Inside Augusta
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Question 1 Buyer’s Remorse
Today, January 21, is the anniversary of the Citizens United ruling which dramatically changed...
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Billionaire Michael Bloomberg Selects Maine as Next Target for Gun Control Agenda
A few days ago Maine Moms Demand Action, a group funded by anti-gun...
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Senator Paul Davis Presents Sales Tax Exemption Legislation
Augusta – On Wednesday, January 20th, Senator Paul Davis (R-Piscataquis) presented a bill...
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LD 1305: The Bill You Don’t Realize How Much You Want to Pass
Have you heard of the latest health-care cost reduction proposal before our state...
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The Brookings Institution and Paul LePage
In October 2006, The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program published “Charting Maine’s Future:...
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FDA Bureaucracy Hinders Potentially Life-Saving Treatments
There is a humanitarian movement growing momentum right now at the state level referred...
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Sigaud: Healthcare Prices not Reflective of Quality of Care
If you’re like most people, you know very little about the costs of...
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Welfare Fraud Prosecutions Skyrocket Under LePage Administration
Investigators with The Department of Health and Human Services’ Fraud Investigation and Recovery...
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House Votes to End Impeachment Order Charade by Landslide Bipartisan Vote
Members of the Maine House of Representatives defeated the effort to impeach Governor...
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Sigaud: Once Again, Lawmakers Push for Medicaid Expansion
State lawmakers are renewing their efforts to expand Medicaid, despite Governor LePage’s continued...
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Education Alone is Not Enough
There is a bill before the legislature this session dealing with a question...
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Lockman: Cronyism, Corruption and the Saga of Good Will-Hinckley
It’s a new year, and being an even-numbered year, it’s an election year,...
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Bill Brown Resigns From MeANS Board
Bill Brown, the Chair of the Board of Directors at The Maine Academy of Natural...
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Governor Lepage Moves to Dismiss Eves Lawsuit
Today, January 5, 2016, Governor Paul LePage (R) filed a motion to dismiss...
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Maine DHHS Could Lose Funding For Its Poor Administration of Food Stamps
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services may face substantial financial penalties...
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LePage Criticizes President Obama’s Decision to Accept Syrian Refugees
In a radio address on Monday, Governor LePage criticized the Obama administration’s decision...
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Maine Government Gets an F for Transparency
Maine earned an F in a recent review of states’ transparency and accountability...
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Do Clean Elections Increase Competitiveness? Research Says Probably Not
The debate over Question 1’s tweaking of the Maine Clean Elections Act (MCEA) has...
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Pro-Marijuana Groups Join Forces to Push Ballot Initiative
On Monday, two pro-marijuana groups in Maine – the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana...
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Bill Would Restore Oversight of Secretive Law Enforcement Agency
If you’ve never heard of the Maine Information and Analysis Center (MIAC), you’re...
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Over 80% Of Cash Raised To Support Question 1 Is From Out-of-State
According to an October Quarterly Report filed by Mainers for Accountable Elections, over...
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Governor LePage Calls On Sen. Katz To Step Down From Government Oversight Committee
On Tuesday, Governor LePage requested that State Senator Roger Katz (R-Augusta) step down...
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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...
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Maine DHHS Institutes Asset Test for Food Stamps
An estimated 8,600 food stamp recipients in Maine whose assets exceed $5,000 may...
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Report Confirms LePage Administration Threatened Good Will-Hinckley
On Tuesday, the nonpartisan Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability (OPEGA) released...
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Court Rules Against LePage in Veto Dispute
On Thursday, The Supreme Judicial Court of Maine unanimously ruled against Governor Paul...
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Legislature Ignores Governor’s 65 Vetoes
Not backing down, Governor LePage continues to insist that he has vetoed 65...
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New Report Highlights Maine’s Poor Fiscal Health
Maine ranks 42 in the nation on fiscal health according to a new...
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This Is How Your Representative and Senator Voted On The Budget
On Tuesday, the Maine House and Senate voted in favor of the $6.7 billion...
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What Are The Qualifications For President of Good Will-Hinckley?
Last week, news broke that Good Will-Hinckley had rescinded its job offer to...
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Speaker Eves Loses Charter School Job After Pressure From Governor LePage
Good Will-Hinckley has rescinded its offer to House Speaker Democrat Mark Eves to be...
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Maine Budget Details Released
Details on the latest state budget deal emerged on Tuesday morning, after Republican...
