Commentary
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Ballot Questions May Run Afoul of Maine Constitution
Last week I spoke at a forum during Constitution Week at Husson University....
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Question 2 Doesn’t Address the High Cost of Education in Maine
One of the arguments we continue to hear against Questions 2 is that...
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Maine Fairs Provide Educational Opportunities to Parents
We are reminded once again by this year’s Referendum Question 2 that it...
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Hypocrisy: Dems Tout Bi-Partisanship in 2011 Tax Cuts but Support Question 2
As if it comes as any surprise, there is something remarkably hypocritical about...
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Another Reason Question 4 Is a Job Killer
Question 4 is a bad idea for many reasons. I find it highly...
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The Maine Wire Featured in National News
Last Sunday, the Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson, a program that airs on...
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Question 3 Is Not a Solution
For several years, Michael Bloomberg, former Mayor of New York City, has been...
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Maine Liberals Need to ‘Get Real’
Every two years liberals in Maine unveil an economic plan with a new...
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Baldacci Crosses Party Lines to Oppose Question 2
Mark your calendars – a Maine liberal opposes a Democratic ballot initiative. This...
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Government Officials Have a Responsibility to Learn about Mental Illness and the Programs that Work
Anyone with mental illness or disability can reach their full potential; they just...
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Gun Control Isn’t About Making Maine a Safer Place
To hear the supporters of Question 3 — Michael Bloomberg’s attempt to impose...
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No Cash to State Sponsors of Terror – PERIOD
The confirmed reports of the Obama Administration’s covert payment of cash ransoms in...
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LePage Joins Complaint Challenging Obama’s New Overtime Rules
Today, Governor Paul LePage joined a number of other states in filing a...
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Tax Flight is Real; Question 2 Would Make It Worse
Many liberal groups, including the Maine People’s Alliance, the Maine Center for Economic...
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George Smith: Background Check Initiative Complicated, Unreasonable
The ballot initiative requiring background checks on gun sales and transfers is complicated,...
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New Study Shows Expanding Background Checks “Unenforceable Without Firearm Registration Scheme”
According to an article in last week’s Las Vegas Review Journal, the Guinn Center, an independent think tank, took...
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Maine Small Business Coalition Masquerades as Independent Group to Support Question 2
The illusory truth effect explains that if someone repeats a lie over and...
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The Cons of August
On Monday, August 1, Rep. Shadracch Abednego (R-God’s Mills) proposed that Maine enact...
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Half of Trump Supporters Irredeemable, According to Clinton
Who is the judge of whether another human being is redeemable or not?...
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According to New Study, Education Equality Would Be Worse Under Question 2
This week, the Maine School Management Association (MSMA) – a nonprofit comprised of...
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Maine Enjoys Second Highest Personal Income Growth in the Nation, Without Question 4
Don’t look now – but Maine’s economy is powering ahead and proving that...
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Lessons From the Waterville Tax Revolt of 2016
On a Tuesday night in the middle of August, the torrential rains of...
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BDN Wrongly Claims Lepage Administration Abandons At-Risk Youth
Under Gov. Paul LePage’s leadership, the State has reigned in irresponsible spending and...
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Law Enforcement Shortage Predicted Under Question 3
People are quickly finding that, like many political issues, the devil is in...
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Ranked-Choice Voting Throws Out Traditional Voting System
Question 5 on the November ballot is asking Mainers to replace traditional elections...
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Longtime Portland Resident Paints Over Hateful Mural of LePage
Shortly after drawing public scrutiny for his comments regarding the racial makeup of...
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M.D. Harmon: Just a Little Logic Essentially Shoots Question 3 Full of Holes
Founding Father Benjamin Franklin is believed to have been the author of a...
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Mainers Now Look to Washington to Find out What’s Happening in Their Own Back Yard
If you have been living under a rock, or you haven’t been following...
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My Brother Died From an Overdose a Year Ago Today
My brother died from an overdose a year ago today. I got the...
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Press Herald Publishes Slanderous Account of Governor LePage
The Portland Press Herald has stooped to new journalistic lows. I didn’t think...
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How Much Freedom Are You Willing to Sacrifice in the Name of “Safety”?
This November, Maine voters will be faced with an age-old question — how...
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Speaker Eves More Focused on Scoring Political Points Than Following Due Process
A few hours ago, House Republican Leader Ken Fredette released the following statement...
