All posts tagged "Commentary"
-
Is mandatory licensing of certain professions doing more harm than good?
Maine is one of twenty-two states that currently require occupational licensing for sign...
-
Maine House passes bill to make wording of ballot questions ‘as simple as is possible’
The Maine House on Tuesday voted to approve a bill that would simplify...
-
Efficient expansion of broadband requires responsible, targeted investment
This week, lawmakers on Maine’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee will hold a...
-
Debt-free college bill ignores troubling realities of higher education in Maine
The Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business heard several bills last...
-
On taxes, lawmakers should exercise restraint
It is a fallacy that individual clauses in the Constitution can be considered...
-
Governor Mills’ revised budget grows spending but sends $20 million to rainy day fund
Since Governor Janet Mills released her biennial budget proposal in February, the fiscal...
-
Speaker Gideon’s paid leave plan illustrates lawmakers’ propensity to tax and spend
The First Session of the 129th Maine Legislature has been filled with proposals...
-
Portland should put people at the heart of economic development
What creates jobs? What goes into building a healthy and vibrant economy that...
-
Stop unconstitutional initiatives from appearing on the ballot
Lawmakers are considering a flurry of ballot initiative reforms this session, from requiring...
-
CMS finalizes rule to end dues skimming of in-home caregivers
Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a rule...
-
Maine cannot afford ‘debt-free’ college
This session, lawmakers in the Maine Legislature are considering a pair of bills...
-
Maine should embrace autonomous vehicle technology
It’s no secret that our state is inhospitable – to put it mildly...
-
Progressive democracy cannot supplant our constitutional republic
I have always contended that it was a mistake to refer to our...
-
Empower Maine families with school choice
Quite often we hear politicians and special interests say that the quality of...
-
Is privacy dead? The true cost of technological advancement
Without a doubt, the digital age has brought innumerable advantages to modern life....
-
Single-payer health care: rationed services, worse outcomes and exorbitant tax increases for all Mainers
For years in the Maine Legislature lawmakers have grappled with countless ideas to...
-
What’s next for workplace freedom?
Three employees of Kent State University on Monday, April 29 filed suit against...
-
Government intervention in child care continues to hamper its affordability
Expanding access to affordable child care is of pressing concern to many Maine...
-
LD 665: Protect free speech on college campuses
I have sponsored LD 665, “An Act to Enact the Campus Free Expression...
-
Expand apprenticeships to reduce student debt, build Maine’s workforce
To become a hairdresser in the State of Maine, you must be at...
-
Dependency diminishes government’s role to protect property
Karl Marx said that “Religion is the opium of the people.” Marx should...
-
Free speech should never be censored on college campuses
Lawmakers on Maine’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee on Monday held a public...
-
Progressive groups seek to solidify their referendum racket
Lawmakers on Maine’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee today will consider a bill...
-
LD 1451: Mandatory disclosures of private information as a condition of employment
Are you a public employee? Public sector labor unions in Maine want access...
-
How to submit testimony via the Legislature’s new online system
Background The Legislature has developed a new automated tool for submitting electronic testimony....
-
Lawmakers to consider plastic bag ban, paper bag fee
It has not been difficult to find bills this legislative session that would...
-
Maine would be wise to undo its ‘blue laws’
Maine is one of a small handful of states that still impose so-called...
-
Now is the time to reduce Maine’s tax burden
There has been plenty of legislation proposed this session that would increase taxes...
-
Serious problems require serious solutions
Some things aren’t always what they seem. Such is the case in the...
-
Progressivism is not for Maine
It is hard to make constitutional sense out of the cacophony of progressive...
-
Sin taxes are not the solution to Maine’s public health problems
Lawmakers on Maine’s Taxation Committee on Thursday, April 11 held public hearings on...
-
Lawmakers decline eliminating a licensing board that did not meet for four consecutive years
Occupational licensing exists to protect public health and safety in professions that pose...
