Author: Steve Robinson

Governor Paul LePage released on Friday a comprehensive book of accomplishments of his first 500 days in office. His 500th day as Maine’s chief executive is Saturday, May 19, 2012. The 20-page compilation, titled “Making Maine Prosperous, The First 500 Days of Governor Paul LePage,” details the achievements made by the LePage Administration and the State of Maine 125th Legislature. A web version of the book is free to the public and available on the Governor’s website. You can download a copy of it here (PDF). “Making Maine Prosperous, The First 500 Days of Governor Paul LePage” also highlights other reforms…

Tune in to this week’s Maine Wire ‘Week in Review’ podcast. Click below to listen. Hosted this week by: Sam Adolphsen, Director, MHPC’s Open Government Center David Crocker, Director, MHPC’s Constitutional Law Center Lance Dutson, MHPC CEO Peter Steele, MHPC Communications Director Topics: Bill Nemitz vs Eliot Cutler Sussman Basking with Billionaires The Political Androgyny of Angus King Maine GOP convention chair disavows Romney The Fat Gazelle Theory Health Care reforms bring big savings

Donald Sussman, owner of the MaineToday Media newspapers and husband of Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, spent last weekend scheming in the lap of luxury along with a cadre of billionaire financiers, according to a story posted on The Washington Free Beacon. Sussman is a founding member of the ultra-left Democracy Alliance, along with the notorious billionaire George Soros. The DA is a funding consortium that gives to progressive political causes, including Media Matters and the Center for American Progress. From the article: Attendees roamed the grounds at the 150-acre tropical resort on their way to cocktail gatherings, salsa dance lessons, and workshops…

Ron Paul may have ceased spending money on the remaining Presidential primaries, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want the job. His delegates are working hard across the country to give him a stronger voice at the Republican National Convention from Aug. 27-30 in Tampa, Fla. Presumptive nominee Mitt Romney has collected 973 delegates out of the 1,144 needed for the official nomination. A libertarian icon known for unconventional positions, Paul has 104 delegates. He said he is now concentrating on a strategy to gather delegates to the national convention. “Ron Paul is not and has not suspended his campaign,”…

By Peter A. Steele | The Maine Wire The Maine Senate and House approved Tuesday a Supplemental Budget designed to reduce spending on MaineCare and put the state’s social safety net on a sound footing for the future. Gov. Paul LePage signed the bill on Wednesday morning. Creating long-term structural reform for welfare programs in the Dept. of Health and Human Services was major goal of Gov. Paul LePage. Using his line-item veto power, LePage refused last month to fill an $83 million hole in the DHHS budget with one-time revenue, as Democrats have done for over a decade. On…

There is encouraging news for Mainers coming out of the health care industry. Rates for individual health care plans in Maine are set to drop as much as 60% this July as a result of health reform law PL 90, also known as LD 1333, adopted in March 2011. PL 90, the free market based health reform law, was passed last March by a Republican majority in Maine’s legislature. Governor Paul LePage signed the bill in a ceremony at the statehouse amid cries from Democrats that it wasn’t right for Maine. “The law takes Maine in the wrong direction,” said…

Anecdotally, it is a well-worn verse in Maine that the state has been losing its young people. A new study from the U.S. Census Bureau confirms this. The study titled “Historical Migration of the Young, Single, and College-Educated: 1965 to 2000,” (pdf) examined the past four decennial censuses to determine the net migration of this population among the 50 states. Based on a state’s net migration over these four time-periods, they classify a state as a “consistent gainer,” “inconsistent gainer,” “inconsistent decliner,” and “consistent decliner.” As shown in the chart below, Maine is classified as an “inconsistent decliner” because there…

This is the first of a series of exclusive interviews that The Maine Wire will be conducting with Governor Paul R. LePage.  By Peter A. Steele | The Maine Wire As the winds of political frenzy swirled around Augusta last week, with Republicans reeling after Ron Paul supporters stiff-armed them at the GOP state convention and Democrats launching into time-worn tirades against welfare reform, one man sat in his office, relaxed and at ease. Governor Paul LePage was long ago acclimated to the political storm, and it doesn’t deter him. He was elected on his promise to reform Maine government,…

Tune in to this week’s Maine Wire ‘Week in Review’ podcast. Click below to listen. Hosted this week by: Sam Adolphsen, Director, MHPC’s Open Government Center David Crocker, Director, MHPC’s Constitutional Law Center Lance Dutson, MHPC CEO Peter Steele, MHPC Communications Director Topics: Obama’s jailhouse competition Chellie “Pink Slime” Pingree The future of newspapers MaineHousing gets slammed by the Feds Virgin Islands hijinks

Quasi-government agencies have been in the news often of late, with the corruption at Maine Turnpike Authority and the recent problems at the Maine State Housing Authority. These aren’t the only quasi-government agencies in the state, and recently, WGME Channel 13 took a look at how carefully the money that flows through these agencies is being watched. http://www.wgme.com/news/top-stories/stories/wgme_vid_11799.shtml

Department of Agriculture Chief – “without any equivocation, this product is safe, and there’s no question about it” Maine congresswoman Chellie Pingree’s efforts to ban processed lean beef trimmings, otherwise known as “pink slime,” from schools, has led to the closure of three factories in the Midwest, with 650 people losing their jobs. The food product, which is comprised of “finely textured lean beef trimmings” and treated to remove any potential diseases, is added to other beef products and processed meats as inexpensive beef fillers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of beef trimmings for human…

This week, the Maine legislature will reconvene to consider another supplemental budget. As the Appropriations Committee joins hands once again, we at The Maine Wire have one simple suggestion to avoid the chaos that has surrounded previous budgets: go talk to the Governor’s office before you pass this one. The Republican leadership in Augusta has put a premium on getting along with opposition Democrats, especially through the budget process.  Some powerful GOP legislators seem to believe that forming consensus with the opposing party is more important than maintaining clarity of mission with the Governor. Last week, two Republicans on the…

