense still stands out: $7.1 million has been paid over eight years to just two vendors for MaineHousing’s computer systems—and the systems are still not done. The MaineHousing Board of Commissioners has authorized a forensic audit to determine if the $7.1 million was a legitimate expense. With the media frenzy around the resignation of former MaineHousing executive director Dale McCormick and revelations in The Maine Wire about inappropriate spending on travel, parties and a costly “carbon credit”…

This Saturday Governor Paul LePage will lead a diverse group of Maine business professionals, academic recruiters and government representatives including Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) Commissioner, George Gervais on an intense week-long trade mission to Hong Kong and Shanghai.  The State of Maine Trade Mission to China will be Governor LePage’s first overseas mission as Governor and marks the first horizontal Gubernatorial Trade Mission to Mainland China. The delegation includes several Maine businesses seeking to develop new export markets and secure new buyers/distributors to expand their sales in China.  “This is all about boosting Maine’s export trade, developing…

By David Sorensen Regulatory reform was the first priority of Maine’s GOP-controlled Legislature 0f 2011-2012, hence the number of the first bill featured below.  Many regulations were out of date or simply too burdensome.  Using decades of one-party rule to their advantage, Maine Democrats had built up an imposing regulatory apparatus that gave their friends in the environmental lobby virtually everything they wanted without balancing the need for private-sector job growth. These are some of the bills that began to hack away at that regulatory jungle.  There are many more that could arguably be included here, but these represent some…

The Heritage Foundation has prescribed a set of policies intended to fix the biggest issues facing America. See We Can Change America’s Course. Entering the final stretch of the presidential contest, Americans are facing a monumental choice. The American people will decide the direction of government and its role in their lives for the coming years. The debate in Tampa this week raised a number of issues, including preserving the American dream of working hard to achieve success. The Heritage Foundation has extensive research and policy prescriptions on each of these issues: Energy: America needs to end energy subsidies and restore…

By Diana George Chapin The land conservation community has long heralded conserving lands as a way of adding jobs, increasing tourist revenue and insuring watershed protection throughout Maine and the United States. Now, with decreasing private donations and waning public support for taxpayer-debt-funded land acquisitions, the movement has shifted to describing the non-market values of conserved lands with monetary figures. The effort includes developing new terms to describe the public benefit of conserved land and establishing the groundwork for acquiring more public funds. “Since 2008, general economic concerns have outpaced non‐economic concerns among the majority of American voters,” says a…

Largest Multistate Consumer Protection Drug Settlement Attorney General William J. Schneider announced today that Maine, along with 36 other State Attorneys General, reached a record $181 million dollar settlement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson. A complaint and consent decree filed in Kennebec County Superior Court today resolved claims that Janssen violated the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act when it improperly marketed the antipsychotic drugs Risperdal, Risperdal Consta, Risperdal M-Tab and Invega for unapproved or off-label uses. Risperdal is among a class of drugs known as atypical or second generation antipsychotics. Maine will receive $2.7 million…

Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to play important role in natural-based resource economy The State of Maine has a brand-new agency, one that will focus on the best use and development of the state’s extensive land-based natural resources. The new Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry becomes official on Thursday, Aug. 30, combining two departments into one that will support the people and economy of Maine while protecting its most valued assets. The new department, which merges the departments of Agriculture and Conservation, is the result of legislation signed into law earlier this year by Governor Paul LePage,…

Secretary of State Charlie Summers would like to remind Maine motorists that new driving regulations, passed into law by the 125th legislature, will go into effect on Thursday, August 30, 2012.  This law is among others that will become active 90 days after the close of the 2012 legislative session. LD 1912, “An Act To Encourage Responsible Teen Driving,” the product of collaboration between Secretary of State Summers, bill sponsor Senator Bill Diamond and the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation, was signed into law this past April. The resulting changes to the current regulations include an increase in fines and terms…

By David Sorensen Maine Republican Party Welfare reform is one of the most important initiatives that Maine and America can undertake.  Well-intentioned Democrats have, over the years, grown our welfare system to an unsustainable level out of an urge to help the poor.  The folly of their policy is two-fold. First, it creates a culture of dependency and entitlement, whereby people expect government handouts and lose motivation to improve their position in life.  This does not help them in the long-term.  Second, it cripples government budgets, requiring ever-increasing taxes that drain resources from the productive side of the economy—the side…

By David Sorensen Maine Republican Party The 125th Legislature of 2011-12 passed the largest tax-cut package in Maine’s history as a part of the biennial budget, LD 1043. Democrats have been railing against this package in the editorial pages, calling it a tax cut for the rich. They leave out two facts that destroy their credibility. First, they voted for it. The budget passed 123-19 in the House and 29-5 in the Senate. They did so reluctantly, however, with House Minority Leader Emily Cain eventually commenting, “My caucus hates these tax cuts. It hates them.” Second, the Democrats’ own tax package,…

See “How Obamacare Robs Medicare and Hurts Seniors” online at The Heritage Foundation. The rhetorical Medicare wars have heated up this week, after President Obama declared in his Saturday radio address that his proposed reforms “won’t touch your guaranteed Medicare benefits. Not by a single dime.” This is incorrect. Obamacare cuts $716 billion from Medicare over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and uses these “savings” from Medicare to fund other entitlement expansions mandated by Obamacare. Medicare becomes a cash cow for Obamacare, and the Medicare “savings” from payment cuts are not put back into making Medicare solvent. Such…

This op-ed by U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe ran August 24 in the Washington Post. See it here. By Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) It is unfortunate that the stunningly insensitive statement about rape made last weekend by Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) is casting a shadow over the start of the Republican National Convention. Republican leaders, led by Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan, rightfully and strongly repudiated his remarks. Yet, the comments from Akin reinforce the perception that we in the Republican Party are unsympathetic to issues of paramount concern to women. I have worked for three decades as a…

Attorney General William J. Schneider announced Monday that Christopher S. Frazer, 44, of Lewiston, pled guilty to one count of Class C Theft by Deception, three counts of Class D Misuse of Identification and one count of Unlawful Possession of Scheduled Drugs and was sentenced for stealing $3,600 in benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps). Androscoggin County Superior Court Justice Clifford sentenced Frazer to three years in jail, all but six months suspended, and two years of probation with the requirement that he pay restitution. Frazer was also sentenced to six months incarceration, to run concurrently with…

Governor LePage applauds the Romney/Ryan energy plan for its focus on North American renewable sources Governor Paul LePage on Monday applauded the new energy plan introduced by Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, which focuses on making America energy independent by the year 2020. The plan looks to achieve this critical goal by bringing all cost-effective sources into the energy mix, reforming the federal energy regulation and permitting processes; establishing more energy partnerships with our Mexico and Canada neighbors; and emphasizing private sector-driven energy and energy technology development. “It is very encouraging to see that the Romney/Ryan plan stress that both…