All posts tagged "Opinion"
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Governor’s arbitrary decisions will haunt Maine for years to come
We are quickly approaching Labor Day and the end to the summer season...
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Gov. Mills’ business relief package too little, too late for many small businesses
Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced Thursday the creation of a new small business...
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Coronavirus found in Brazil sewage samples months before first cases reported
Researchers studying sewage samples from southern Brazil found remnants of the novel coronavirus,...
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New CDC report highlights mental health costs of the pandemic
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday released a report...
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Maine’s current economic forecast should prompt substantial spending cuts
The latest report from Maine’s Revenue Forecasting Committee (RFC), published earlier this month,...
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The effects of Maine’s economic, societal shutdown from COVID-19
Maine Policy Institute today released a new report that sheds light on the...
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Reisman: Cancel culture karma
As a long-time supporter of the First Amendment and the value of free...
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‘Defund the police’ is not a real reform strategy
The last few months have been tense, marked by social distancing and physical...
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Secretary of State misses 13,000 ballots in initial July primary RCV tabulation
Maine’s ranked-choice voting woes continue. Secretary of State Matt Dunlap announced Monday his...
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New lawsuit seeks to end the use of ranked-choice voting in Maine
Four Maine citizens filed a lawsuit late last week against Secretary of State...
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New nationwide campaign to educate voters on pitfalls of ranked-choice voting
A coalition of state-based think tanks launched a new nationwide campaign Friday to...
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A misguided strike at Bath Iron Works
I have been deeply disappointed to see the strike going on at Bath...
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Maine DOE’s school reopening guidance presents major challenges for working families
On Friday, Governor Janet Mills released guidelines for schools as they consider whether...
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‘No one is above the law’ – except members of Congress
We’ve been watching the judicial gyrations over the fate of retired Lt. Gen....
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Shutdown Stories: Maine Indoor Karting
In November 2003, Maine Indoor Karting (MIK) opened its doors, becoming the first...
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Maine lawmakers should advance policies that will kickstart economic recovery
To state the obvious, Maine’s economy is in trouble. The 14 day quarantine...
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Governor Mills accelerates business reopenings across the state
On Monday, Governor Janet Mills announced that restaurants in Androscoggin, Cumberland, and York...
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Maine GOP collects enough signatures to advance people’s veto on ranked-choice voting
The Maine Republican Party says it has collected enough signatures to challenge a...
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Leisure and hospitality sector suffering most among struggling Maine industries
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the website MoneyGeek has been analyzing unemployment...
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Pressure mounts on Speaker Gideon, President Jackson to reconvene the Maine Legislature
The Maine Legislature may soon reconvene three months after lawmakers adjourned the 2020...
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Hotelier criticizes Governor Mills’ testing alternative
Mark Walsh, Vice President of Ocean Properties, criticized Governor Janet Mills’ and her...
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Gov. Mills’ alternative to quarantine requirement criticized by tourism and hospitality groups
On Monday, Governor Janet Mills announced an alternative to the 14 day quarantine...
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Lawmakers express bipartisan frustration over labor commissioner’s absence
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle voiced frustration last Thursday after Department...
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Councilor Ben Hartwell: ‘I had to do something’
A few weeks ago, I read about the City of Calais declaring all...
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Hotels in Maine urge Governor Mills to lift 14-day quarantine for out-of-staters
More than 30 hotels in Maine are asking Governor Janet Mills to remove...
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Governor Mills denies Democrats’ request for a COVID-19 response task force
On Friday, Governor Janet Mills released her response to requests from Speaker of...
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Governor Mills and selective science
This piece was originally published in the Portland Press Herald Businesses throughout Maine...
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Maine Brewers Guild urges Gov. Mills to relax reopening rules
On Tuesday, Scott Sullivan, head of the Maine Brewers Guild, a nonprofit trade...
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Shutdown Stories: Yankee Lanes
On March 17, Nelson Moody, owner of Yankee Lanes bowling alley in Brunswick,...
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The governor shouldn’t be acting alone
Maine citizens are becoming increasingly divided. It didn’t have to be this way....
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Shutdown Stories: Live Well Farm
Patty and Scott Ruppert own Live Well Farm, a destination wedding venue in...
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New legislative proposal would curb emergency powers of Maine’s chief executive
In a press statement released late Monday afternoon, House Minority Leader Rep. Kathleen...
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Modest meat reforms would help Americans stay fed during the pandemic
Recent stories of farmers euthanizing livestock and dumping milk have startled many Americans,...
