All posts tagged "Commentary"
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New report shows Maine could boost revenue through licensing reform
It’s no secret that the fees and requirements necessary to obtain an occupational...
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Briefs submitted in Maine school choice lawsuit
The Maine Heritage Policy Center and EdChoice recently filed an amicus brief in Carson...
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Socialism and unintended consequences
“One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized...
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Maine doled out more than $31 million in tax abatements in 2018
In 2015, the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) released Statement Number 77, advising...
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Public workers are working hard to protect their rights after the Janus decision
In 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that requiring public-sector workers to...
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RCV triggered in Portland mayoral election while NYC voters approve the flawed system
On Tuesday, Portland residents went to the polls to cast their ballots to...
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Gas and diesel tax outlined in TCI framework would hurt Maine’s most vulnerable
The following letter was submitted by The Maine Heritage Policy Center to the...
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As 2020 approaches, threat of Health Insurance Tax looms
With the fourth quarter underway, small-business owners in Maine and across the country...
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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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Is a remedy for tiny homes on the horizon?
Last week, Maine’s Legislative Council admitted a bill into the second session that...
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Leg Council rejects universal recognition, undermines public employees’ First Amendment rights
The Legislative Council on Wednesday met to vote on nearly 400 bills submitted...
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Legislative Council approves dozens of non-emergencies
The Legislative Council convened Wednesday to consider roughly 400 bill requests submitted by...
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New clean energy initiative could increase gas and diesel prices for Maine consumers
In June 2010, under Governor John Baldacci, eleven states and the District of...
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Here are some of the ’emergencies’ lawmakers want to debate in the Second Session
It is everyone’s favorite time of the legislative cycle – preparing for the...
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People’s Veto effort to repeal vaccine mandate qualifies for March 2020 ballot
Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap confirmed Thursday his office had certified the...
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Alaska state employees union wants the courts to suppress its members’ First Amendment rights
This summer, Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson released a formal opinion that said...
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Maine’s largely symbolic renewable mandates are hurting ratepayers
In an attempt to curb the effects of climate change, state governments across...
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Maine lawmakers are moving in the wrong direction on vaping
Following a national trend, Maine lawmakers decided in June to raise taxes on...
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It’s time for Maine to recognize occupational licenses issued by other states
Maine is currently the oldest state in the nation and is experiencing a...
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‘Social justice’ degrades our constitutional rights
Over the past 79 years, I have observed that the more socialism is...
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Lawmakers submit nearly 400 bills for consideration in Second Session
They’re at it again. On September 27th, lawmakers were required to submit all...
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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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Overregulation threatens efforts in Maine to expand broadband
The internet in Maine is getting faster and easier to use than ever...
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Lawmakers should end all political fundraising at polling stations
Last session, lawmakers considered LD 218, a bill that would have prohibited Maine...
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We cannot virtue signal our way to a climate solution
Last week in the news there was a teenage girl being exploited by...
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Complaints about signature gathering practices are nothing new in Maine
News outlets across the state last week reported that some signers of the...
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Governor Mills’ empty promise to the United Nations
When she addressed the United Nations earlier this week, Governor Janet Mills announced...
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Should ballot questions be reserved for general elections?
When the legislature adjourns from session, all non-emergency legislation that was passed becomes...
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Maine needs more broadband investment, not more government regulation
It’s hard to imagine a time when we didn’t have the internet. From...
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Unaccommodating regulation threatens the future of tiny homes in Maine
Tiny houses are a relatively new phenomenon and are becoming a modern lifestyle...
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The inevitable socialist conundrum: Running out of other people’s money
“In the 1950’s the richest nation, the richest city on earth...
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Does Maine have 500 problems that only government can solve?
The Constitution of Maine explicitly states all bills passed by the legislature become law 90...
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Childless, able-bodied adults are driving cost and enrollment under Medicaid expansion
Governor Mills’ first move in office was to sign an executive order expanding...
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After years of resistance, Maine is rolling out new rules for autocycles
Hundreds of new Maine laws will take effect later this week. Among them...
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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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Alaska AG moves to protect public employees’ First Amendment rights
Last month, Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson released a formal opinion that said...
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Unity charter school approved to fill 10th and final spot available in Maine
Hundreds of bills failed to become law in the First Regular Session of...
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Congress must reject the federal internet power grab
One of the issues Congress will be considering when they return from August...
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A distorted view of oppression
“A Fatal Tendency of Mankind…common among people. When they can, they wish to...
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Friday is the deadline for Governor Mills’ decision on LD 1083
Governor Janet Mills has until the end of the day Friday to decide...
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MECEP praise for labor unions misses the mark
This week, in honor of Labor Day, the Maine Center for Economic Policy’s...
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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...
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Activists failed to secure enough signatures to expand ranked-choice voting in Maine’s most liberal city
This week, Portland city officials notified Fair Elections Portland, a pro-ranked-choice voting group,...
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Will Governor Mills sign or veto bill that expands RCV to presidential elections?
The Maine Legislature reconvened on Monday to consider four bond proposals that failed...
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Lawmakers reject 3 of 4 bonds, approve RCV for presidential elections during special session
Lawmakers returned to Augusta on Monday to debate several bonds proposed by Governor...
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Lawmakers missed a prime opportunity to cut taxes in first session
It’s no secret that Maine state government’s primary sources of revenue are generated...
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Lawmakers and voters should reject new borrowing
Earlier this week, Governor Janet Mills issued a proclamation calling the Maine Legislature back 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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On energy, Maine’s politicians keep making a bad situation even worse
Politicians everywhere should have to take a version of the Hippocratic Oath, swearing...