“Several different inspectors from both the Authority and Avesta” passed 30 units that failed to meet HUD quality standards A federal report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) shows that the MaineHousing Authority has regularly inspected, and passed, housing units that don’t meet HUD’s quality standards. MaineHousing, despite blaming recent inspection failures on third-party providers, was found to have directly inspected, and passed, 10 out of 11 units that “did not comply with HUD’s housing quality standards,” according to the report. A story about sub-standard units in Norway prompted the…

With excessive debt, declining revenue and shrinking circulation plaguing daily newspapers around the country, what exactly is the future of Maine’s newspapers? That was the question posed to panelists on Monday, May 7 during a two-hour discussion sponsored by Vox Global, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and the Maine Press Association at the Holiday Inn by the Bay. Panelists included Tom Bell, Portland Press Herald reporter and president of the Portland Newspaper Guild; Terry Carlisle, general manager of the Ellsworth American; Tony Ronzio, new media director for the Sun Media Group; Todd Benoit, director of news at the Bangor…

by Scott Moody In fiscal year (FY) 2009, Maine had the 6th highest tax burden, as a percent of private sector personal income, in the country. The single largest source of Maine’s tax burden comes from the personal income tax which, in FY 2010, constituted 37.3 percent of all state revenue. This large share is driven directly by the top marginal tax rate of 8.5 percent which is the 7th highest in the country. Of course, this large personal income tax burden comes at an economic price which manifests itself, in part, through the out-migration of people and income to…

Tom Groening at the Bangor Daily News has a bizarre story about a relationship-gone-wrong between two Democrat state representatives. Belfast Rep. Erin Herbig is seeking a restraining order against Brunswick Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx, the son of Democrat activist and publisher of Maine Insights Ramona du Houx. Du Houx is an Iraq veteran turned anti-war activist, and has worked closely with the George Soros-funded Vote Vets organization. According to court documents, Herbig alleges Du Houx “had taken over 100 photographs and videos of me without my knowledge, including when I was sleeping… Many of the photographs and videos are…

On April 25 a video came to light showing EPA official Al Armendariz speaking to colleagues about aggressive and controversial methods of EPA enforcement.  On Monday, just days after the uncovered video began circulating; EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson accepted Armendariz’s resignation. In November 2009, Armendariz left his teaching post at Southern Methodist University when appointed by President Obama to lead resource rich EPA Region 6.  This area includes Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.  Armendariz quickly gained a reputation in Texas and the region as an over-zealous regulator. Today, many elected officials are wondering just how many companies Armendariz…

Associates of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree’s husband, billionaire hedge fund investor S. Donald Sussman, have become key players in a major bribery scandal that is rocking the Department of Justice and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Daily Caller has reported that Virgin Islands Governor John De Jongh, Attorney General Vincent Frazer, and a number of USVI Senators have been named in a sealed indictment relating to at least $20 million in cash bribes to U.S. Department of Justice investigators and public officials in the USVI. The Daily Caller obtained this information through leaks from a source familiar with the indictments.…

by Sam Adolphsen I still remember the day. I was sitting at my kitchen table, pen in hand, and I signed the dotted line to borrow a significant amount of money to pay for my first year of college. The funny thing was, despite what you might hear in the media these days, no one was standing over my shoulder forcing me to. No government official told me I had to borrow the money. It was my decision then and it’s my debt today. I weighed the price of borrowing against the value of a secondary degree, and I chose…

In a letter to President Obama, representatives Chellie Pingree and Mike Michaud have recommended Steven Minkowsky to be the New England regional administrator for the Small Business Administration, along with state senator Seth Goodall. Behind the scenes, members of Maine’s business community are outraged that Minkowsky – known for his contentious relationship with businesses and his lack of private-sector experience – is being considered for the post. The Maine Wire spoke with multiple sources who have worked with Minkowsky but wish to remain anonymous for fear of retribution. These sources say Minkowsky’s anti-business attitude is so explicit that he even…

Tune in to this week’s Maine Wire ‘Week in Review’ podcast. Click below to listen. Hosted this week by: David Crocker, Director, MHPC’s Constitutional Law Center Lance Dutson, MHPC CEO Peter Steele, MHPC Communications Director Topics: Sussman/Pingree Press Herald ban another GOP op-ed “Civil discourse” with another Maine Democrat legislator The Fairness Initiative MHPC’s favorite UMaine professor, Amy Fried Crucifixion and the EPA

More than 100 people packed DiMillo’s restaurant in Portland Thursday for The Maine Heritage Policy Center’s “Getting to Zero” discussion on eliminating Maine’s income tax. MHPC is the parent organization of The Maine Wire. MHPC CEO Lance Dutson moderated a discussion with Sawin Millett, Governor LePage’s Commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services, and Scott Moody, MHPC’s Chief Economist and a member of Maine’s Economic Forecasting Commission. The talk focused on the elimination of Maine’s personal income tax, and the potential positive impact on Maine’s economy. “Eliminating Maine’s income tax would result in $4,000 going back to the average family of…

By Neal Freeman – this item originally appeared in the American Spectator in the run-up to 2010’s overwhelming taxpayer rejection of big government at the polls. It’s about time government employees learned they work for taxpayers. Kudos to USA Today, that most mainstream of all major media, for reminding us who “we” are. In an enterprising and courageous story published in August, the paper reported that the average U.S. private-sector worker receives $61,051 in compensation while the average U.S. government worker receives $123,049. I say “enterprising” because that latter figure, The Number we’ve all been looking for, has been a closely guarded secret…

Last Sunday, the Donald Sussman/Chellie Pingree owned Press Herald ran an editorial titled “Republicans fail to honor their word.” The piece was about the recent decision by the majority of Maine’s legislature not to re-convene early to attempt an override of Governor LePage’s recent line-item veto of the budget bill. The Press Herald said that, “Republican lawmakers decided in a secret poll not to support the budget compromise they had publicly backed just a few days earlier.” An earlier version of the story called out the Senate Republicans for their lack of transparency, although the Senate Republicans had released the…