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Maine Committee, Several Republicans Vote to Keep Common Core
The push to rid Maine of the controversial Common Core State Standards suffered...
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Maine Unions Appear to Have Inside Information on Right-To-Work Bills
According to a recent website post, Maine unions appear to have been given crucial...
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Maine Democrats Look to Eliminate Welfare Work Requirement
The fight over welfare reform took a new twist last week, as Democrats...
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Deregulation of Hotels: A Smart Move for All
Last Monday, a senior adviser to Governor Paul R. LePage revealed that the...
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Jonathan Williams of ALEC Joins Governor LePage in Touting Benefits of Income Tax Cut
On Wednesday, Governor Paul R. LePage was joined by Jonathan Williams, Vice President of...
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Sen. Brakey Proposes 6 Month Residency Requirement for Welfare
Freshman Senator Eric Brakey (R-Auburn) is continuing the effort to mandate that new...
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Jackson: Maine Must Continue Down Path of Welfare Reform
Late last October, a political pundit turned to me and said “You know...
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Posik: Is LOST Right for Maine?
Governor LePage’s effort to end revenue sharing in Maine is being combated in...
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Lawmakers Consider Bill That Could Hinder NSA Operations in Maine
On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the Maine Fourth...
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Transparency Needed in Publicly Funded News
The Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN) provides some of the best and sometimes...
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9,000 Fewer Mainers on Food Stamps
According to Governor LePage’s administration, 9,000 fewer Mainers have been using SNAP benefits,...
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Cigarette Smuggling a Problem in Maine
Last month, the Tax Foundation released a study analyzing the relationship between cigarette...
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Maine Unions Pledge to Fight Right-to-Work Bills
On Thursday, hundreds of union supporters packed into the State House to stump...
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Maine Supreme Court Issues Ruling in LePage-Mills Disagreement
Today, the Maine Supreme Court issued its ruling on a case involving the...
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Ranked Choice Voting: The Best Choice for Maine?
Several months ago, Maine Rep. Diane Russell, D-Portland, and former Maine Sen. Dick...
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Requiring Photo ID to Vote Protects Our Democracy
There is no question that our right to vote is fundamental to our...
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Maine’s General Assistance: A Flawed Program
Maine might just be the most lavish state in the U.S. – at...
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The Disneyland Measles Outbreak Should Be a Wake-Up Call for Mainers
The measles do not seem like a fun time. Neither does diphtheria, polio,...
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If you Like your $2.00 gasoline and heating oil, You can Keep It
Well, not so much. The Obama Administration last week through the EPA issued the...
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LePage Budget Proposes Significant Tax Changes
On Friday, Governor Paul R. LePage released his biennial budget. The highly anticipated...
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How Misinformation Pollutes Public Policy
At its best, research can be the backbone of policymaking. It can provide...
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Minimum Wage Increase Wrong for Maine
There is no denying that the low wages earned by Maine people are...
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Medical professionals condemning LePage quarantine policy are Michaud donors
A group of medical professionals submitted a letter to Maine’s newspapers warning against...
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The Precautionary Principle Strikes Back
The Precautionary Principle has been used by progressive environmental and public health advocates...
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Press Herald owner Sussman is top Maine political donor
The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting has produced an analysis of the...
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Desperate campaigns relying on deception
Every election year Mainers can count on a handful of desperate political campaigns...
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Maine candidate, People’s Alliance member falsely claims she’s a licensed physician
LEWISTON – A Lewiston Democrat and former Maine People’s Alliance co-chair has been...
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Michaud on Ebola: Give West African immigrants Medicaid
At Wednesday’s gubernatorial debate, U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, the Democratic candidate, suggested U.S. policymakers...
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Déjà vu? Maine’s top pollster shows shifting race for Maine governor
Maine’s top-rated pollster on Thursday released a new poll showing Republican Gov. Paul...
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Higher Sales Taxes Will Drive Mainers to Shop in New Hampshire
On October 1, 2013, Mainers felt the sting of a 10 percent increase...
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Cutler, LePage and Michaud Debate
PORTLAND – The three candidates in Maine’s hotly contested race for governor gathered...
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Cato Institute ranks LePage among top four U.S. governors on fiscal policy
The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C., released its...
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The Embarrassing Governor
Author’s note: A previous version of this column appeared in the Portland Press...
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Big Labor drops money bomb for Michaud
A top union boss spoke out in favor of Democratic U.S. Rep. Michael...
