All posts tagged "Opinion"
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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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The abandonment of reason
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” It’s said...
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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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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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Open markets for internet providers can bridge the digital divide
Many would agree that consistent access to the internet is an important part...
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Inefficient Maine Immunization Program creates barriers to vaccines for children
The Maine Immunization Program (MIP) is publicly funded and provides necessary vaccines to...
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The Fisking of Edgar Allen Beem
Oh, Edgar. There’s something almost comical about reading a piece of writing that...
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The Disproportionality of Bloodlust
I remember instances in high school or junior high when something bad happened...
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Let’s keep our economy on the right path by attracting more workers
The Maine Department of Labor recently released its projections for job growth for...
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We are a teenage nation
The more I try to parent teenagers, the more I recognize similar patterns...
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Question 1 would devastate Maine’s economy
1,700 fewer Maine residents. 1,800 fewer workers in our labor force. 3,800 fewer...
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Portland City Council chasing opportunity into oblivion
Recently, the Housing Committee of Portland’s City Council met to discuss the possibility...
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The belligerent ignorance of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Oh, Alexandria. Ever since she won a stunning upset victory over her democrat...
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Question 1 is bought and paid for by outside interests
In case you haven’t heard, Question 1 on the November ballot will ask...
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Why are ‘experts’ so determined to mislead the public on Universal Home Care taxes?
When Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap was accepting public comment on the...
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FCC chairman Ajit Pai coming to Maine
On Friday, Sept. 14, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai will make...
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The ‘universal home care’ referendum will be disastrous for Maine’s economy
Ballot Question 1 is another benign-sounding, feel-good referendum. In reality, it’s one more...
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Maine’s ballot initiative process serves outside interests, not Maine people.
Today the Maine Heritage Policy Center released its newest report, “The Will of...
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What’s next for progressives after Universal Home Care?
I have a hunch. This late summer or fall, after Labor Day but...
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MPA continues to mislead the public on Universal Home Care
The latest in a long list of misrepresentations from the Maine People’s Alliance...
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Licensing reform can help attract talent to Maine
Policymakers are always asking: ‘What can we do to attract young, talented people...
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DPFR serves as the Legislature’s collective slush fund
Occupational licensing is supposed to protect the public from unqualified professionals whose goods...
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LePage and House Republicans spare Mainers big tax hike
Earlier this week, Maine House Republicans sustained Governor LePage’s veto of a bill to...
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Supporters of Universal Home Care initiative wage war of misinformation
Since the upcoming Universal Home Care (UHC) initiative sponsored by the Maine People’s...
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Why do lawmakers choose licensing?
Despite economists on both sides of the aisle agreeing that occupational licensing laws...
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Medicaid expansion and paying home-care workers must be done in a fiscally responsible manner
Medicaid expansion is the law, and I am committed to implement it. But...
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The earned income tax credit is Maine’s best anti-poverty program; let’s expand it
The biggest flaw in most social assistance programs — including TANF, SNAP, Medicaid,...
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Medicaid expansion activists will hurt people who need help just to prove a point
Medicaid-expansion advocates plan to bring busloads of able-bodied adults to DHHS offices on July...
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Corporate welfare cost Maine taxpayers $42.5 million in 2017
Economists have long criticized politicians’ penchant for creating narrow legal carveouts and targeted...
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Maine Policy Discussion: Ken Fredette
The Maine Heritage Policy Center is sitting down for detailed policy discussions with...
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Maine Policy Discussion: Shawn Moody
The Maine Heritage Policy Center is sitting down for detailed policy discussions with...
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Maine Policy Discussion: Garrett Mason
The Maine Heritage Policy Center is sitting down for detailed policy discussions with...
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Maine Policy Discussion: Donna Dion
The Maine Heritage Policy Center is sitting down for detailed policy discussions with...
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Where is all the civility we were promised?
The days are winding down until the June 12th primary elections take place,...