Imagine if the State of Maine wrote you a check for $4,000. Every year. That’s essentially what would happen if we eliminated Maine’s personal income tax. The average family of four would save nearly $4,000 each year. Think it’s impossible? Think again. The personal income tax is a leash that pro-government forces have tied around the necks of Mainers for more than 30 years. Maine used to have a thriving economy and booming industries, but we all know that’s history. The startling truth is, the decline of Maine’s economy started at nearly the exact time the state decided to implement…

With less than two months to go until the June 12th primary election for Senate candidates, the fundraising efforts of candidates are in full swing. The most recent quarterly income disclosures filed with the Federal Ethics Commission show that Republican Scott D’Amboise has raised the most money to date, although his cash on hand comes in second to Independent candidate Angus King, who has loaned his campaign $38,000 in cash. Treasurer Bruce Poliquin and Sen. Deb Plowman did not file, because they had not raised or spent the minimum amount by April 1. Here are the totals for each candidate:…

Tune in to this week’s Maine Wire ‘Week in Review’ podcast. Click below to listen. Hosted this week by: David Crocker, Director, MHPC’s Constitutional Law Center Lance Dutson, MHPC CEO Peter Steele, MHPC Communications Director Topics: Chuck Kruger, gun threats, and the press Bangor Daily’s new reporter, Stephen Betts LePage’s Line Item veto DHHS and Mary Mayhew

The Bangor Daily News hired the ultra left-wing Stephen Betts to cover the midcoast area after the implosion of the Village Soup media empire. Betts was the editor of the local Rockland paper for years, and is probably best known as the only editor in Maine to endorse Jean Hay Bright for U.S. Senate against Olympia Snowe in 2006. Betts logged quite a body of hard core liberal editorials before his career was thrown into turmoil by the purchase of the Courier papers by Village Soup, and Village Soup’s subsequent collapse. Now the BDN has assigned Betts as a straight…

What do rock legend Ted Nugent and State Representative Chuck Kruger have in common? Kruger would probably hope the answer is that they are both gifted musicians. “Kruger’s got a sweet, cool, breezy vocal manner,” a Boston Herald article said in 1979. They even compared him to James Taylor. But that musical connection isn’t the one you’ll find tying the two together today. Instead, they have each gained national attention for comments they made about the president (Nugent) and the former vice-president (Kruger). Kruger said on his twitter feed, for the entire world to see, “Cheney deserves same final end…

The Legislature will not reconvene immediately to try and overturn Governor LePage’s line-item veto of two items in the recently passed budget bill. The rules regarding line-item vetoes allow the Legislature to reconvene “with consent of the majority of the members of the Legislature of each political party, all Members of the Legislature having first been polled.” According to a letter (see below) sent to democrat leadership from Senate President Kevin Raye (R) and Speaker of the House Bob Nutting (R), “two-thirds of them [republicans] have declined to consent convening the Legislature.” Not surprisingly, the majority of democrats, the letter…

The Maine Heritage Policy Center Friday received a series of threats by phone, as a result of our reporting on Rep. Chuck Kruger’s Twitter statements supporting the execution of former Vice President Dick Cheney. The threats were made in three separate phone calls, and may be from the same caller, attempting to change his voice each time. The caller acknowledges our report on Kruger, and concurs with the sentiment from Kruger’s twitter comments. “A lot of people think Cheney is a war criminal and he should be executed, because he is a war criminal.” The caller, after digressing into an…

Kudos to the Lewiston Sun Journal for reaching out to GOP Majority Leader Phil Curtis after we published the news that his column was banned from the pages of MaineToday Media. Curtis’ column is critical of MTM owner Donald Sussman and his wife, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, and the inevitable editorial slant the newspaper chain would take. So, of course, MTM wouldn’t publish the piece. The Sun Journal didn’t have the same editorial problem, and published the column this weekend. Sussman’s papers just snatched the Sun Journal’s lead political reporter, Steve Mistler, so perhaps the feeling of collegiality between the papers…

Governor Paul LePage is doing exactly what he’s promised Mainers he’d do from the first day he set foot on the campaign trail: rein in spending to lower the tax burden on the people of this state. If only his colleagues in the Republican-led legislature had the same focus. Instead, the legislature’s Appropriations Committee continues to make modifications to the Governor’s budgets that water down real reform. Fortunately for the working people of Maine, Governor LePage is exercising a rare tool to make sure our government doesn’t continue to live outside of its means—the line-item veto. LePage’s vetoes correct two…

By Rep. Rich Cebra Congresswoman Chellie Pingree has some explaining to do. On March 14, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) revealed that the cost of the so-called Obamacare initiative has doubled. Two years ago, when the Affordable Care Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a razor thin margin – with no Republican votes – we were told that the 10-year cost of the plan would be $940 billion. Democrats turned cartwheels around the Capitol because the grand total came in under $1 trillion. President Obama said if the cost had been higher, he would not have signed the bill.…

Tune in to this week’s Maine Wire ‘Week in Review’ podcast. Click below to listen. Hosted this week by: Sam Adolphsen, Director, MHPC’s Open Government Center David Crocker, Director, MHPC’s Constitutional Law Center Lance Dutson, MHPC CEO Topics: Democrat Rep Chuck Kruger’s Twitter problem MaineToday Media bans GOP Majority Leader Maine’s Wealthy Elite Who are Maine’s ‘Rich’? Zero percent income tax?

The Maine Wire reported yesterday on Maine Democrat state representative Chuck Kruger’s Twitter comments, saying he would like to see former Vice President Dick Cheney executed, and that he hoped it would be televised. Click here to to read the story >> Our story has sparked a media storm. The Drudge Report linked our story, which produced so much traffic it temporarily crashed our site. Since then, we’ve been linked by The Daily Caller, the Washington Examiner, and many other national political websites. Kruger, who denied remembering the tweet when we spoke with him this morning, has since made two…

Republican candidate for Senate Bruce Poliquin launched a TV ad today, becoming the first one in the race to be on the air.

