In Depth
-
In 2020, New Hampshire’s opioid issues got better while Maine’s got worse
So-called “deaths of despair,” those involving drug abuse, alcohol, or suicide, have been...
-
State legislatures should be reining in emergency powers
This month marks the one-year anniversary of when states and the federal government...
-
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...
-
Time to pull back on emergency powers for governors
Last Friday, Democratic state senator John Mannion of New York called for an end to...
-
The high cost of trying to use the minimum wage as welfare
In recent years, a number of economic studies have concluded that small to...
-
How will the University of Maine System enforce its new social distancing rules?
Do you remember this spring when we were told to stay home to...
-
Survey shows 1 in 5 small businesses will close soon if economic conditions do not improve
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) released a new survey Monday of...
-
Shutdown Stories: Live Well Farm
Patty and Scott Ruppert own Live Well Farm, a destination wedding venue in...
-
Plan for universal health care in Maine calls for massive tax increases
The 129th Maine Legislature’s Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee met Monday...
-
Should ballot questions be reserved for general elections?
When the legislature adjourns from session, all non-emergency legislation that was passed becomes...
-
Unaccommodating regulation threatens the future of tiny homes in Maine
Tiny houses are a relatively new phenomenon and are becoming a modern lifestyle...
-
What does a state-based health insurance exchange mean for Maine?
Last week, Governor Janet Mills announced that Maine will pursue a state-based health...
-
A better measure of poverty? Lawmakers say ‘No thanks’
Have you ever wondered where the poverty figures you read in the paper...
-
Lawsuit seeks to undo exclusion of religious schools from Maine’s school choice program
Maine’s town tuitioning program, first adopted in 1873, is the second oldest school choice...
-
-
New ordinance diminishes the rights of property owners in South Portland
When struggling to make ends meet, conventional wisdom tells us we have few...
-
Alexa, what are you doing in my room?
How much would you pay someone to invade the privacy of your home? ...
-
The food sovereignty law that has Governor LePage calling for special session
Maine has become the first state in the nation to enact a “food...
-
Teamsters union bullies town of Paris to no avail
Residents of Paris, Maine exited their homes on Aug. 18 in the humid...
-
The Seventh Amendment deserves full protection
As a conservative trial lawyer, one of my favorite parlor games is to...
-
Mainers can overcome drug addiction with the right help and people involved
Mainers who have overcome drug addiction have powerful stories and when they share...
-
Nobody in Maine Asked Angus King for a Lecture on Bipartisanship
I hate it when partisan hacks stink up my Sunday morning news programs....
-
Let’s End the National Nightmare of ObamaCare
Let’s set the record straight on a lot of the propaganda you are...
-
Empty Analysis and Flawed Statistics: MPA Struggling to Grasp Impact of Question 2
He strikes again. Mike Tipping, the communications director of the Maine People’s Alliance...
-
The Fears of Tax Season
Almost 40 years ago, the Hoover Institutions’ Policy Review journal published a letter...
-
Regional Services Can Improve Funding for Education
Democrats say they want to reduce property taxes. But they don’t have the...
-
LePage Offers Real Solution to Combat Rising School Costs
While liberals ridicule Gov. Paul LePage’s stance on school regionalization, the real issues...
-
Democrats’ Budget Is One Page of Talking Points
Democrat politicians in Augusta will take every opportunity to spend more of your...
-
Angus King’s ‘Independent’ Masterpiece
It’s generally recognized that Angus King’s political persona is a geometrical miracle, all...
-
Why REAL ID is ‘Dangerous ID’
In a heated legislative session where many important issues divide us, there is...
-
Liberal Media Downplays Support at Tip Credit Hearing
I was in awe Wednesday morning. Just after 8 a.m., the halls of...
-
The MPA Is in Denial About the Tip Credit
The Maine People’s Alliance (MPA) is looking more like a gaggle of used...
-
The Fallout of Question 2: Increased Taxes for All
Those who read the first half of my take on the aftermath of...
-
Say Goodbye to Maine’s Job Creators
The debate around the destructive 3 percent surtax on Maine’s individual income has...