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It’s Time to Take Governor Lepage at His Word, Accept His Apology and Move On
Yesterday afternoon, on orders from Democrat party chairman Phil Bartlett, all Republican house...
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Speaker Eves Ignores House Leadership, Calls for Special Session
This morning, Speaker Mark Eves sent the following email to members of the...
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Marvels and Prodigies: The 2016 Democratic National Platform
Interested in the “Final Draft To Advance Progressive Democratic Values”? Readers fluent in...
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Question 4 Is a Problem Which Literally Just Keeps Growing
A few weeks ago, Greg Dougal and Adam Lee each presented their viewpoints...
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How to Speak to Gun Control Supporters
In light of recent terrorist attacks, riots and other violent events here and...
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Question 2 Will Only Benefit Maine’s Most Resourceful School Districts
This year, Maine voters will face an array of ballot measures, replete with...
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Leftist Civility: “Die in a fire!”
The self-righteous, egocentric lectures about “restoring civility” coming from the left have increased...
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Ballot Question 3 Is About Control
CONTROL: To exercise authoritative or dominating influence over others. To regulate. Question 3...
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Cain’s Attempt to Fleece Sportsmen Backfires Immediately
Last week Emily Cain, Democratic Candidate for the Second Congressional District of Maine,...
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LePage to Feds: States Don’t Work for You
Last month, Governor Paul LePage received a letter from the U.S. Department of...
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House Republican Leaders Outraged Over Federal Overreach by Obama Administration
Wednesday, House Republican Leaders expressed their outrage over President Obama’s decision to create...
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State of the States: A Tale of Two Governors
New England is beautiful, but it is broke. Income inequality is a severe...
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Don’t Be Fooled by Another Referendum That Claims to Solve Education Funding
We all agree more money should go directly into the classroom to benefit...
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We Don’t Need Bloomberg’s Nanny State Restrictions
It’s pretty clear by now that billionaire and former NYC Mayor, Michael Bloomberg,...
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Raising Minimum Wage Will Hurt Small Businesses and Increase Layoffs
The debate over the November ballot initiative to raise the statewide minimum wage has...
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Lighten Up, Bloomberg
Anyone who’s ever watched the movie Stripes, starring Bill Murray, about hapless men...
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Consumers and Co-Ops Continue to Struggle Under the ACA
Years after its implementation, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or ObamaCare, continues to...
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Bucky Owen Owes Reynolds and Sportsmen an Apology
On July 24, 2016, Bucky Owen, former commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife...
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It’s Time for Maine Media to Dump Schmidt as an “Expert” Analyst
Over at the Beacon — the official “Pravda” of the controversial socialist group...
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Referendum Question 3 Goes Beyond a Background Check
Supporters of Question 3 (to expand firearm background checks to private sales) continually...
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Question 4 Will Eliminate Low-Wage Jobs, Not Low Wages
Something I will occasionally do while going through checkout at a store is...
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Freudian Projections in Politics
Sigmund Freud called the act of human beings ascribing their unconscious qualities to...
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Bad Decisions in Augusta Result in High Electric Prices
Bad decision-making in energy policy is expensive. These bad decisions show up on...
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Financial Transparency for the Dangerous Iranian Regime
As I’ve said many times before, Iran cannot be trusted. Iran is the...
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A Nation of Laws? Nay, We Are a Nation of Kingdoms and Kings
Recently I attended the MHPC luncheon at which Tom Fitton, Head of Judicial...
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Individuals Are the Smallest Minority
“The smallest minority on earth is the individual.” When Ayn Rand said that...
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Russell Receives More Sanctions From Ethics Commission
After losing her run for the District 27 Senate seat in the primary...
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A Family Lineage
*The following essay won the 2016 Milton Friedman Essay Contest Joshua Durgin, Matthew Gagnon Parental...
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School Choice Would Push the Public School System in the Right Direction
*The following essay placed second in the 2016 Milton Friedman Essay Contest Lilly F., Matthew...
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Pro-Minimum Wage Study Filled with Flaws
Recently, advocates of increasing Maine’s minimum wage published a study highlighting the alleged...
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America Needs Educational Choice to Enhance Quality of Life
*The following essay placed third in the 2016 Milton Friedman Essay Contest As the...
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LePage Is Right—Maine Has Too Many State Employees
Last week, a memo was leaked to the press outlining the LePage administration’s...