UPDATE 4/13 7:00am: Click here to listen to Kruger in a radio interview. At about 2 minutes in, he actually says ‘I wish we could have fun with this’. Rep. Chuck Kruger (D-Thomaston), the Democrat chair of the Maine legislature’s Moderate Caucus, used his Twitter account to express his view that former Vice President Dick Cheney should be executed. This comment has led some to question the validity of Kruger’s moderate credentials. Kruger made the statement through his Twitter account this past summer, saying, “Cheney deserves same final end he gave Saddam. Hope there are cell cams,” a reference to…

But hey, what are friends for? By J Dwight Distrust of—and anger toward—the politically connected elite is one of the primary drivers of electoral politics in the last two election cycles. In fact, it is nothing new. Throughout American history, these revolts happen periodically. That distrust proved to be warranted with the recession in 2008-09. It helped elect Paul LePage and a Republican Legislature in 2010, and it is one of the important motivations in 2012. The revolt led to an historic upset in Maine with conservatives being elected in numbers that changed the State House in dramatic ways. The Tea…

By Rep. Phil Curtis Maine House Majority Leader Phil Curtis originally submitted this piece to the Maine Today Media for publication. The papers refused to run it based on its criticism of the paper’s owner and his spouse. This is an amazing act of political censorship, and ironically reinforces the concerns Rep. Curtis outlines in this piece. The entire, unedited column is featured below. What do you get for the congresswoman who has everything?  Southern Maine’s Democratic congresswoman, Chellie Pingree, recently received the gift of a lifetime from her husband, hedge fund mogul Donald Sussman. It wasn’t diamonds or pearls. …

by Scott Moody Just last week, the U.S. Census Bureau released the latest change in population data for Maine by county (excel) between July 1, 2010 and July 1, 2011.  From the state-level data, Maine’s net natural population growth, which is births minus deaths, over this time-period was only 180 people.  However, when examined at the county-level, the  bad news grows even gloomier with 10 out of 16 counties showing negative net natural growth, meaning more deaths occur than births. As shown in the table below, these counties include: Aroostook (-147) Franklin (-28) Hancock (-134) Kennebec (-35) Knox (-34) Lincoln (-99) Oxford (-115)…

U.S. Senate candidate Angus King has posted an odd campaign video today, as a preview to his official campaign launch next week. The video itself is basically boring, but the backdrop is very strange. Here’s a screen shot: Avert your eyes for a moment from the cheesy 1990s era yellow-on-green campaign logo for a moment, and look at the poster on the left. This is an advertisement for his book “Governor’s Travels”. Crash Barry reviewed this strange book for The Bollard: I’m not sure what’s most irritating about the 160 pages chronicling King’s non-exciting tale of a not-so-rollicking road trip…

Poll results released yesterday give Senate candidate Angus King a clear lead in the race to replace Olympia Snowe. It also gives democrats Chellie Pingree (who owns the paper reporting on the poll) and Mike Michaud an edge in their races. The very-hypothetical poll (the questions include asking about candidates that haven’t actually won primaries yet) was commissioned by the ultra liberal group “Maine People’s Resource Center” which is an offshoot group of the Maine People’s Alliance, a far-left wing advocacy group that has championed extreme liberal causes. Now obviously the media is running with this poll, because it bodes well for all of their favorite…

Tune in to this week’s Maine Wire ‘Week in Review’ podcast. Click below to listen. Hosted this week by: Sam Adolphsen, Director, MHPC’s Open Government Center David Crocker, Director, MHPC’s Constitutional Law Center Lance Dutson, MHPC CEO Peter Steele, MHPC Communications Director Topics: Paul Violette sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison Sound familiar? GSA scandal over lavish parties for employees in Las Vegas Sob Sister update: Bill Nemitz continues attacks on Governor LePage Woodard, Mistler join MaineToday Media Citizens warned feds about Angus King’s wind company problems

We’ve heard this story before haven’t we? The similarities are striking – catering, Vegas hotels, gift cards and even clowns. (What’s with left-wing government bureaucrats and clowns? Oh wait, my bad, it was a magician at MaineHousing) The General Services Administration Public Buildings Service agency put together a “conference” that cost taxpayers $820,000 according to reports. When we detailed the spending of MaineHousing, we heard from the left that “conferences” were ok, and an acceptable use of taxpayer money, regardless of what happened at them (clowns, magicians, massages, whatever…). Here in Maine, when we reported the ridiculous and wasteful spending at MaineHousing the…

by Scott Moody Maine’s private-sector share of personal income for 2011 has begun to recover from the all-time lows set during the “Great Recession,” but that growth is still 6 percent smaller than the national average. Maine’s private-sector share of personal income is now 65.5 percent, compared to 69.3 percent nationally. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis on Tuesday released new personal income data for 2011 by state and revisions for the past couple of years. After rising only 3.7 percent in 2010, state personal income rose an average of 5.1 percent in 2011, according to the…

Public forum boot camp is a smart move Republicans in Maine may be getting a reprieve from the internecine miasma that’s been keeping the party from asserting itself as a permanent majority. Democrats revel in hurling fruitless attacks at the party principals, but a behind-the-scenes effort has moved the party toward the united front that GOP faithful have been waiting for years to see. While the majority of a political party’s efforts go unseen by voters, a lack of visible leadership can lead to a terrible morale problem with the faithful masses. Republicans in Maine, despite recent electoral success, have…

Steve Thurston, co-chair of Citizens’ Task Force on Wind Power, waved a red flag at the Dept. of Energy before it guaranteed a $102 million loan to Angus King’s wind company, warning that the company did not need taxpayer money to complete the project and that the project did not use innovative technology, as the company claimed. These were the same two findings of a report released by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, just days after King sold his stake in the company. For more documentation of the effort by Citizens’ Task Force on Wind Power to…

