Almost 40 years ago, the Hoover Institutionsā Policy Review journal published a letter I wrote criticizing surveys published by several…
Browsing: Commentary
Maine needs to enact common sense reforms of its welfare system. The public funds we devote to lifting our struggling…
As Maineās successful reforms to its health insurance market in 2011 continue to fuel the national conversation about ObamaCare repeal…
Democrats say they want to reduce property taxes. But they donāt have the courage to actually do it. You canāt…
While liberals ridicule Gov. Paul LePageās stance on school regionalization, the real issues plaguing Maineās public school system get lost…
āConsultingā with the Maine Ethics Commission prior to engaging in unethical behavior does not save one from being culpable for…
Thereās nothing more enjoyable as a constituent than seeing your elected officials keep their word. Last July, I attended the…
Democrat politicians in Augusta will take every opportunity to spend more of your money, and most Mainers simply can’t afford…
In a heated legislative session where many important issues divide us, there is one that I thought would unite all…
I was in awe Wednesday morning. Just after 8 a.m., the halls of the Burton M. Cross Building began filling…
Over the past six years, welfare reform has been at the forefront of my agenda as your Governor. Some of…
The Maine Peopleās Alliance (MPA) is looking more like a gaggle of used car salesmen these days. After grassroots activists…
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell intends to secure 60 votes for President Donald Trumpās Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, before…
Those who read the first half of my take on the aftermath of Question 2 know that Maine will need…
The debate around the destructive 3 percent surtax on Maine’s individual income has turned largely toward one key issue: How…
We are going to miss Matt Gilman. Chances are you donāt know him, but he lives in Alfred. He was…
Thereās been a lot of talk in Augusta lately about the implications of the referendum questions passed on last Novemberās…
Protecting our natural resources is a priority. It is also a priority for me to make sure Mainers can afford…
Any members of the Senate Judiciary Committee interested in SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuchās judicial and constitutional philosophy will find a…
Despite recent controversy surrounding its House Chair, the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation is forging ahead. The Maine Republican Party…
The Maine People’s Alliance is the state’s lone defender of a provision in Question 4 that removed the tip credit…
Tired of being forced to have your car inspected every year? Do you think the only beneficiaries of Maineās inspection…
As your Governor, I want all Mainers to prosper. Providing opportunities for people to help themselves is the best pathway…
If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. Someone should relay this message to Rep. Ryan Tipping, D-Orono, who…
Since the release of the House Republican “plan” for repealing Obamacare, conservative reaction has been dismal at best. It has…
Maineās energy profile is composed primarily petroleum, natural gas, biomass and renewable energies like wind and solar. Natural gas prices…
Itās been an exciting time in politics as of late, with the liberal media frothing at the mouth and eagerly…
Our fellow Americans want Washington to fix the serious problems which are hurting our families and their jobs, and they…
Theyāre at it again. Having repeatedly failed to achieve Medicaid expansion through the legislative process, liberals in Maine have succeeded…
Our electricity rates are far above the national averageāMaine has moved up from the 12th highest rates to the 11th…
Union lobbyist Ryan Tipping should resign his House seat. Legislators who line their own pockets rather than represent their constituents…
As recently as 2009, Americaās liberals could look to a glorious future. Barack Obama, newly installed in the Oval Office,…
Under Maine Clean Elections Act, outside money continues to pour into the system through indirect independent expenditures. This is unacceptable.…
Are you as concerned as I am about campus leftists shutting down debate on urgent public policy issues? Do you…
Few things are more enjoyable than watching liberals eat their talking points. Prior to Paul LePageās gubernatorial run and victory…
While politicians were scrambling to pass a moratorium on marijuana legalization, their credibility went up in smoke. As usual, politicians…
After predicting that President Trumpās inaugural speech would include something about ābringing the nation together.ā I have sifted through the…
One of my greatest duties as the representative of Maineās 2nd Congressional District is serving on behalf of our more…
Legislators may not understand how taxes work, but experts recognize the tax reforms in my budget would make Maine more…
Note: The following Op-Ed was submitted to the Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor for consideration and ignored. 75,000…
It was a surreal time in Washington D.C.. My wife and I spent three days in the city. We attended…
Today a new president takes office. He has been called the most divisive president in history during a time when…
Every child is unique. What may work for one, will in many cases not work for another. When it comes…
In 2002 when Governor Angus King left office the State was seeing redābig time. He left a billion-dollar structural deficit…
If it werenāt for double standards, Speaker of the House Sara Gideon (D-Freeport) wouldnāt have any standards at all. Yes,…
For those concerned about the education of Maineās youth, Gov. Paul LePage has taken another step toward improving the efficiency…
The American People spoke loudly in November.Ā They sent us to Congress to immediately work on issues that are critical…
Gov. Paul LePageās biennial budget has been released for only a matter of days and already we are hearing the…
If we want to put more money in our classrooms, we need a more efficient education system. We often hear…
