All posts tagged "Commentary"
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Maine’s budget outlook worsens by the day
Governor Mills has proposed an $8.04 billion dollar General Fund budget. That is...
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Ranked-choice voting has not produced what we were promised
Lawmakers on the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee on Wednesday considered a bill...
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Medicare for All requires dismantling your private insurance
Health care itself is complicated and so is our health care system, yet...
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Governor Mills’ budget sets up Maine for fiscal ruin
The Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC) on Monday released a new analysis of...
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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...
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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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Income tax reductions will help tackle Maine’s demographic challenges
Lawmakers frequently pursue legislation under the guise of improving Maine’s economy and attracting...
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Efforts to broaden the ‘death tax’ in Maine will backfire
The estate tax, often referred to as the “death tax,” is assessed by...
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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...
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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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Maine Open Checkbook should be more transparent
In 2013, former Maine Gov. Paul LePage established the Maine Open Checkbook website...
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A better measure of poverty? Lawmakers say ‘No thanks’
Have you ever wondered where the poverty figures you read in the paper...
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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...
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Bill to improve teacher quality would do just the opposite
Senator Rebecca Millett, the chair of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, has...
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In Maine, National Popular Vote makes your vote meaningless
There is no doubt that our Founding Fathers feared tyranny of the majority,...
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A carbon tax would hurt Maine’s most vulnerable
Lawmakers on the Energy, Utilities and Technology committee on Thursday, Feb. 28 will...
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Vehicle inspections do not make our roads safer
Lawmakers on the Transportation Committee today will hold a public hearing on LD...
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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...
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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...
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Medicaid expansion will cost our state dearly
Liberals in Augusta are likely elated with the latest communication from Maine’s Department...
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Home sharing should never be a crime in Maine
Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government today is holding a...
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Maine should end tax increases at the ballot box
This week, lawmakers on the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee will hold a...
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Mills’ unsustainable budget set to bankrupt Maine
When I first started serving in Augusta, in 2005, there was a long...
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Tax dollars should never be used to elect members of Congress
Maine people work hard to get ahead, but the more politicians steal from...
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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...
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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...
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Gov. Mills’ budget grows Maine government to unsustainable levels
Maine Gov. Janet Mills is trying to pass off her budget proposal, released...
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Don’t close the book on virtual charter schools
State Representative Michael Brennan of Portland recently introduced a pair of bills concerning...
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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...
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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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Governor Mills’ budget should include meaningful tax reforms
Governor Mills is preparing to unveil her budget proposal for the next biennium...
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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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Ballot initiatives should reflect the ambitions of Mainers in both congressional districts
Citizens Initiatives should be reserved for Maine citizens.
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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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Legislators can take steps to prevent Maine’s coming regulatory storm
This piece first appeared in the Portland Press Herald. During her recent inaugural...
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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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Minimum wage law hurting small business and Maine’s most vulnerable
They say elections have consequences, and in the case of the minimum wage...
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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...
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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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Higher education reform can help Maine retain its youth
In 2009, I graduated from high school and left for college. I planned...
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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...
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Big labor still wants to eliminate Maine’s tip credit
Despite widespread opposition throughout the state among all levels of restaurant staff, big...
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Why must new vehicles be inspected?
Vehicles are far safer and more reliable than they were nearly a century...
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State and local governments are spending too much money
Much has been made — for good reason — of the federal government’s...
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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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What issues will Maine lawmakers debate in 2019?
At the start every new legislature, Maine’s Office of the Revisor of Statutes...
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Maine taxpayers cannot afford the costs of universal health care
Among the many harebrained schemes that will be considered in the Maine Legislature...
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Medicaid expansion is here. Now what?
For the second time in 17 years, Maine has expanded Medicaid. Governor Mills...
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Is the three percent surtax back from the dead?
During the biennial budget battle in 2017 that led to Maine’s first government...
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The costs of universal pre-K are not worth the benefits
It is no secret that the Mills administration and legislative Democrats are planning...
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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...
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Medicaid expansion must be funded responsibly
When I took office, MaineCare was running biennial budget deficits of more than...
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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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Could Maine’s PL 90 become the blueprint for new federal health care reform?
A federal judge’s ruling that the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) — Medicaid...
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Government must remain within the confines of the Constitution
“If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare…the education of children…would...
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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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‘The Will of the People’ and the home care hypocrisy
If you’ve followed Maine politics in the last two years, you know that...
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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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We have the right to property, and property in our rights
Reaching into the farthest recesses of my political recollections, I recall how I...
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Budget recommendations for critical investments make sense for Mainers
Last week I sent Governor-elect Janet Mills my administration’s recommended budget proposal. I...
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Is political discourse dead?
One political point that most people agree on these days is that political...
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Power under the guise of doing good
“Next to enjoying ourselves, the next greatest pleasure consists in preventing others from...
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Education in Maine is worse than you think
It’s no secret that Maine’s public K-12 education system needs work. Bloated bureaucracies...
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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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Our next governor’s success is the success of our state
Last week, the Maine voters cast their ballot to elect Janet Mills as...
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Investigating the left’s latest scam
While Maine voters were out rejecting a plan for “Universal Home Care” on...
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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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Maine law forces me to accept union misrepresentation
This piece was first published in the Portland Press Herald. I am an...
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Maine voters reject Question 1
After a yearlong campaign of misinformation waged by the supporters of Question 1,...
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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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Yes, Virginia, there is a mob
Liberals are justifying their mob actions by saying that violent confrontation and inciting...
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Question 1 a scheme to achieve fully socialized medicine
More and more we are seeing direct democracy take hold in our elected...
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Question 1 is a shell game
Question 1 plays on voters’ emotions to pass policies that will hurt 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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New report details devastating impacts of Question 1
The Maine Heritage Policy Center on Tuesday, Oct. 23 released a new study...
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Reductions in child poverty not a result of minimum wage increases
Last month, the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP) published a study on the...
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Question 1 will fail those it is intended to help
Question 1 promises a false sense of security that is destined to fail...
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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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Fear in the hearts of progressives
First, as a constituent of Sen. Susan Collins, I would like to thank...
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Question 1 on November’s ballot is bad policy
There are so many bad policies rolled into Question 1 on November’s ballot...
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The numbers tell the real story on education funding
It’s the political season and a lot of misinformation is flying around. I...
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Say goodbye to the presumption of innocence
Watching the Senate hearing on Ford vs Kavanaugh last week was sickening. It shows...
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Kavanaugh’s opponents determined him unfit in July, and no investigation will change that
The editorial board of the New York Times, an authoritative source for Left-Lurcher...
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The Legislature fails to make our elderly a priority
Legislative leaders caved to the Maine Municipal Association and watered down my bill....
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Question 1 will raise taxes and create new, unnecessary bureaucracy
Question 1 on the ballot this November will read as follows: “Do you want to...
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MPA’s Question 1 talking points now refuted by one of their own
The Maine People’s Alliance (MPA) is pushing a ballot initiative – Question 1...
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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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Businesses beware: higher unemployment taxes are on the horizon
In this tight labor market, we must use every tool at our disposal...
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Ask your doctor if Referendax is right for you
Matt Gagnon did a superb job of “fisking” Edgar Allen Beem‘s recent Forecaster...
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One last veto: Gov. LePage blocks bill to fund ranked-choice voting for November elections
Dear Honorable Members of the 128th Legislature: Under the authority vested in me...
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Question 1’s new surtax would be detrimental to Maine’s economy
This commentary was originally published in the Bangor Daily News. The state economist recently...
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Why do Maine liberals want to penalize marriage?
Proponents of the Universal Home Care tax plan were either caught by surprise...
