Daily Catch
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Transparency and good governance a casualty of the majority budget
In late March, the 130th Maine Legislature met in-person at the Augusta Civic...
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Protect Mainers’ privacy by ending the MIAC
“Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge...
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State legislatures should be reining in emergency powers
This month marks the one-year anniversary of when states and the federal government...
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Maine localities set to receive nearly $500 million from federal government
On March 11, President Joe Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan...
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Breaking down the bills to reform Maine’s emergency powers law
As many Mainers question the appropriateness of a year-long state of emergency, in...
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The collapse of trust in public health
Maybe you have noticed the rise in public incredulity toward the coronavirus narrative...
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Rand Paul, Ron Wyden want to end endless national emergencies
Have you heard about the newest national emergency? No, not the COVID-19 pandemic....
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How to reform emergency executive power, in Maine and the nation
At the peak of state-ordered lockdowns in response to COVID-19, 316 million Americans across 42...
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Don’t let the Capitol riot become a 9/11-style excuse for authoritarianism
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, horrified Americans were ready to embrace virtually any...
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Portland’s ‘Green New Deal’ initiative complicates ongoing school renovations
School officials and building committees involved in Portland’s elementary school renovations are seeking...
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‘Defund the police’ is not a real reform strategy
The last few months have been tense, marked by social distancing and physical...
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‘Keep Maine Healthy’ or keep the Maine economy struggling?
Under the “Keep Maine Healthy” program, Governor Janet Mills announced on Monday, June...
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Maine must open now
Our Governor assumed full control of our state economy in the face of the coronavirus. The Governor’s stated...
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Leisure and hospitality sector suffering most among struggling Maine industries
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the website MoneyGeek has been analyzing unemployment...
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Sanford-area charities rally to urge Gov. Mills to let them open
Yesterday, a few dozen people gathered in the parking lot of American Legion...
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Hotels in Maine urge Governor Mills to lift 14-day quarantine for out-of-staters
More than 30 hotels in Maine are asking Governor Janet Mills to remove...
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Maine Brewers Guild urges Gov. Mills to relax reopening rules
On Tuesday, Scott Sullivan, head of the Maine Brewers Guild, a nonprofit trade...
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Tourism and hospitality groups urge Gov. Mills to nix quarantine restriction, reopen Maine’s economy
Seven groups representing different facets of Maine’s tourism and hospitality industry sent an...
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Governor Mills’ ‘solution’ is worse than the problem
Like most Mainers, I deferred to the scientists and health experts when the...
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Auburn mayor Jason Levesque asks Gov. Mills to lift statewide stay at home order
Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque sent Maine Governor Janet Mills a letter Tuesday requesting...
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A plan for reopening Maine’s economy
Maine Policy Institute on Monday sent to Governor Janet Mills a list of...
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Defeating COVID-19: Lessons from the business of complex warfare systems
The Coronavirus pandemic has us engaged in “warfare” whether we wanted it or...
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Four new deaths, 770 confirmed cases of coronavirus statewide
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting Wednesday an additional...
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Governor Mills extends Maine’s civil emergency order to May 15
Governor Janet Mills announced Tuesday she signed a proclamation extending until May 15...
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One new coronavirus death reported in Maine as number of confirmed cases grows to 586
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting 586 confirmed cases...
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Maine CDC reports two more COVID-19 deaths, 560 confirmed cases statewide
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reached 560 and two more Mainers...
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COVID-19 claims two more lives, 537 confirmed infections statewide
Two more Mainers passed away overnight as a result of COVID-19 according to...
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Two more Mainers die as number of coronavirus cases reaches 344
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Maine jumped by 41 overnight to...
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Governor Mills issues statewide ‘stay at home’ order
Governor Janet Mills issued a stay at home order for the State of...
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‘Uncertainty may be the new norm’ in Maine as confirmed cases of coronavirus jumps to 303
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Maine has jumped to 303...