A āfactoidā is not a piece of trivia. A factoid is a falsehood, or part of the truth, that is…
As we look forward to the New Year, we think of those who are struggling to get by. Unfortunately, their…
I want to take the time to thank the anti-Trump demonstrators for their civility as they greeted the elector for…
When our side wins, democracy happens. When our opponents win, democracy fails. The rule cited above does not explain every…
Every two years, the citizens of Maine get to sit back and watch a spectacle of drama and high-pitched emotion…
Sometimes when you hit a road block, you have to find a detour. I was appalled when Democrats recently votedātwiceāto…
Every year, hundreds of thousands of wreaths are laid on the graves of fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery in…
In November, the Trump-Pence ticket carried the Electoral College by 74 votes out of 538. They won the election. The…
The citizensā initiative is a procedural piece of legislation invented by progressives to divest power from elected representatives to the…
With all of the excitement (deservedly so) surrounding President-Elect Trumpās announcement that 1,100 Carrier jobs in Indiana will be saved,…
When I swore in the 128th Legislature this week, I urged them to reduce the negative impact of two referendum…
Democracy is contrived to be a panacea of human liberation, and the fountain of justice which will cure all social…
Since 2010, average residential New England electric rates have increased by 20 percent. But in Maine, they have remained essentially…
The recounts for Questions 1 and 2 are almost ready to begin, but there is no significant hope for either…
Maine GOP Chairman Rick Bennett released the following statement in response to the dismissal of the appeal of Speaker Mark…
In the months leading up to the presidential election, weāve often heard Hillary Clinton speaking of āā¦trumped up, trickle-down economics.ā…
Since Donald Trump won the presidential election, there have been protests and riots in several areas of the country. For…
Question 4, a citizen initiative passed by Maine voters in 2016, increased the minimum wage in Maine from $7.50/hour in…
This past Friday, our Nation celebrated Veterans Day. Appropriately, we also marked the 241st birthday of the United States Marine…
It is day seven into Trumpās America, yet the sky hasnāt fallen. In fact, the world looks much as it…
We have a lot of work to do in the upcoming Legislative session. If we are going to make progress,…
As todayās world evolves toward a more progressive education system, it seems that we are struggling to catch on in…
What happened on election day?Ā The short story is, the people struck back. A couple hours before polls closed I…
“Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”Ā Ā -Barry Goldwater…
by Alec Gagnon Pilot fighting in the air and sea who feels the damage of the war and ship and…
Veterans Day has been celebrated in many ways since 1926. And one of the best ways to honor are countryās…
The other day I was in the grocery store with several of my children doing my weekly grocery shop. As…
Mainers werenāt supposed to defeat Michael Bloomberg’s agenda on the ballot yesterday. His propaganda was too powerful, his budget was…
Governor LePage on Question 2 harming Maine’s economyGovernor LePage explains Question 2 – the referendum on increasing taxes which will…
After months of constant repetition across all forms of media, political advertisements truly become unbearable this time of year. Those…
AUGUSTA ā Governor Paul R. LePage today issued a statement urging college students to establish residency in Maine if they…
Emily Cain wants you to believe that she has anything in common with theĀ average person living in Maineās Second Congressional…
One of the greatest honors of my life is serving on behalf of the citizens, families and small businesses of…
When Press Secretary Adrienne Bennett requested the opinion piece be considered for publication, Portland Press Herald Editor Greg Kesich said,…
As this everlasting election cycle winds down, none too soon, I thought I would focus on a single issue in…
Passage of Question 2 would catapult Maine from its newly established position in the middle of the pack to one…
byĀ Mary Lou Lang-Byrd Anti-gun proposals on the ballot could turn law-abiding gun owners into criminals Well-funded gun control measures are…
In November of 2014, Governor Paul LePage (R) won re-election to his post as the Governor of the state of…
On October 19,Ā Garrett Martin, executive director of the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP),Ā published an article on Question 2 that…
Former U.S. Attorney Paula Silsby recently appeared in a āYes on 3ā campaign ad to support the expansion of background…
At this point in the election cycle we all understand fully the union special interests behind Question 2. A ballot…
The Maine Education Association (MEA) has used out of state funds to place job-crushing Question 2 on the November ballot…
SNIFFLEGATE? The September 26 presidential debate stimulated intense, even violent, disputes about the meaning, or even existence, of a series…
Hi, Iām Ernie Copley. Ā Iām a college business teacher and a financial planner in Maine. Recently, I read a position…
It was stunning to read headlines accusing the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) of misappropriation regarding the TANF…
*For fear of reprisal, the author of this piece has requested to remain anonymous. Oxford County, Maine residents have been…
Referendum Question 3 is a heavily out-of-state funded attack on the rights of law-abiding citizens which has received stark opposition…
Maineās citizenās initiative process promotes civic engagement and gives every day Mainers a direct participatory role in our democracy. Over…
AUGUSTA – Over the last year, nearly a dozen projects under the Land for Maine’s Future (“LMF”) program have been…
If youāre from the town of Sebago, Lincolnville, Greenwood, Bremen, Newry, Machiasport, or Jonesport, Question 2 should worry you immensely.…