By Lucky Cambridge. When I was a kid, late-winter Saturdays included watching old movies on a clunky black-and-white television. Neatly frocked with state-of-the-art rabbit ears, it produced a snowy picture on the less-than-wide screen and diverted my attention from the snowy fields outside our window in a season—to a ten year-old—seemingly frozen in time. Perhaps John Wayne swaggering or Gary Cooper strong and silent; Sal Mineo playing a renegade Indian (an Italian Indian?); or Fay Wray fainting in the face of a primate’s passion: no matter what the movie, the wintery Saturday afternoons of the 1960s, for me, were safe, warm…

The Maine Wire broke the story last week that U.S. Senate candidate Angus King’s wind company was included in a congressional oversight report as part of a handful of companies that received federal loan guarantees under questionable circumstances. The Associated Press picked up the story after we broke it, and this weekend the Maine Sunday Telegram featured the story on the front page. The MST’s piece was basically a one-sided apology for King, and allowed the former governor to push aside questions without a counter voice. King still claims he knew nothing about the investigation until The Maine Wire made…

By Pem Schaeffer. Let’s start by saying “God bless Yogi Berra” for his short and snappy insights, his humanity and the great moments he provided the Yankees of my boyhood. Were it only possible, I’d love to see him debate our cultural and political illuminati. Can you imagine Yogi and Angus King sparring at a Bowdoin College panel discussion? Allow me to offer this corollary to Yogi’s thesis: “The future ain’t what it ought to be.” I’ve thought a lot about this in recent years, if only because of what I’ve seen in Brunswick. Two funeral homes have built major…

This week we launch a new feature – our ‘Week in Review’ podcast. Click below to listen. Hosted this week by: David Crocker, Director, MHPC’s Constitutional Law Center Lance Dutson, MHPC CEO Peter Steele, MHPC Communications Director Topics: Bill Nemitz meltdown Donald Sussman and the MaineToday Media buyout Obamacare and Maine reporters Angus King’s windpower antics Bruce Poliquin and the Supreme Judicial Court

The Maine Wire has obtained a letter sent from U.S Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D- Maine) to the Department of Energy in support of Angus King’s Record Hill Wind project. Record Hill was named last week in a report from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform as one of a number of companies that received federal loan guarantees under questionable circumstances. King’s company received a $102 million government loan guarantee, despite having more than sufficient cash on hand for the project, as well as the backing from the $8 billion Yale Endowment. King’s company applied for the loan guarantee…

John Richardson, the health care reporter for Donald Sussman’s MaineToday Media papers, has another slanted article about the Obamacare court case in today’s papers. Here’s the fair-and-balanced lead: Rachel Sukeforth of Litchfield would be sorry to see the Affordable Care Act go away. She was 25 when the federal law took effect in 2010, and a provision in the law allowed her to enroll in her mother’s health insurance plan. It was good timing. A medical exam showed pre-cancerous cells on the lining of her cervix. She had surgery to remove them. “The insurance covered the procedure,” Sukeforth said. “I…

The Maine supreme court ruled today that there was “no solemn occasion” in the complaint filed against Treasurer Poliquin. “We respectfully decline to answer any of the three questions presented,” continued the opinion of the Supreme Court justices. The ruling came after amicus briefs were offered on both sides of the issue, including a brief against Poliquin by house democrats and a brief filed in favor of Poliquin by the Maine Heritage Policy Center. The Treasurer has been the subject of attacks by democrats in recent weeks, who claim Poliquin was involved in running his businesses while he was treasurer. The…

When the failing Maine Today Media papers announced weeks ago that billionaire left-wing financier Donald Sussman was “loaning” the paper $3 million out of the kindness of his heart, anyone with the slightest inclination toward objective reasoning saw this for what it was – bunk. Sussman, the papers said, was only taking a 5% ownership stake and had no interest in controlling the company. Those of us with a more skeptical view toward the hedge fund baron and his ultra-left-wing congresswoman wife knew this was a classic example of brazen political bamboozling. Now, lo and behold, the truth comes out…

A group of Maine reporters has received financial support from a pro-Obamacare organization to attend health care reporting workshops. The Maine Health Access Foundation, a pro-Obamacare organization that has been active in liberal health care issues since its state-mandated creation in 2000, provided scholarship underwriting for a number of Maine reporters from the Bangor Daily News, Portland Press Herald, Maine Public Broadcasting, the Associated Press, and other Maine news organizations. Notable among the recipients of the scholarship are health care reporters from the state’s largest newspapers. Meg Haskell and Jackie Farwell of the Bangor Daily News have provided the bulk of…

What was supposed to be a 3.3 million dollar “loan” and a 5% share in equity of Maine Today Media has turned into a 75% ownership stake in the Maine paper by Donald Sussman, the husband of congresswoman Chellie Pingree.  Sussman, the billionaire hedge fund manager and prolific democrat funder, has pledge his political affiliations, marriage to Congresswoman Pingree, and support of liberal ballot initiatives won’t have an impact on how the paper reports. “They report the news thoroughly and fairly, and I’m not going to interfere with that in any way,” Sussman said in an article that appeared in his Portland…

While U.S. Senate candidate Angus King was busy discussing the ethical benefits of selling his company, behind the scenes Independence Wind was becoming part of a congressional probe into inappropriate federal loan guarantees.Despite an increasingly tangled timeline, the former governor’s campaign maintains he had no knowledge of the probe. Congressional investigators sent an official letter to King’s wind company, informing them of an expanded investigation into the recipients of a stimulus-funded Department of Energy loan program, from which King’s company received a $102 million loan guarantee. The letter, sent to King business partner Robert Gardiner, was dated March 14, two…

On the second anniversary of the law that gave government control of our nation’s health care system, Grover Norquist, the President of Americans for Tax Reform, takes a look at a few of the tax hikes in the bill. Norquist reminds us what Obama the candidate said in 2008, just months before signing the tax-laden legislation: “I can make a firm pledge. Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.” One of…