-
Maine Can Fund Education Without Taxing High Earners Out of the State
We are going to miss Matt Gilman. Chances are you don’t know him,...
-
Question 2 is Already Damaging Maine’s Economy
There’s been a lot of talk in Augusta lately about the implications of...
-
Gorsuch Confirmation Battle Begins
Any members of the Senate Judiciary Committee interested in SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuch’s...
-
Maine Citizens Seek to Restore Tip Credit
The Maine People’s Alliance is the state’s lone defender of a provision in...
-
Bad Tax Policy Forces Maine Families to Flee to Other States
As your Governor, I want all Mainers to prosper. Providing opportunities for people...
-
Ethics Commision Debunks House Dems’ Defense of Ethics Scandal
If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. Someone should relay this...
-
LePage Sends Blistering Letter to Paul Ryan
Since the release of the House Republican “plan” for repealing Obamacare, conservative reaction...
-
Valeriani: New Energy Demand Requires Clear Solution
Maine’s energy profile is composed primarily petroleum, natural gas, biomass and renewable energies...
-
Trump Administration Reshaping Culture of American Media
It’s been an exciting time in politics as of late, with the liberal...
-
Poliquin: Time for U.S. Senate to Stop Obstructing
Our fellow Americans want Washington to fix the serious problems which are hurting...
-
Effort to Expand Medicaid at the Ballot Box is Bad for Maine
They’re at it again. Having repeatedly failed to achieve Medicaid expansion through the...
-
PUC decision confirms ratepayers pay twice
Our electricity rates are far above the national average—Maine has moved up from...
-
The “Resistance” in Maine
As recently as 2009, America’s liberals could look to a glorious future. Barack...
-
Legislature Considering Changes to “Clean” Election Law
Under Maine Clean Elections Act, outside money continues to pour into the system...
-
Maine DHHS Uncovers $1.7 Million in Welfare Fraud
Few things are more enjoyable than watching liberals eat their talking points. Prior...
-
Maine Veterans Now Have a Seat at the Table in Congress
One of my greatest duties as the representative of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District...
-
Experts recognize that lowering taxes would make Maine more competitive
Legislators may not understand how taxes work, but experts recognize the tax reforms...
-
Obamacare Op-Ed the Portland Press Herald Won’t Publish
Note: The following Op-Ed was submitted to the Portland Press Herald Editorial...
-
What I Saw A Woman Do in Washington Reminded Me Why We Fight
It was a surreal time in Washington D.C.. My wife and I spent...
-
A Constitutional Opportunity to Undo Economic Damage
Maine voters – by a margin of less than 1 percent – approved...
-
Madame Speaker Shuts Down Debate on School Choice
If it weren’t for double standards, Speaker of the House Sara Gideon (D-Freeport)...
-
Gov. LePage Offers Common Sense Reform of Maine Public Schools
For those concerned about the education of Maine’s youth, Gov. Paul LePage has...
-
Isgro: 5 Reasons Taxpayers Love LePage’s Budget Proposal
Gov. Paul LePage’s biennial budget has been released for only a matter of...
-
Gov. LePage Releases Biennial Budget Proposal
Gov. Paul LePage released his $6.8 billion biennial budget proposal Friday, which calls...
-
Hard Facts and Legislation Surrounding Gun Control
A “factoid” is not a piece of trivia. A factoid is a falsehood,...
-
A Thank You to the ‘Hamilton Electors’
I want to take the time to thank the anti-Trump demonstrators for their...
-
Maneuvering the Liberal Media’s Account of the Electoral College
When our side wins, democracy happens. When our opponents win, democracy fails. The...
-
Eliminating the Individual Income Tax Can Alleviate Municipal Budget Woes
Every two years, the citizens of Maine get to sit back and watch...
-
NPV Movement Expands Effort to Undermine Electoral College
In November, the Trump-Pence ticket carried the Electoral College by 74 votes out...
-
Maine’s Citizens’ Initiative Process in Need of Reform
The citizens’ initiative is a procedural piece of legislation invented by progressives to...
-
How Direct Democracy Breeds Majoritarianism
Democracy is contrived to be a panacea of human liberation, and the fountain...