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Lockman: Dem majorities crush welfare reform, workplace freedom
Greetings from Amherst to all readers of the Maine Wire: With fewer than...
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Sorensen crushes liberal spin on Maine’s economy
Maine’s liberals are at it again, cherry picking data in an attempt to...
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Maine GOP sets record straight on hospital repayment
AUGUSTA – The Maine Republican Party has issued the first edition of what...
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Frary: Tempest in a Chamber Pot
By John Frary — Last year presidential consigliore John Podesta snarled that Republicans...
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Maine AG Janet Mills clashes with LePage on welfare
Maine Attorney General Janet Mills makes no attempt to conceal her contempt for Republican...
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The Maine Democrats’ Fiscal Epiphany
By Jonathan McKane — Maine Democrats and the Maine press are fed up....
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Maine GOP’s young guns lead state candidates in fundraising
Two young guns in the Maine Republican Party are leading candidates for the...
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Does Mike Michaud want the teachers union setting education policy?
Should teachers’ unions set Maine’s education policy instead of local school boards and...
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Who funds the Maine Democrats?
The Maine Democratic Party relies heavily on union funding and contributions from national...
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Maine political players attend conference for shadowy Democracy Alliance
When a group of left-wing millionaires and billionaires held a secret meeting in...
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GOP Leaders: Nursing homes facing funding loss as Democrats refuse to take action
AUGUSTA – Republican leaders say funding for nursing homes across the state has...
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Obamacare Medicaid expansion dead
AUGUSTA – The final chance to expand Maine’s Medicaid program pursuant to the...
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On LePage’s Prolific Veto Pen
Heading to “Veto Day” at the State House, a newspaper headline asks, “Are...
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Bill to Nullify Alexander Group Contract Draws Bipartisan Opposition
From House Communications Director David Sorensen: AUGUSTA – The Maine House of Representatives...
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Frary: Jesus Christ in the Maine State House
Jesus wants Maine’s House of Representatives to expand Mainecare coverage. We know this...
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Poll: Mainers’ support for Medicaid expansion soft
A poll released Wednesday by opponents of Medicaid expansion found support for the...
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Baldacci condemns Maine Democrats’ “murder” message on Medicaid expansion
Former Maine Gov. John Baldacci, a Democrat, condemned the Maine Democrats’ Medicaid expansion...
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Medicaid expansion passes House without veto proof margin
AUGUSTA – A proposal to expand Medicaid pursuant to the Affordable Care Act...
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Ciampi: A vote for Medicaid expansion is a vote against your neighborhood doctor
By Michael Ciampi, M.D. — As the Maine Legislature and the public debate Medicaid...
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DOJ: More than 1/3 of new Medicaid eligibles have criminal history
More than one-third of individuals covered under the Affordable Care Act’s proposed expansion...
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Katz-Saviello Medicaid expansion passes senate, 22-13
AUGUSTA – The Maine Senate approved a Medicaid expansion proposal Wednesday, but the...
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Maine Obamacare enrollment goal beat with help from Republicans
Maine has exceeded the Obama administration’s enrollment goal for the HealthCare.gov insurance exchanges...
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Maine Democrats: LePage is a murderer
The Democratic activist group Maine People’s Alliance is calling Gov. Paul LePage and...
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NFIB Survey: Small Business Owners Opposed to Medicaid Expansion
AUGUSTA – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) on Monday released a...
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Daily Catch: Big Macs and Medicaid, Putin the Peaceful, and the Continuing IRS Scandal
$800 Million or a Big Mac?: Critics of a plan to expand Maine’s...
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Progressives score hollow victory with Medicaid expansion committee vote
AUGUSTA – In a 5-7 party line vote, the Legislature’s Health and Human...
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For parents of disabled children, MaineCare waitlists are a nightmarish prospect
When doctors discovered that Jeff and Kirsten Martin’s child would have serious medical...
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Donald Sussman’s newspaper censors a conservative voice (again)
The Portland-based Press Herald newspaper, a publication majority-owned by Democratic Party mega-donor S....
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Medicaid Expansion In Any Form Bad for Maine
(Editor’s Note: The Portland-based Press Herald newspaper refused to publish this opinion editorial,...
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Maine commissioners say Medicaid spending threatens natural resource agencies
AUGUSTA – Members of Gov. Paul LePage’s cabinet gathered at the State House...
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Report: Medicaid expansion is a job killer
PORTLAND – The Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC) on Thursday released a study...