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul is scheduled as a keynote speaker at the Maine Republican Party convention in May, sparking questions of favoritism in a caucus process that has already seen its share of controversy. The virtual photo-finish between Paul and Mitt Romney in the state GOP straw poll means Maine’s delegates, awarded at the convention, are up for grabs, and the potential advantage derived from Paul’s speaking spot has been noted by the Romney campaign. According to sources, Ron Paul will be the featured speaker on Saturday, May 5, at the Augusta Civic Center. The state GOP convention is…

Democrat siblings bookend the transfer of up to $600,000 in public funds  *story updated Tension over a controversial multi-million-dollar carbon-trading effort at MaineHousing boiled over Tuesday at the MSHA Board of Commissioners meeting. Concern over the cost of the project, which Board Chair Peter Anastos has pegged at over $6 million, as well as the viability of a plan that appears predicated on a collapsing carbon market, resulted in a contentious back-and-forth exchange between board members and Director Dale McCormick, shortly before her resignation was publicly revealed. Information obtained by The Maine Wire now shows that the controversy extends into…

Portland Press Herald columnist Bill Nemitz took a break from his Sob Sister column this week to have an utter meltdown on WGAN’s Morning News with Mike Violette this morning. Apparently the failure of his political advocacy is getting to him. During the course of the interview, Nemitz can’t control his anger over the effectiveness of The Maine Wire, and seems to lose all control when he starts personally attacking his interviewer. Nemitz embarrasses himself and his paper in this interview, a definite must-listen. Click here to listen >>

Report Refers to project as part of a pattern of “dysfunction, negligence and mismanagement” (This story was updated at 3:44pm) Just a day after Angus King announced he was divesting his stake in his wind energy company, a Congressional Oversight Committee has called into question the basis for a $102 million loan guarantee granted to King’s Record Hill Wind project. The U.S House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform yesterday released an extensive report on questionable funding for projects authorized through the U.S. Department of Energy. The report, titled “The Department of Energy’s Disastrous Management of Loan Guarantee Programs”,…

At the MaineHousing board meeting this morning, the board began the meeting by going  into an executive session at the start of the meeting and when they came out, they unanimously voted to accept the resignation of Director Dale McCormick. The official announcement wasn’t made until the very end of the board meeting, with the earlier vote confirming a “personnel decision.” The resignation of McCormick comes after months of scrutiny into MaineHousing spending practices and the cost of affordable housing projects. “The board and I have concluded that it is best to reach an agreement on an early end to…

An almost unbelievable chart from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services might shed some light on why they have been experiencing some computer issues. Below is a flow chart from DHHS that *tries* to map out the IT systems at the department. DHHS officials said this chart was created sometime in the past but weren’t sure of an exact date. This is the most recently updated version: Click here for a full size version of the PDF (Be warned, this will make your head hurt) The department has been criticized lately for apparent computer malfunctions that were a result of…

Crash Barry has a piece worth reading on his blog, titled ‘Angus King for Senate? No thanks!’: Just piecing together the easy-to-find numbers, it appears Angus currently has plenty of part-time gigs. His directorship at a troubled Maine bank is a good example. He’s been a member of the board of directors of The Bank of Maine since 2010. Formerly The Savings Bank of Maine, this struggling financial institution has about 80 million in troubled assets and the bank apparently lost a couple million bucks last year alone. (Read more dirty numbers here.) In 2010, after serving on the bank…

Are $5 LIHEAP checks fueling welfare growth? The Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the state program run by the Maine State Housing Authority that helps low-income people heat their homes, is also being used as a mechanism to help qualify people for additional welfare benefits. The welfare program tied to LIHEAP, known as the food supplement program—or “food stamps” here in Maine—is a federally funded program that provides money for food for low-income households and individuals. There are different benefit levels, depending on the net income of the recipient. The practice at MaineHousing, according to an email from MaineHousing’s…

Editorial The Legislature’s Insurance and Financial Services Committee on Thursday cast a critical vote to protect the people of Maine from the gathering storm of the federal Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. For weeks, behind the scenes, Republican leadership in Augusta has struggled with the question of the so-called Obamacare “exchanges.” A critical component of the federal takeover of the health insurance industry, the “exchanges” are the deceptively named mechanisms for enforcing the individual mandate provision of Obamacare. Obamacare propagandists harnessed the term “exchange” to conjure up images of a robust marketplace where insurers and insured can find…

By Lucky Cambridge Even before he entered the race, the Fourth Estate and the faithful swooned. As events unfolded he commented on the prospects of running. At first, the most he would say was that he was “leaving the door open.” He also clearly laid out his intention: if he ran, he wasn’t interested in a “second position.” In an instant, support groups led by sycophant leaders established grassroots draft campaigns for the guy who, in their opinion, could save the day. As time moved forward newspapers reported the trials and tribulations of financing a campaign in the face of…

After the surprise news this morning that former governor Baldacci won’t be running for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Senator Snowe, there is word out of Treasurer Bruce Poliquin’s camp this afternoon that they have more than enough signatures and he will be on the ballot for the GOP this June. And Senator Deb Plowman just sent out word that she had made the signature mark as well. Poliquin and Plowman make five GOP candidates to formally qualify for the ballot, with a couple more candidates still collection signatures. Democrats have just one candidate officially on the primary ballot, with…

Governor Paul LePage doesn’t drive – he has a state trooper that provides transportation in a state vehicle. That fact hasn’t deterred the Portland Press Herald and a left-wing superPac from chasing down details of a rumored OUI arrest that never occurred. American Bridge 21st Century, a DC-based liberal superPAC founded by Media Matters president David Brock, has issued a public records request to the Waterville Police Department seeking information about a rumored traffic stop that involved the governor. According to the Waterville Police Department and the Governor’s Office, LePage was not involved in any such stop. Which makes sense,…

by Dean Scontras I find myself struck—though not particularly surprised—by the short reach of the recent “Congressional Insider Trading” bill. Congress, of course, gratuitously patted themselves on the back for their “accomplishment,” and given that the complex world of finance and sophisticated trading often befuddles the average voter, they are likely to get away with their short sightedness. But I, for one, remain skeptical, specifically because of the gaping loopholes that remain in the system, even after the passage of that legislation. What loopholes? To start, left out of the so-called reform bill was any inclusion that would forbid a…