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Maine vehicle inspection expirations extended for the duration of state of emergency
Governor Janet Mills issued an executive order last week that indefinitely extends expiration...
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New documentary ‘America Lost’ explores America’s forgotten cities
With recent reports of staggering numbers of new U.S. unemployment claims–including over 21,000...
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Letter offers recommendations to assist Governor Mills in Maine’s COVID-19 response efforts
Maine Policy Institute sent a letter to Governor Janet Mills today thanking her...
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What you need to know to participate in next week’s election
This upcoming Tuesday will be Maine’s first primary election for president since 2000,...
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Proposed bill would allow Maine farmers to keep their mislabeled food products
Maine’s Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry held a public hearing Thursday on...
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Regional coalition pushes back on regional gas tax hike
Organizations representing each New England state convened in Boston last week to voice...
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Southern Maine lawmakers want to build a taxpayer-funded convention center in Portland
The Maine Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee is holding a public hearing...
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Governors, elected officials across New England lining up to oppose the TCI
The Transportation and Climate Initiative, a regional coalition of 12 states and Washington...
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Like others that preceded it, Governor Mills’ economic plan will be a bust
Governor Mills on Wednesday released her 10-year economic development plan for Maine, the...
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Should a prescription be necessary to purchase vape products?
Last month, Maine’s Legislative Council allowed LR 2765, “An Act To Enact Restrictions...
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Should the government be able to use facial recognition technology?
The Portland City Council voted Monday night to postpone consideration of a proposal...
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What’s wrong with ranked-choice voting: Let us count the problems
The following piece highlights The Maine Heritage Policy Center’s recent report “A False...
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To help small farmers, this Maine city needs to update its zoning regulations
Over the last few months, the debate regarding the future of Auburn’s Agriculture...
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Passenger rail authority fleeces taxpayers to the tune of $10 million
In April last year, the Press Herald ran my Maine Voices submission; it...
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New hands-free driving law takes effect on Thursday
On September 19th, many bills passed during the First Regular Session of the...
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Is the United States too hard on felons?
I have never been in jail. I have never been arrested. But I...
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Governor Mills lets RCV for presidential elections become law without her signature
Maine Governor Janet Mills decided Friday to let LD 1083, “An Act To...
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Mainers can’t afford corporate welfare
Conservatives are often accused of favoring wealthy individuals and corporations over those in...
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Portland wants a new license for alcohol manufacturers. Is that really necessary?
When Portland City Councilors approved the city’s budget in May, it included a...
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It’s time for Maine’s private colleges to step up
Bowdoin College, in Brunswick, is surely among the wealthiest institutions in Maine. Its...
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How unworkable government rules separate man from his bacon
Farmer Randy Canarr of Souder Station Farm has been farming and raising livestock...
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Jurists undermine individual potential when they stray from the Constitution
Societal stability is achieved by making fads, social theories, and passions of the...
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Progressive democracy cannot supplant our constitutional republic
I have always contended that it was a mistake to refer to our...
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Is privacy dead? The true cost of technological advancement
Without a doubt, the digital age has brought innumerable advantages to modern life....
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The endless pursuit of power ends with limited government
Politics may be rough and tumble, but that is no excuse for outright...
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Legislative committee narrowly rejects National Popular Vote, but fight is not over
Our founders established a system of checks and balances designed to protect everyone,...
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Fixing addiction from the ground up
Chief Robert MacKenzie runs a police department in Kennebunk, Maine, a town of...
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Lessons in disruption from the 19th Century
Today’s world is in many ways at a crossroads, especially as technology and...
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Mandatory snow tire bill has been withdrawn
Approximately 96 hours after this publication questioned the merits of a bill to...
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Police checkpoints for snow tires?
As previously highlighted in this publication, there are a number of strange, ridiculous...
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Maine towns should be more welcoming of tiny houses
The tiny house movement is not a panacea for all our housing woes....
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Maine progressives continue to offer misleading information about the minimum wage
In an article published Thursday on the Maine Beacon – the online opinion...