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Tourism and hospitality groups urge Gov. Mills to nix quarantine restriction, reopen Maine’s economy
Seven groups representing different facets of Maine’s tourism and hospitality industry sent an...
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How similar are the recovery plans in Maine and New Hampshire?
Last Friday, Maine Governor Janet Mills released a revision to her phased reopening...
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For how long will Maine be under a civil state of emergency?
On March 15, Maine Governor Janet Mills declared a civil state of emergency enabling her...
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Governor Mills signals changes are coming to her plan to reopen Maine’s economy
Governor Janet Mills alluded to forthcoming changes to her plan to reopen Maine’s...
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The Legislature must reconvene to rein in the governor’s emergency powers
On Saturday evening, the Republican leaders in the House and Senate, with the...
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Governor Mills’ ‘solution’ is worse than the problem
Like most Mainers, I deferred to the scientists and health experts when the...
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There’s no justification for centralized and dictatorial government
I’m not a doctor but I played one in real life. I served...
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Gov. Mills’ multi-phase ‘recovery’ plan is a blueprint for a prolonged economic depression
Governor Mills unveiled her multi-phase plan for slowly reopening the Maine economy on...
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A plan for reopening Maine’s economy
Maine Policy Institute on Monday sent to Governor Janet Mills a list of...
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Frivolous spending leaves Maine ill-equipped to weather economic slowdown
Unnecessary spending in Governor Janet Mills’ biennial budget, approved by Maine lawmakers in...
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Open letter to Gov. Mills: It’s time to reopen Maine
Dear Governor Mills, Many Mainers are facing desperate times. I would like to...
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Lawsuit aims to halt people’s veto effort to repeal ranked-choice voting in presidential elections
The Committee on Ranked Choice Voting, one of the primary proponents of the...
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Homeschooling experts highlight the varied paths to gaining an education
On Thursday, April 9, Maine Policy Institute hosted a panel of veteran homeschoolers...
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One new coronavirus death reported in Maine as number of confirmed cases grows to 586
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting 586 confirmed cases...
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Maine CDC reports two more COVID-19 deaths, 560 confirmed cases statewide
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 reached 560 and two more Mainers...
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Gov. Mills announces plan to open two alternative care sites, floats postponement of June primary election
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Maine grew by 20 overnight to...
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Nearly 500 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Maine
The number of coronavirus vases in Maine has grown to 499 according to...
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Homeschooling in a crisis? We can help.
A few short weeks ago, could you have imagined what you’d be doing...
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Two more Mainers die as number of coronavirus cases reaches 344
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Maine jumped by 41 overnight to...
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Governor Mills issues statewide ‘stay at home’ order
Governor Janet Mills issued a stay at home order for the State of...
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‘Uncertainty may be the new norm’ in Maine as confirmed cases of coronavirus jumps to 303
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Maine has jumped to 303...
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Coronavirus spreads to 12 of 16 Maine counties, 275 confirmed cases statewide
Maine recorded its second and third deaths caused by the coronavirus over the...
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Maine vehicle inspection expirations extended for the duration of state of emergency
Governor Janet Mills issued an executive order last week that indefinitely extends expiration...
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Governor Mills extends state tax filing deadline, deems firearm retailers ‘non-essential’ businesses
Governor Janet Mills announced Thursday she is extending the state of Maine’s income...
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Governor Mills takes emergency action on medical licensing, telehealth
Governor Janet Mills issued an executive order today that eases occupational licensing rules...
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Gov. Mills issues new mandate for nonessential businesses to close for two weeks
Maine Governor Janet Mills and Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center...
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A Colorado election clerk’s perspective on using RCV in his state’s elections
Throughout the country, including here in Colorado, special interests are promoting new voting...
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Maine’s certificate of need law could hinder the state’s COVID-19 response efforts
As policymakers and public health officials at the local, state and federal levels...
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Letter offers recommendations to assist Governor Mills in Maine’s COVID-19 response efforts
Maine Policy Institute sent a letter to Governor Janet Mills today thanking her...
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Maine Legislature acts on COVID-19, gives Gov. Mills broad authority to respond
The Maine Legislature adjourned Tuesday evening after a marathon session where the body...
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Proposed expansion of the Prescription Monitoring Program violates patients’ rights
I am gravely concerned about provisions in LD 2117 which would mandate that...
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Early adjournment could stop bill seeking to expand welfare eligibility
The announcement of an early conclusion to Maine’s legislative session amid public health...