-
Maine’s economic future looks bleak after passage of Questions 2 & 4
The recounts for Questions 1 and 2 are almost ready to begin, but...
-
Maine Must Chip Away at Granite State’s Advantage
From the issues that birthed the United States to the proliferation of tax...
-
Independent Medicine to the Rescue – Transparency Reveals Hospital Fee Bubble
As one of the few remaining independent physicians in the Bangor area, I...
-
Tax Code Shaken, Economic Outlook Not Stirred
A common argument put forth by proponents of tax-and-spend schemes is that pro-growth...
-
Why Are Mainers Poor?
Yesterday, The Maine Heritage Policy Center released a new report, “Top 10 Things...
-
Four Things Other New England States Are Doing Worse Than Maine
New England, on the whole, is an economically-depressed region. Between 2004 and 2014,...
-
It Takes 1,500 Hours to Become a Barber in Maine
Your barber has to get government permission to cut hair, or risk jail...
-
The Good, Bad and Ugly on Maine Energy
Through my service on the Energy, Utilities and Technology (EUT) Committee in Maine,...
-
Let the Market Decide Where Your Milk Comes From
During his campaign for governor in 2014, Congressman Mike Michaud often uttered the...
-
Welfare Programs Harm Recipients
America’s $700 billion per year welfare system is actually doing more harm than...
-
Cutting Cronyism and Taxes are a Maine Source of Opportunity
Sad news struck Maine’s once-thriving paper industry recently. Only months after Verso Corp....
-
Say Goodbye to Two Billion Dollars
The signature “achievement” of Obama’s Presidency, Obamacare, was dealt yet another major blow...
-
Solutions That Work for Maine
For several years in a row, Maine’s business climate has ranked among the...
-
We Should Have Been Farmers
“The mark of a healthy, dynamic market is having new firms constantly challenge...
-
Thirty Years into a Two-Year Job
I graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in mathematics not...
-
Blue, Orange, and Green: The Case for Sunday Hunting in Maine
Vincent Van Gogh once said, “There is no blue without yellow and without...
-
Occupational Licensing Needs Reform
Among the many deeply flawed and harmful regulations and rules passed by Maine...
-
NRA: Let’s Make it Easier for the Home Team
You’d be hard pressed to come up with a state more rich with...
-
How Creativity Saves Money in Health Care
There has been a lot of talk lately about the cost of health...
-
Curbing Higher Education Cost Starts with Smart Expenditures
The University of Maine is the premier public institution of higher education in...
-
To Help Businesses Thrive, Eliminate Red Tape
Recently, as President Obama approached his final year in office, his administration announced...
-
Sunday Hunting “Blue Law” Puts Maine at a Disadvantage
Nearly every session there is at least one piece of legislation introduced to somehow...
-
Do Clean Elections Increase Competitiveness? Research Says Probably Not
The debate over Question 1’s tweaking of the Maine Clean Elections Act (MCEA) has...
-
Major Donor to Maine Campaign Finance Group Has History of Attempting to Buy Election
Sean Eldridge, a major financier of Mainers for Accountable Elections, the group behind...
-
The TANF Drug-Testing Weekly Series Part I: Clarifying Exactly How Maine’s New Drug-Testing Program for TANF Recipients Works
This is the first installment of a weekly series focused on discussing how...
-
Strout: The Liberals’ Hypocritical Dark Money Machine
Last week, a group of Mainers rallied in Augusta in support of a...
-
Education Savings Accounts and the Future of School Choice in Maine
Sixty years ago Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman argued that just because we...
-
A Bad Deal for Maine
On Monday, Gov. LePage is expected to veto the legislature’s $6.7 biennial state...
-
Spare me your tears, Mr. Eves
Ask any average person what they hate most about their government, and you’ll...
-
How Junk Science Has Infiltrated the GMO Debate in Maine
In 2014, Maine became the second state to adopt a law requiring labels...
-
Deregulation of Hotels: A Smart Move for All
Last Monday, a senior adviser to Governor Paul R. LePage revealed that the...
-
Right-to-Work: The Freedom Maine Deserves
This year, lawmakers in Augusta will once-again consider right-to-work legislation in the form...