Editorial The idea that a high-level political figure could invest in a newspaper chain and not have an impact on the coverage is laughable, and the attempt of one such political figure to purchase a major newspaper chain has fallen apart. In Philadelphia. We wrote about the parallels between Democrat politico Ed Rendell’s attempt to buy a chain of Philadelphia papers and Democrat politico Donald Sussman’s investment in MaineToday Media in an editorial last week. The big difference between the two situations is the fact that the journalism community in Philadelphia actually resisted the obviously-compromising financial deal, while the editors…

WCSH and Maine Public Broadcasting had these reports on The Maine Heritage Policy Center’s blended learning conference last week:

This is the live stream video of MHPC’s Education Conference about Online Learning. Please be patient with the technology, this a maiden voyage for live video on TheMaineWire.com Free desktop streaming application by Ustream

Today, in South Portland, national education experts and Maine Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen will join The Maine Heritage Policy Center for an all-day conference focusing on technology in education, entitled “Developing Student Success Through Online Learning: Inform, Inspire, and Connect.” The event will focus on how educators can leverage technology to maximize results, how schools convert learning from traditional textbooks to digital devices like iPads and laptops, and how technology can be used to improve individualized learning in Maine. The conference, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Portland Marriott at Sable Oaks in South Portland, features speakers including…

by Terrilyn Simpson A unanimous pro vote on the MSHA Accountability Bill in legislative committee on Thursday was a strong first step in shifting power at the Maine State Housing Authority, from the executive director to the board of commissioners. The bill, in essence, means that the director would serve at the pleasure of the board of commissioners. LD 1778, An Act Relating to the Governance of the Maine State Housing Authority, received a unanimous Ought to Pass from members of the Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development. Senator Chris Rector (R-Knox County), the Committee Chair, sponsored the…

by Scott Moody Recently, the Sun Journal published an op-ed titled “Repealing Income Taxes Won’t Help State Economies” written by Carl Davis at the leftist Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). He concludes: “The bottom line is this: no-tax states aren’t booming, and lawmakers should not expect their states’ economies to improve if they join the no-tax or low-tax club. In fact, in terms of the economic factors that matter most to families — income levels, and whether or not they can find a job — the states with the highest top income tax rates are, in most cases, doing better…

Chellie Pingree will not be running for the U.S. Senate. There was speculation after Angus King announced he would run that Pingree may not run, and as of noon today – that has been confirmed. Pingree issued this statement: After careful consideration I have decided to run for re-election to the U.S. House this year.  This has been a very difficult decision and I will always be grateful for the tremendous support I’ve received from people all across Maine and around the country.  I have been humbled by the enthusiastic encouragement I’ve gotten—from my neighbors here in Maine to my…

by Terrilyn Simpson The much debated “Takings Bill” will be hammered out in round two of a legislative work session this week, with the Judiciary Committee expected to render a verdict as to how the bill will move ahead for full legislative consideration. LD 1810, An Act to Implement Recommendations of the Committee to Review Issues Dealing with Regulatory Takings — recommends compensation, mediation or variances in cases where privately owned land is devalued more than 50 percent of its total worth as the result of land use regulations. More than a hundred citizens overflowed the hearing room to participate…

The legislative Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development postponed a work session this afternoon regarding LD 1778, the bill that would bring additional accountability to the Maine State Housing Authority, because there were members of the committee absent and the language or wording of the bill was not yet ready for discussion, according the committee chair, Senator Chris Rector. The work session had already been continued from it’s originally scheduled session last Thursday, which was cut short partly because of a snowstorm that shut down the statehouse earlier in the day than normal. Now, the committee is tentatively…

This weekend, The Maine Wire broke a story that Attorney General Bill Schneider had used Senator Olympia Snowe’s campaign email list to announce his exploratory bid for Snowe’s senate seat. The Portland Press Herald is reporting today that Schneider rented the list for “$150 per thousand names for one-time use,” and is offering the same deal to other candidates: Justin Brasell, Snowe’s campaign manager, says Snowe is interested in “helping good candidates get the necessary signatures to get on the ballot.” So far, Snowe has sent one email on behalf of Schneider, and another campaign has requested that she do…

Newsguild.org, the website of the Newspaper Guild/ Communications Workers of America union, is reporting on the backroom dealings between MaineToday Media union heads Tom Bell (reporter) and Greg Kesich (editor) and Chellie Pingree’s billionaire husband Donald Sussman. The article, titled “Guild’s Overture to Investor Saves Maine Newspapers, Union Contract and Members’ Jobs”, details the reaction to Sussman’s cash infusion: Guild leaders called a general meeting for 5 p.m. Many members worried they were about to hear that the company was filing for bankruptcy. Instead, the room erupted in laughter, cheers and hugs as members learned their jobs were safe, their…

By Lucky Cambridge Political Prognosticator Unless you live under a rock, it is old news by now that Senator Olympia Snowe will not seek re-election in the 2012 cycle. Yes, Maine’s senior senator plans to put it out to pasture, thus causing massive fissures in the Pine Tree State’s political landscape. Not since Smith mailed it in against Hathaway have pundits (were there “pundits” then?) pontificated and pols postured with such zeal. Immediately in the wake of Snowe’s Tuesday afternoon announcement, it seemed every insider had the scoop: Raye would run; Abbott would advance; Hobbins would hop in; Pingree would…

Just moments ago Eliot Cutler announced on his Facebook page that he will not run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Olympia Snowe. Cutler said in his announcement, I have been deeply grateful for the extraordinary outpouring of sentiment in Maine encouraging me to run for the Senate.  I have thought long and hard about it, because I am powerfully committed, as you know, to reforming politics in America, rebuilding the center and restoring opportunity for those of us who live in Maine and for our children. I have decided that the Senate would not be the best place…