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Maine Policy Discussion: Mary Mayhew
The Maine Heritage Policy Center is sitting down for detailed policy discussions with...
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Lack of decorum in the Legislature thwarted progress in the Second Session
In addition to the ill feelings I shared yesterday regarding the reprehensible partisan...
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Thanks to ranked-choice voting, expect a spike in spoiled ballots
Advocates of ranked-choice voting (RCV) commonly claim that their preferred method of deciding...
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Forget the minimum wage – licensing reform will help lift Mainers out of poverty
Despite its relatively minimal impact on Maine workers, the labor issue presently garnering...
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MECEP’s shoddy defense of the minimum wage ignores basic research methods
Earlier this year, the Maine Center for Economic Policy, a left-wing think tank,...
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Democrats’ failure now means big hassles on tax day next year
Americans paid their 2017 federal and state income taxes this week. Filing taxes...
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Gun confiscation orders will make Maine less safe
Ever since Cain slew Abel with a rock, human society has struggled with...
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Maine lawmakers must enact ballot initiative reform
Maine still has a chance to fix its broken ballot initiative process this...
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It’s time to repeal proficiency-based diplomas
On Monday, April 9, at 1:30 p.m., Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Education...
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Maine has a ranked-choice disaster on its hands
Yesterday, Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced that “ranked-choice voting can’t occur...
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Conforming to the federal tax code is the right policy for Maine
The federal tax cuts will provide about $1 billion in tax relief this...
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MPA seeks to increase taxes on hardworking Mainers by $310 million
A lot of ink has been spilled detailing the catastrophic consequences of crafting...
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Universal Home Care will create more wait lists
Here we go again. There’s another referendum on the ballot this fall that...
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BDN child care editorial misses the mark
The Editorial team at the Bangor Daily News (BDN) held onto my recently...
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Proficiency-based education is failing Maine students
Maine’s experimental education model, proficiency-based learning, has received strong pushback in recent weeks...
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Let’s ensure Maine’s minimum wage law does no harm
We need to make sure that employees in Maine do not see the...
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Maine should resist taxing the ‘sharing economy’
The sharing economy, including platforms like Lyft, Uber and Airbnb, present new and...
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Tell the Legislature to put their Medicaid Expansion funding plan in writing
It’s been 100 days since voters passed the referendum to expand Medicaid. So...
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Maine’s minimum-wage law needs adjustment
This article was originally published in the Sun Journal. Nearly two years ago...
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What makes child care so expensive? Overregulation.
Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services recently held public hearing...
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Maine’s minimum wage is unworkable for small, rural employers
Maine employers have been struggling to meet the demands of Question 4 since...
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Boxers, dietitians and interior designers; Maine’s licensing regimes go too far
Occupational licensing is intended to safeguard the public from unqualified, incompetent charlatans whose...
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Taking conservation land off tax rolls increases the burden on homeowners
Too many Maine families are facing skyrocketing property taxes that strain household budgets....
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Maine’s grassroots restaurant group takes tip credit fight to national stage
In 2016, Maine voters approved Question 4, a measure that incrementally increases Maine’s...
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What is an emergency? Nobody knows
Legislation in the second session of each Maine Legislature is reserved for the...
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Maine is in desperate need of occupational licensing reform
Every American citizen should have the right to earn a living and the...
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City of Sanford begins enforcing unlawful rental registry program
I just received a notice to apply for a license (new city ordinance...
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Legislature did not thwart voters’ will with changes to referendum bills
Perhaps the most inaccurate narrative being pushed by lobbyists and special-interest groups in...
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Funding Medicaid expansion requires tough choices to avoid the pitfalls of the past
I have laid out four basic principles to guide the Legislature’s decision on...
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Proponents of Medicaid must put their money where their mouth is
Proponents of Medicaid expansion have not been honest with the Maine people. They...