-
There’s no need to neuter the net in Maine
This week, the Maine Legislature’s Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology held a...
-
Fair Workweek bill fails miserably in committee
This morning, lawmakers on the Labor and Housing Committee held a public hearing...
-
‘Fair Workweek’ bill is anything but fair to workers who will suffer from its enactment
Lawmakers on Maine’s Labor and Housing Committee today will hold a public hearing...
-
Efforts to undermine public charter schools only hurt Maine students
A lawmaker from Portland appears to have a personal vendetta against public charter...
-
Lawmakers squander opportunity to ease vehicle inspection requirements
In 1994, Maine rolled out the United States Emissions Test, a program that...
-
Don’t fall for the seasonal gas tax gimmick
Roads across Maine are in rough shape this time of year, and a...
-
Medicaid expansion enrollment is on track to surpass projections
Medicaid expansion enrollment under Governor Janet Mills is taking off – almost 16,800...
-
Maine’s higher minimum wage is doing tangible harm to young workers
Lawmakers in Augusta have proposed a spate of bills this session in an...
-
New budget mandates will force property tax increases on hardworking Mainers
A few weeks ago, my radio address focused on the unsustainability of the...
-
A Republic, if you can keep it
It is time to rein in the taxaholic phalanx of lawmakers in Augusta...
-
Maine needs more young people to skip four-year degrees and work in the trades
High school guidance counselors, parents and popular culture have spent decades telling young...
-
Able-bodied adults should work to receive Medicaid benefits
Lawmakers on the Health and Human Services Committee yesterday held a public hearing...
-
Maine’s budget outlook worsens by the day
Governor Mills has proposed an $8.04 billion dollar General Fund budget. That is...
-
Ranked-choice voting has not produced what we were promised
Lawmakers on the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee on Wednesday considered a bill...
-
Medicare for All requires dismantling your private insurance
Health care itself is complicated and so is our health care system, yet...
-
Governor Mills’ budget sets up Maine for fiscal ruin
The Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC) on Monday released a new analysis of...
-
Numerous bills put in jeopardy the health of our small business economy
As a small business owner, I know firsthand that what is good for...
-
The endless pursuit of power ends with limited government
Politics may be rough and tumble, but that is no excuse for outright...
-
Income tax reductions will help tackle Maine’s demographic challenges
Lawmakers frequently pursue legislation under the guise of improving Maine’s economy and attracting...
-
Efforts to broaden the ‘death tax’ in Maine will backfire
The estate tax, often referred to as the “death tax,” is assessed by...
-
Alternative view: National Popular Vote would amplify Maine voices and empower small states
Any Mainer interested in amplifying the state’s role in electing a president, and...
-
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,...
-
Maine Open Checkbook should be more transparent
In 2013, former Maine Gov. Paul LePage established the Maine Open Checkbook website...
-
A better measure of poverty? Lawmakers say ‘No thanks’
Have you ever wondered where the poverty figures you read in the paper...
-
All Mainers should have a say in what issues make it on the statewide ballot
Lawmakers on the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee Monday held a public hearing...
-
Bill to improve teacher quality would do just the opposite
Senator Rebecca Millett, the chair of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, has...
-
In Maine, National Popular Vote makes your vote meaningless
There is no doubt that our Founding Fathers feared tyranny of the majority,...
-
A carbon tax would hurt Maine’s most vulnerable
Lawmakers on the Energy, Utilities and Technology committee on Thursday, Feb. 28 will...
-
Vehicle inspections do not make our roads safer
Lawmakers on the Transportation Committee today will hold a public hearing on LD...
-
How lawmakers can add much-needed transparency to the ballot initiative process
Lawmakers on the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing...
-
It shouldn’t be so hard to earn a living in Maine
Occupational licensing exists as a mechanism for government to promote public health and...
-
Medicaid expansion will cost our state dearly
Liberals in Augusta are likely elated with the latest communication from Maine’s Department...
-
Home sharing should never be a crime in Maine
Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government today is holding a...