By Terrilyn Simpson Review of a bill seeking more accountability from the Maine State Housing Authority halted when legislators faced a proposal that would allow embattled MSHA Director Dale McCormick to complete her term of office. A proposal in LD 1778, “An Act Relating to the Governance of the Maine State Housing Authority,” would delay implementation of the bill’s reforms until February 3, 2014—guaranteeing that the beleaguered housing director could serve out her full term. Members of the Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development reviewed the bill with little debate until they reached the proposal that would allow…

Attorney General William Schneider just sent his campaign exploration announcement for U.S. Senate – to Olympia Snowe’s campaign email list. Below is a screen shot: Snowe sharing her campaign list brings up a few questions- First, if she’s sharing this, it most likely means Schneider’s the pick. This confirms chatter from Washington that Snowe and McKernan have been pushing the Attorney General as their favorite Second, the use of a campaign email list has a monetary value, which means this could be construed as a campaign donation in-kind. We’ll have to see if Schneider reports it. This also shows the…

Now that the field for US Senate is starting to be fleshed out a bit, we’ve updated our poll. Vote now to weigh in! Who should be the Republican nominee for US Senate?Public OpinionPoll Results Who should be the Democrat nominee for US Senate?Public OpinionPoll Results

by Pem Schaeffer Good Government: The impossible dream that never was and never will be? To found principles of government upon too advantageous an estimate of the human character is an error of inexperience, the source of which is so amiable that it is impossible to censure it with severity. John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) Ten years ago, in the midst of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) campaign, a friend said ‘you can govern, or you can spend.’  I thought it a witty insight; in the years since, I’ve come to see it as a pithy expression of our dismal…

The MaineWire has learned that Rick Bennett, former Maine Senate President and Republican National Committeeman has taken papers out and will gather signatures to seek the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

Yesterday we blasted the Portland Press Herald for running coverage of Chellie Pingree without coming clean about the paper’s, and the author’s, direct financial ties with her husband. Tom Bell, the newspaper union’s president, was in charge of the union when it sought and received a $4 million loan from Pingree’s husband to keep from making employee concessions to a new owner. Apparently they’re paying attention. The PPH continues to allow the union boss who sought out Pingree’s $4 million loan to cover the congresswoman, but at least they are running a disclaimer now: “Pingree’s husband, S. Donald Sussman, is…

Tom Bell, the head of the Portland Press Herald/ MaineToday Media labor union, is now covering the U.S. Senate race, and submitted this story today: “More candidates jump into Maine’s November election” By Tom Bell tbell@mainetoday.com Tom Bell is the labor union president. The union, presumably under Bell’s leadership, reportedly sought out the financial support of billionaire liberal benefactor Donald Sussman, in order to avoid making concessions to a new owner. Bell was quoted in the MaineToday Media press release about the Sussman purchase: “The Portland Press Herald staff writer and Portland Newspaper Guild President Tom Bell said his union…

According to sources, Peter Cianchette has taken his name out of the running for the U.S. senate race. Cianchette was starting to be the figure the GOP regulars were coalescing around, which means the nomination is now completely up for grabs. The reality-based field of potential candidates looks basically like this right now: Kevin Raye Bruce Poliquin Bill Schneider Charlie Summers Steve Abbott Abbott also appears to be hedging, and sources say his entry is not likely. Word on the street is that Scott D’Amboise is still significantly short of signatures to even get in the race. With the onslaught…

Matt Gagnon at Pine Tree Politics has a great reality check of the pundit class on the Snowe senate seat race: There simply are no favorites in this race. Democrats should stop high-fiving each other and measuring the drapes in Snowe’s office, because their chances at winning this seat look no more promising than anyone else’s. Gagnon is correct that a Democrat pickup here is not a foregone conclusion, especially in light of Cutler and/or King getting in the race. I would go a step further though – I would say that a path to a Democrat win here is…

by Terrilyn Simpson In response to a complaint State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin had failed to report several financial details on a state disclosure form, the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices voted four to one that Poliquin’s 2010 income disclosure had been substantially in compliance but incomplete, and that his amended filing brought him into compliance. State Democratic Party Executive Director Mary Erin Casale filed the complaint on January 18 claiming that Poliquin had failed to comply with statutory reporting requirements. It was Casale’s contention that Poliquin had not fully disclosed personal business dealings and holdings, and associated income,…

In light of yesterday’s announcement that Senator Olympia Snowe will not be seeking reelection, Donald Sussman’s recent purchase of an ownership stake in the MaineToday Media/ Portland Press Herald papers becomes significantly more menacing. His wife, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, will likely seek Snowe’s seat, and this casts an appalling shadow on the newspaper deal. Do you think it’s good for Donald Sussman to control Maine’s newspapers?Public OpinionPoll ResultsThe writers for the Portland Press Herald are represented by the union that sought and secured millions from Sussman as part of the deal. This means the people who will cover this senate…

by Terrilyn Simpson Maine State Housing Authority Director Dale McCormick is predicting a huge payback on the carbon offset project she’s tied to the MSHA low income home weatherization program, having so far invested an estimated $6 million in just the unfinished carbon tracking computer system. But experts and officials scrutinizing the McCormick carbon scheme can’t figure out how she intends to pull it off. Maine Housing, with McCormick in the driver’s seat, seems to have subscribed to a green mindset that “Climate change is not only one of the greatest challenges of our time, it’s also an epic opportunity,”…

Senator Olympia Snowe has just shocked the Maine political world with the announcement that she will no longer seek reelection. More details as the story develops. STATEMENT OF SENATOR OLYMPIA J. SNOWE ON RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN FOR UNITED STATES SENATE WASHINGTON, D.C – Three-term Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) issued the following statement today with regard to her re-election campaign: “After an extraordinary amount of reflection and consideration, I am announcing today that I will not be a candidate for re-election to the United States Senate. “After 33 years in the Congress this was not an easy decision. My husband and…