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We must not be fiscally irresponsible in implementing Medicaid expansion
It took a lot of work to balance Maine’s budget, bring fiscal responsibility...
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Maine can learn from Ohio’s Medicaid expansion mistake
I had the privilege of spending some time in your state earlier this...
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Maine cannot afford another Medicaid expansion
Maine voters will decide tomorrow at the ballot box whether to expand Medicaid...
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Medicaid expansion is ruining budgets in other states, just like it did in Maine
The Maine people are being told that if Medicaid is not expanded, children...
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Legislature votes to delay and potentially repeal ranked-choice voting
The Maine Legislature voted on Monday to delay the implementation of ranked-choice voting...
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Maine’s ranked-choice voting law still needs 16 amendments for proper implementation
For those who attended or streamed the public hearing for LD 1646, “An...
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The new Ranked-Choice Voting bill is still unconstitutional
The Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs will convene on Monday, Oct. 16...
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Taxpayers should not pay to give ‘free’ healthcare for able-bodied adults
Special-interest groups are using the ballot box to push initiatives that are bad...
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Voters need to weigh the consequences of Medicaid expansion
When it comes to Medicaid expansion, at one time, Maine was ahead of...
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MPA unveils plan to raise taxes on Maine families
If you (and your wallet) are fed up with progressive tax-and-spend ballot initiatives,...
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You must act now to save the American health care system
If we are going to save the American healthcare system, we need your...
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Tax reform is long overdue
Over the past seven years, the state of Maine has made enormous strides...
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Empty promises of Medicaid expansion not worth the price tag
This November, Mainers will be asked a familiar question: should our State expand...
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Democratic Secretary of State gift wraps ballot language for supporters of Question 2
After accepting feedback from Maine citizens throughout a 30-day public comment period, Democratic...
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There is nothing fair about ‘Fair Rent Portland’
There is not a group of like-minded thinkers as counterproductive as liberals. With...
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Medicaid Expansion: Taxpayer-funded health care for adults and noncitizens
It’s imperative that government spends public funds in the best interest of its...
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Medicaid expansion jeopardizes services for the truly needy
Proponents of Medicaid expansion often assert that expansion insures more people and leads...
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Reject Medicaid Expansion
The Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC) released its newest original research report, Reject...
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Medicaid expansion will not end Maine’s opioid epidemic
Dedicating more public funds to a government program is not a measure of...
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Chipman leads Senate Democrats in rejecting ballot initiative reform
An important bill offering ballot initiative reform was voted down in the Senate...
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Ballot reform would help end legislative headaches
During last year’s general election cycle, the people of Maine saw a record...
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Money will never end Maine’s education woes
Democrats can pretend to have made out like bandits in budget negotiations, but...
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Seattle offers a chilling example for Maine on minimum wage
There are numerous anecdotal reasons that conservatives oppose raising the minimum wage. Doing...
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Expanding Medicaid means more taxes for working Mainers
Health care is perhaps the most complex and contentious issue being debated throughout...
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Mainers earn the ‘Right to Shop’ for medical services
Due to the hard work and dedication of a number of conservative leaders...
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Maine must restore local control over its schools
The Common Core State Standards, since their adoption in 2011, have been an...
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Direct primary care takes shape in Maine
Maine is one step closer to a manageable, cost-effective health care system that...
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Failed policies inflate healthcare costs in Maine
One of Maine’s most pressing public policy challenges is controlling the cost of...
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Maine students need more charter schools
During his first term in the legislature, Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason, R-Androscoggin,...
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Is Maine’s referendum process for sale?
If at first you don’t succeed, try, and try again… with all of...
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Ranked-Choice Voting shot down by Maine’s highest court
Maine voters faced a number of far-reaching ballot initiatives last November, including Question...
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How taxpayers can win from Clean Election reform
When the Maine Clean Elections Act (MCEA) was passed in 1996, it had...
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What’s going on in the North Woods?
In August 2016, during the week celebrating the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary,...