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Thank you for letting me serve as your governor
As we approach the winter holidays, we often look back and assess what...
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Work requirements dramatically boost earnings of Medicaid recipients
With Janet Mills poised to take control of the Blaine House in just...
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Socialists run out of other people’s money
Caracas is burning. The socialist policies of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro have...
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George H.W. Bush was ‘Maine’s President’
It was with great sadness that Ann and I learned about the passing...
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Our revenue surplus should be returned to the people through tax cuts
Over the next three years, the State is projected to collect more than...
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New ordinance diminishes the rights of property owners in South Portland
When struggling to make ends meet, conventional wisdom tells us we have few...
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Government does not belong in the marriage business
I recently officiated my younger brother’s wedding. It was a Southern Maine outdoor venue,...
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We must always appreciate our veterans
This year, Veterans Day marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World...
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Whoever wins, Maine’s next governor needs to address these challenges
After the sounds of boisterous campaign rallies fade and the realities of the...
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Progressives try to debunk tax flight by ignoring the data
The Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) recently released an analysis of interstate...
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Don’t expect higher minimum wages to reduce poverty
The standard objection to increasing the minimum wage is that it will result...
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Smart investments in marine terminal have opened new markets to Maine companies
A decade ago, the International Marine Terminal in Portland was nothing more than...
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‘Grassroots’ a stretch for the attacks against Collins and Kavanaugh
E.J. Dionne recently penned “The Grassroots Revolt Against Kavanaugh,” datelined Portland, Maine, September...
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Free markets lead to prosperity
“Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign garnered considerable appeal from millennials. These young...
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They came for the pizza; a modern fable about democratic socialism
Three roommates called Earnest, Vic, and Patsy spent part of every day gathering...
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Microsoft’s ‘Airband Initiative’ serves rural Maine without government’s clumsy hand
Twenty-three million Americans–about 39 percent of the population–do not have access to broadband...
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We’re reforming our child welfare system to protect our children
The tragic deaths of two little girls under the watch of DHHS is...
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Work requirements are necessary to discourage Medicaid abuse
Ever since the Trump administration signaled its openness to work requirements for able-bodied...
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Secretary of State Dunlap finalizes ballot language for Universal Home Care initiative
After accepting public comment for 30 days on the wording of the upcoming...
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Corporate welfare cost Maine taxpayers $42.5 million in 2017
Economists have long criticized politicians’ penchant for creating narrow legal carveouts and targeted...
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Lack of decorum in the Legislature thwarted progress in the Second Session
In addition to the ill feelings I shared yesterday regarding the reprehensible partisan...
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The struggle is real, but civility is too
On Thursday, May 10 in Westbrook, a very unusual thing happened. Thirty students...
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Portland City Council considers burdensome paid sick leave mandate
On Tuesday, April 24, the Portland City Council’s Health and Human Services Committee...
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Let’s prohibit towns from making our elderly homeless
As we wrap up this legislative session, I am making our elderly a...
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Relieving student debt can attract young people to Maine
As we look forward to the new year, one of the big challenges...
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Land use policy and the Constitution
The October 12, 2017 edition of the Bridgton News had a front-page article...
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A Thanksgiving wish from Maine Governor Paul R. LePage
Mainers are generous people, and we are known to help our neighbors when...
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Remember to thank veterans and their families
In 1865, President Lincoln asked Americans to remember soldiers and veterans. He urged...
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Uber and suffocating government regulations
The word came down just days ago. Uber is going to lose its...
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Unlawful rental registries: Coming soon to a city near you
In July, the city of Sanford enacted a rental registry program that has...
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National debt hits $20 trillion with no end in sight
What if Washington DC were bankrupt? What if Washington politicians spent a million...
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Democratic Secretary of State gift wraps ballot language for supporters of Question 2
After accepting feedback from Maine citizens throughout a 30-day public comment period, Democratic...
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There’s no excuse for violence from any side
The violent behavior in Charlottesville was more than despicable—it was deadly, causing the...
