All posts tagged "Commentary"
-
New hands-free driving law takes effect on Thursday
On September 19th, many bills passed during the First Regular Session of the...
-
Is the United States too hard on felons?
I have never been in jail. I have never been arrested. But I...
-
Alaska AG moves to protect public employees’ First Amendment rights
Last month, Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson released a formal opinion that said...
-
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...
-
Congress must reject the federal internet power grab
One of the issues Congress will be considering when they return from August...
-
A distorted view of oppression
“A Fatal Tendency of Mankind…common among people. When they can, they wish to...
-
Friday is the deadline for Governor Mills’ decision on LD 1083
Governor Janet Mills has until the end of the day Friday to decide...
-
MECEP praise for labor unions misses the mark
This week, in honor of Labor Day, the Maine Center for Economic Policy’s...
-
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...
-
Maine’s decision to raise taxes on e-cigarettes was a mistake
Following a national trend, Maine lawmakers decided in June to raise taxes on...
-
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,...
-
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...
-
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...
-
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...
-
Lawmakers and voters should reject new borrowing
Earlier this week, Governor Janet Mills issued a proclamation calling the Maine Legislature back to...
-
Mainers can’t afford corporate welfare
Conservatives are often accused of favoring wealthy individuals and corporations over those in...
-
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...
-
Maine Legislature reconvenes next week to consider governor’s bond proposals
Governor Janet Mills issued a proclamation Monday calling the legislature back to the...
-
Overregulation threatens efforts to expand internet access in Maine
The internet in Maine is getting faster and easier to use than ever...
-
Returning to our constitutional roots
“The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as...
-
Does ranked-choice voting live up to its promises?
The Maine Heritage Policy Center today released its newest report, “A False Majority:...
-
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...
-
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...
-
The minimum wage myth that persists
Advocates of a higher minimum wage rarely appeal to scholarly research to bolster...
-
Maine’s burdensome death tax should be repealed, not expanded
When it comes down to it, Maine is an amazing place to live...
-
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...
-
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...
-
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...
-
Right-to-Work would bolster Maine’s manufacturing sector
The decline of Maine’s manufacturing sector, whose workforce has shrunk by nearly half...
-
Proposed overtime rules will result in lost wages and benefits
The Maine Legislature next session will consider another bill that would be harmful...
-
Debunking income mobility myths
It is tempting to think of America’s economic classes as stable and sedentary....
-
The affordable housing paradox
Governments spend a good deal of time and money attempting to solve problems...
-
What Maine could learn from New Hampshire about fiscal responsibility
Last month, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu vetoed a two-year state budget because...
-
Does Maine spend too much on school administration?
There has been quite a bit of debate in recent years about whether...
-
Net neutrality stifles investment and innovation
Lawmakers and special interests always seem to title their bills with buzzwords that...
-
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...
-
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...
-
-
How unworkable government rules separate man from his bacon
Farmer Randy Canarr of Souder Station Farm has been farming and raising livestock...
-
Skewed priorities in the Mills administration
Yesterday, Governor Janet Mills announced that her administration has urged the federal government...
-
The inconvenient truth about Maine’s tax code
Every two years, the Maine Office of Tax Policy releases a lengthy report...
-
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...
-
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...
-
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...
-
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...
-
REAL ID is a privacy-eroding overreach by the federal government
In 2005, the United States Congress passed the REAL ID Act, with the...
-
What did Maine lawmakers accomplish in 2019?
The first session of the 129th Legislature adjourned in mid-June, making it critical...
-
The clean energy agenda in Augusta is crony capitalism
On Wednesday, June 26, Governor Janet Mills signed into law a pair of...
-
Last-minute licensing reform bill will expand opportunity in Maine
Just before the conclusion of Maine’s most recent legislative session, lawmakers passed an...
-
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...
-
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...
-
Jurists undermine individual potential when they stray from the Constitution
Societal stability is achieved by making fads, social theories, and passions of the...
-
Common sense home healthcare reform provides relief for vulnerable Maine families
Governor Janet Mills on Friday, June 28 signed into law LD 84, a...
-
Private sector workers need Right-to-Work
For decades, the liberty of Maine’s workers has been continually limited by onerous...
-
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...
-
Net neutrality is bad policy for Maine and the nation
In our modern day and age, roughly nine out of 10 American adults...
-
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...
-
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...
-
More victories for ballot initiative transparency
Governor Janet Mills on Thursday, June 20 signed into law LD 534, sponsored...
-
Calls to break up ‘Big Tech’ are misguided
In recent weeks, Americans have heard much about the problems with “Big Tech.”...
-
Maine’s estate tax should be repealed, not expanded
The effort to expand Maine’s estate tax, more aptly known as the “death...
-
Governor Mills signs bloated budget agreement into law
Both the Maine House and Senate voted Friday, June 14 in favor of...
-
Local option sales tax bill still alive in Maine Legislature
On Tuesday, June 11, the Maine House of Representatives voted 73-70 in favor...
-
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...
-
Don’t cap Maine’s charter schools
As we approach the ten-year anniversary of Maine’s historic public charter school system,...
-
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...
-
How Augusta overcharges you for milk
To advocates of a limited public sector, there’s a lot to dislike about...
-
Proposed workers’ comp changes the wrong step for Maine
In the early ‘90s, times were very different than they are today. Maine’s...
-
‘Green New Deal for Maine’ bill has nothing to do with climate change
The Maine House of Representatives on Wednesday considered LD 1282, “An Act to...
-
National Popular Vote would steal Maine’s voice in presidential elections
On May 14th, the Maine Senate took the first step to allocate Maine’s four...
-
Maine House votes to gut bill providing free speech protections to college students
The Maine House of Representatives on Monday, June 3 voted 87-51 along party...
-
Progressive theory and the Constitution
U.S. constitutional law depends on the purpose and limitations of our written constitution,...
-
National Popular Vote fight not over yet
Just last week, an amazing thing happened in the Maine House. Twenty-one Democrats...
-
Bill to adopt national popular vote compact fails in Maine House
The Maine House voted to reject a bill Thursday that would bind the...
-
Should Maine and other states end state-run lotteries?
To an obdurate defender of economic theory’s central simplifying assumption — that people...
-
Misguided policy drives high energy costs for Maine manufacturers
There is a legislative agenda to “make Maine green again” that could make...
-
Governor Mills signs bill to increase transparency in ballot initiative process
Governor Janet Mills yesterday signed LD 1209, “An Act To Require Legislative Hearings...
-
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...