-
Maine should end tax increases at the ballot box
This week, lawmakers on the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee will hold a...
-
Mills’ unsustainable budget set to bankrupt Maine
When I first started serving in Augusta, in 2005, there was a long...
-
Tax dollars should never be used to elect members of Congress
Maine people work hard to get ahead, but the more politicians steal from...
-
New bill creates unnecessary burden for special needs students and their families
On Thursday, Feb. 14 the legislature’s education committee held a public hearing on...
-
Free college, Medicare for All and other insanities of the extreme left
Clichéd as it may be, conservatives live in “a target rich environment” for...
-
Gov. Mills’ budget grows Maine government to unsustainable levels
Maine Gov. Janet Mills is trying to pass off her budget proposal, released...
-
Don’t close the book on virtual charter schools
State Representative Michael Brennan of Portland recently introduced a pair of bills concerning...
-
New York governor has revelation: Progressive tax policies are hurting his state
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo may have come to his senses on tax...
-
Fixing addiction from the ground up
Chief Robert MacKenzie runs a police department in Kennebunk, Maine, a town of...
-
Governor Mills’ budget should include meaningful tax reforms
Governor Mills is preparing to unveil her budget proposal for the next biennium...
-
Lessons in disruption from the 19th Century
Today’s world is in many ways at a crossroads, especially as technology and...
-
Ballot initiatives should reflect the ambitions of Mainers in both congressional districts
Citizens Initiatives should be reserved for Maine citizens.
-
Mandatory snow tire bill has been withdrawn
Approximately 96 hours after this publication questioned the merits of a bill to...
-
-
Legislators can take steps to prevent Maine’s coming regulatory storm
This piece first appeared in the Portland Press Herald. During her recent inaugural...
-
Police checkpoints for snow tires?
As previously highlighted in this publication, there are a number of strange, ridiculous...
-
Minimum wage law hurting small business and Maine’s most vulnerable
They say elections have consequences, and in the case of the minimum wage...
-
It didn’t take long for tax increases to be proposed in Augusta
It was only a matter of time, right? In a piece that read...
-
Maine towns should be more welcoming of tiny houses
The tiny house movement is not a panacea for all our housing woes....
-
Higher education reform can help Maine retain its youth
In 2009, I graduated from high school and left for college. I planned...
-
New analysis shows there are 113,862 regulatory restrictions on the books in Maine
The 2018 Code of Maine Rules is home to 113,862 restrictions and 8.1...
-
Big labor still wants to eliminate Maine’s tip credit
Despite widespread opposition throughout the state among all levels of restaurant staff, big...
-
Why must new vehicles be inspected?
Vehicles are far safer and more reliable than they were nearly a century...
-
State and local governments are spending too much money
Much has been made — for good reason — of the federal government’s...
-
Maine progressives continue to offer misleading information about the minimum wage
In an article published Thursday on the Maine Beacon – the online opinion...
-
What issues will Maine lawmakers debate in 2019?
At the start every new legislature, Maine’s Office of the Revisor of Statutes...
-
Maine taxpayers cannot afford the costs of universal health care
Among the many harebrained schemes that will be considered in the Maine Legislature...
-
Medicaid expansion is here. Now what?
For the second time in 17 years, Maine has expanded Medicaid. Governor Mills...
-
Is the three percent surtax back from the dead?
During the biennial budget battle in 2017 that led to Maine’s first government...
-
The costs of universal pre-K are not worth the benefits
It is no secret that the Mills administration and legislative Democrats are planning...
-
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...
-
Medicaid expansion must be funded responsibly
When I took office, MaineCare was running biennial budget deficits of more than...
-
Thank you for letting me serve as your governor
As we approach the winter holidays, we often look back and assess what...
-
Work requirements dramatically boost earnings of Medicaid recipients
With Janet Mills poised to take control of the Blaine House in just...
-
Socialists run out of other people’s money
Caracas is burning. The socialist policies of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro have...