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Welfare Reform in Maine Continues with New Law Taking Effect Today
Between 2010-2014, 4,865 lottery tickets with a prize of $1,000 or more were...
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Critics Should Focus on SNAP Reform, Not Attacking LePage
The nonsensical backlash aimed at Gov. LePage following his attempt to ban junk...
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Maine Dem Rewarded for Role in Campaign Funding Scheme?
There have been many troubling developments surrounding the Democratic Party’s support for Hillary...
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Maine Education Association Puts Money Into Political Campaigns, Not Classrooms
The Maine Education Association has a tremendous influence on legislators in Augusta. But...
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Question 4: Eliminating the Tip Credit Is Bad for Business
In the last few months, The Maine Wire has drawn attention to the...
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A Trip to the Bloomberg Big Top Road Show
The Ringmaster has all the answers to the questions no one is asking...
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Maine Town Postpones Plan for Welfare Drug-Testing
Madawaska has unfortunately decided to postpone its common-sense proposal to randomly drug test...
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It’s Not Enough to Show Up to Vote
Being an engaged citizen is more important today than ever. As the general...
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Madawaska Considers Welfare Reforms Amid Economic Struggles
The town of Madawaska is considering bold changes to its General Assistance program...
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Every Life Matters
No matter your political ideology, you likely believe that a human being’s life...
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Another Dangerous Education Ballot Initiative
The biggest – and one of the most dangerous – myths in all...
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Maine People’s Alliance Should Put Its Money Where Its Mouth Is
The debate on whether or not voters should increase Maine’s minimum wage continues,...
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Is Maine Now Owned by New York?
With a Citizen’s Initiative Process ripe for abuse and for sale to any billionaire,...
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Clinton Escapes FBI Probe But Faces Trial in Court of Public Opinion
If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like...
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Checking the Facts of Minimum Wage Hikes
Maine’s third-largest industry is tourism. At a size of approximately $2.2 billion and...
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Sierra Club Symbolic of Left’s Hypocrisy on Clean Elections
Recently I received a candidate questionnaire from the Sierra Club, a left-leaning organization...
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Maine Must Chip Away at Granite State’s Advantage
From the issues that birthed the United States to the proliferation of tax...
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Democrats’ Reckless Spending Habits Put Programs and People at Risk
Democrats cannot break their bad spending habits. This week I had to sign...
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The Promise of a ‘True Majority’ With Ranked-Choice Voting Doesn’t Add Up
Clare Hudson Payne’s June 9 BDN OpEd in support of ranked-choice voting is an example...
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Democrats’ Sit-In Protest Counterproductive to Their Cause
Last Wednesday night, the Democrats of Congress staged a “sit-in” protest on the...
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Never Let a Tragedy Go to Waste
As Krysta Lilly has already pointed out in a Lewiston Sun Journal column,...
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Maine Doesn’t Need New York-Style Gun Control
The proposal for Universal Background Checks on the November ballot seems simple, but...
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LePage’s Approach to the Economy Focuses on Maine’s Most Vulnerable
Over the weekend, the Bangor Daily News published an article titled: What stands...
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Rep. Pingree ‘Sits-In’ to Use Orlando Attack to Raise Campaign Cash
I read a lot of arguments in editorial pages and news commentary that...
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Questioning the Citizenship Behind Citizen Initiatives
I have lived in Maine for sixteen years. When I first moved here,...
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Gun Control Initiatives Are Funded by a Few Anti-Gun Billionaires
Contrary to the grassroots image that anti-gun groups try to portray, their funding...
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If There’s No Raise for Seniors and Veterans, There Should Be No Raise for Congress
Our State is home to more than 107,000 seniors and more than 126,000...
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Can We Semi-Automatically Speak the Same Language About Guns?
Do Americans speak the same language anymore? Within hours of the Orlando shooting,...
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Truth and Consequences Surrounding the Federal Gun Debate
“Words have meaning, and we would ALL be better off if some TRUTH...
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National Monument Supporters Willfully Ignore Facts
Supporters of a North Woods national monument – such as David Farmer –...
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Memo to Maine Media: Stop Being Duped by Astroturf
Imagine you’re a Maine reporter. And imagine you get the following press releases:...
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Independent Medicine to the Rescue – Transparency Reveals Hospital Fee Bubble
As one of the few remaining independent physicians in the Bangor area, I...
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May Jobs Report is Grim for Recent Graduates
The first Friday of every month, one of the most important statistics in...