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Maine Legislature to adjourn Tuesday due to coronavirus
The Maine Legislature will prematurely adjourn Tuesday in response to the coronavirus, Maine’s...
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Congress should seek a real solution to surprise medical billing
Like many average Americans, health care and its costs are a significant issue....
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The left is making big push to raise taxes on hardworking Mainers
Maine Rep. Benjamin Collings of Portland held a press conference last week to...
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Portland tries to prevent signature gathering for RCV veto on Super Tuesday
The City of Portland – Maine’s most liberal municipality – tried to prevent...
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Proposed bill would boost salaries of Maine’s governor, lawmakers and judges
Lawmakers on Maine’s State and Local Government Committee held a public hearing Monday...
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Proposed bill would fleece taxpayers to please public unions
Lawmakers on Maine’s Labor and Housing Committee will hold work a work session...
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Public control isn’t the answer to concerns about Maine’s power utilities
This item was originally published in the Portland Press Herald. Maine consumers –...
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Lawmakers looking to nickel and dime Mainers with a local option sales tax
Lawmakers on Maine’s Taxation Committee will hold a work session Thursday to debate...
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New report highlights the downfalls of establishing a state-owned utility
A recent report by London Economics International (LEI), a Boston-based financial advisory firm...
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Lawmakers wasting time on cage-free egg bill
Maine has a $232 million annual transportation funding shortfall. Nursing homes that care...
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Whoops, we forgot to fix the roads
A little over one year into her tenure as governor, Janet Mills is...
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Clean energy bill would replicate Blaine House solar project blunder
This session, lawmakers on Maine’s Energy, Utility and Technology Committee is considering LD...
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Bill establishing automatic, continuous absentee voter status reeks of fraud
Lawmakers on Maine’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee held a public hearing Wednesday...
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Ranked-choice voting in Alaska: RCV fails to deliver on its promises to voters
This op-ed was originally published in the Anchorage Daily News on February 9, 2020. In...
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Maine unions want to set education policy at your school
Who should be in charge of local education policy? Should it be parents...
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Briefs filed in Maine workplace freedom case
Twenty-two public policy organizations filed amicus briefs last week urging the U.S. Supreme...
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The nanny state wants to take away your vape
Lawmakers on Maine’s Health and Human Services Committee held a public hearing Wednesday...
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Campaign launched to repeal ranked-choice voting for presidential elections
On Tuesday, February 4, the Maine Republican Party announced they are launching a...
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After massive spending increase in biennial budget, Governor Mills wants more
Governor Janet Mills released a supplemental budget proposal Monday that calls for $127...
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Federal anti-smoking bill would infantilize adults
Just over a month ago, Washington policymakers worked across party lines to raise...
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Maine’s high court strikes down warrantless blood tests
On Tuesday, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court struck down a law requiring police...
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Bill seeks to limit Mainers’ free speech within 60 days of an election
Maine’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee is holding a public hearing Wednesday on...
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Gov. Mills attempts to appease critics, stretches the truth in first State of the State address
Maine Gov. Janet Mills delivered her first State of the State address Tuesday...
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Regional coalition pushes back on regional gas tax hike
Organizations representing each New England state convened in Boston last week to voice...
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Southern Maine lawmakers want to build a taxpayer-funded convention center in Portland
The Maine Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee is holding a public hearing...
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Liberal lawmakers propose creating new commission to propose ‘fair’ and ‘equitable’ tax increases
Members of the Maine Legislature’s taxation committee will hold a public hearing Tuesday...
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Are Maine’s clean energy policies working?
The Big Picture Since 2005 Maine’s carbon dioxide emissions have fallen 41 percent,...
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Pay attention to looming gas tax increase
Progressive lawmakers are in pursuit of an ever-expanding state government in Augusta. Their...
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Governors, elected officials across New England lining up to oppose the TCI
The Transportation and Climate Initiative, a regional coalition of 12 states and Washington...
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Maine professor suing faculty union appeals his case to the Supreme Court
Jonathan Reisman, an associate professor of economics and public policy at the University...
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Minimum wage and overtime changes come with unintended consequences
On January 1, the state’s minimum wage and overtime exemption thresholds increased by...
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The new year brings changes to state and local laws
In addition to resolutions, 2020 brings new changes to state and local laws....
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Gas tax coming, and it won’t be used to repair highways
Gasoline taxes may rise 17 cents a gallon and go up from there...