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Maine Legislature reconvenes next week to consider governor’s bond proposals
Governor Janet Mills issued a proclamation Monday calling the legislature back to the...
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Returning to our constitutional roots
“The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as...
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Does ranked-choice voting live up to its promises?
The Maine Heritage Policy Center today released its newest report, “A False Majority:...
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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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Government dependency will grow as Maine reverses course on welfare to work
Laura Catevenis, a resident of Lewiston, was close to rock bottom. She was...
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The minimum wage myth that persists
Advocates of a higher minimum wage rarely appeal to scholarly research to bolster...
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Maine’s burdensome death tax should be repealed, not expanded
When it comes down to it, Maine is an amazing place to live...
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Allowing public employees to strike would disrupt our schools and communities
The state of Maine currently prevents employees who work in the public-sector from...
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The governor’s outstanding inauguration debt poses real questions for state ethics regulators
Maine Governor Janet Mills still has not paid the full cost of her...
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Is it time to rethink how we fund our roads?
I’ve lived in Maine all my life, and I can’t remember a time...
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Right-to-Work would bolster Maine’s manufacturing sector
The decline of Maine’s manufacturing sector, whose workforce has shrunk by nearly half...
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Proposed overtime rules will result in lost wages and benefits
The Maine Legislature next session will consider another bill that would be harmful...
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Debunking income mobility myths
It is tempting to think of America’s economic classes as stable and sedentary....
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The affordable housing paradox
Governments spend a good deal of time and money attempting to solve problems...
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What Maine could learn from New Hampshire about fiscal responsibility
Last month, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu vetoed a two-year state budget because...
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Does Maine spend too much on school administration?
There has been quite a bit of debate in recent years about whether...
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Net neutrality stifles investment and innovation
Lawmakers and special interests always seem to title their bills with buzzwords that...
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Lawmakers will consider more than $2.1 billion in bonds next session
The Maine Legislature is slated to debate more than $2.1 billion in bonds...
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Lawmakers and the governor were unable to resist the urge to tax
In their first year at the helm of state government, Governor Janet Mills...
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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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Skewed priorities in the Mills administration
Yesterday, Governor Janet Mills announced that her administration has urged the federal government...
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The inconvenient truth about Maine’s tax code
Every two years, the Maine Office of Tax Policy releases a lengthy report...
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CBO report shows $15 federal minimum wage would hurt US economy
A $15 federal minimum wage would wipe out 1.3 million low-income jobs and...
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Our people and politics will suffer if we continue to stray from the Constitution
There is a very profound reason that the American constitutional republic has created...
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Governor Mills defies ‘foolish, unsupported and ill-advised’ regulations on Maine lobster industry
In a fiery letter sent Thursday, July 11, Governor Janet Mills announced her...
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Maine should follow Kentucky’s lead on right to work, labor reforms
Last week, Governor Matt Bevin gave the keynote address at The Maine Heritage...
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REAL ID is a privacy-eroding overreach by the federal government
In 2005, the United States Congress passed the REAL ID Act, with the...
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What did Maine lawmakers accomplish in 2019?
The first session of the 129th Legislature adjourned in mid-June, making it critical...
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The clean energy agenda in Augusta is crony capitalism
On Wednesday, June 26, Governor Janet Mills signed into law a pair of...
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Last-minute licensing reform bill will expand opportunity in Maine
Just before the conclusion of Maine’s most recent legislative session, lawmakers passed an...
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Governor Mills found her veto pen and used it against government unions
After the First Regular Session of the 129th Maine Legislature came to a...
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Lawsuit challenging exclusion of religious schools from town tuitioning program headed to higher court
On Wednesday, June 26, United States District Court Judge D. Brock Hornby issued...
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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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Common sense home healthcare reform provides relief for vulnerable Maine families
Governor Janet Mills on Friday, June 28 signed into law LD 84, a...
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Private sector workers need Right-to-Work
For decades, the liberty of Maine’s workers has been continually limited by onerous...
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Government workers remain in the dark one year after Janus decision
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Janus...
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Net neutrality is bad policy for Maine and the nation
In our modern day and age, roughly nine out of 10 American adults...
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Maine now has automatic voter registration. How will the new system impact our elections?
In a utopian society where there is no ill will or mistakes made...
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Increasing the passenger facility charge at airports is a bad deal for Mainers
With a humming U.S. economy and airline traffic at an all-time high, the...
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More victories for ballot initiative transparency
Governor Janet Mills on Thursday, June 20 signed into law LD 534, sponsored...
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Calls to break up ‘Big Tech’ are misguided
In recent weeks, Americans have heard much about the problems with “Big Tech.”...
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Maine’s estate tax should be repealed, not expanded
The effort to expand Maine’s estate tax, more aptly known as the “death...
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Governor Mills signs bloated budget agreement into law
Both the Maine House and Senate voted Friday, June 14 in favor of...
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Local option sales tax bill still alive in Maine Legislature
On Tuesday, June 11, the Maine House of Representatives voted 73-70 in favor...
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Maine House rejects bid to give 2nd District greater voice in ballot initiatives
Two days after the Maine Senate voted 24-11 in favor of passing LD...
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Don’t cap Maine’s charter schools
As we approach the ten-year anniversary of Maine’s historic public charter school system,...
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Despite new internet privacy law, your private data can still be sold and shared without consent
Governor Janet Mills last week signed into law LD 946 “An Act To...
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How Augusta overcharges you for milk
To advocates of a limited public sector, there’s a lot to dislike about...
