From the misguided vote to end debate on the Patriot Act Dec. 16, to a long, voteless weekend, to allowing the issue of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to be included in a Defense appropriations bill, Senate leadership failed badly and repeatedly this month. Read More
Federal District Court in Harrisburg, Pa., is not a coffee shop, so Judge John E. Jones III could not get to the point of a case recently concerning the teaching of Intelligent Design in just a few minutes of talk. His decision is 139 pages long, but it… Read More
It is the beginning of the third millennium of the Christian era. The Roman legions once garrisoned in Palestine long ago returned to dust. But the passing of scores of generations of common men and of hundreds of kings and tyrants and presidents has made remarkably little difference… Read More
Managing an agency short on funds and long on pressure not to harm industry, Commissioner Dawn Gallagher had a difficult job at the Department of Environmental Protection. Her mishandling of water quality permits on the Androscoggin River and possible violations at major paper mills made the governor call… Read More
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are… Read More
Good luck played a part, but safety training and equipment were decisive in saving the lives of two Islesford lobstermen when their boat caught fire in the open Atlantic. Fortunately, Jack Merrill and his sternman, Les Ricker of Mount Desert, were not alone out between… Read More
Although a measure to tax bottled water failed to get enough signatures to appear on the ballot, according to the Secretary of State’s Office, the petition drive started an important discussion that should be continued. The crux of that discussion is not so much preserving Maine’s water, but… Read More
Short of a crisis, energy conservation is a tough sell. Remember how President Jimmy Carter was mocked for wearing a sweater and telling Americans to turn down the thermostat? This winter a crisis could be brewing and energy conservation must be part of the solution. Read More
American journalism suffered a major loss last week in the death of the muckraking columnist Jack Anderson. He was one of a kind in his single-minded pursuit of the old rule “to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable,” especially the second part of that dictum. Read More
Creaking, whining and banging into a Christmas recess that should be a relief to the public, Congress this week produced a proposed spending bill that cuts funding for the poor, the sick, for the elderly and for students to help pay for more tax cuts. The reconciliation measure… Read More
Nearly three years after the invasion of Iraq, President Bush seemed ready to acknowledge Sunday some of the difficulties his critics have long insisted were present. The president emphatically did not change his mind about the rightness of the cause in Iraq, but dropped the idea of “with… Read More
There’s an old joke that if you get two lobstermen in a room, you’ll hear three different opinions. With that in mind, it isn’t surprising to hear industry experts disagree on whether the state’s lobster catch is growing or declining. The uncertainty highlights the need for more research… Read More
According to a recent state report on improving the economy of Washington County, one of the most promising areas is energy, including liquefied natural gas. Although not the sole answer, an LNG terminal, it said, would bring jobs to the area. Done right, such a facility could be… Read More
Alaska’s congressional delegation is engaged in last-minute maneuvering to force their colleagues to approve oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Maine’s senators and representatives have long opposed drilling in ANWR and should continue to do so. They have settled on the best reason for… Read More
New England accounts for six of the top 12 healthiest states in the latest annual report from the United Health Foundation, so it isn’t so surprising that Maine ranks eighth, up two places from last year. The public investment for this positive ranking and several other indicators, however,… Read More
Congress has always had various ways of hiding the size of the deficit but none has worked so well recently as the temporary tax cut. As the House and Senate prepare to continue this deception, conscientious members should at least demand a second line of budget scoring that… Read More
With millions of Iraqis casting ballots Thursday to elect members of parliament, the county has completed the last formal step in the U.S. devised plan to create a democratic government there. Despite what appears to be a successful election, the future of Iraq – and American involvement there… Read More
State Republicans are unhappy with John Baldacci because he met with Fidel Castro this week and promoted trade. We wondered about the trip too after the governor made a point a few years ago of talking about the importance of human rights in regard to trade with China. Read More
As debate over the Allagash Wilderness Waterway intensifies – at least temporarily – it is important to remember two things. One, the management of the waterway is governed by two agreements, one a legal settlement between the state and federal government. Second, the people who recreate on the… Read More
The group Human Rights Watch says the Cuban government “systematically denies its citizens basic rights to free expression, association, assembly, movement and a fair trial. It restricts nearly all avenues of political dissent, and uses police warnings, surveillance, short term-detentions, house arrests, travel restrictions, criminal prosecutions and politically… Read More
Despite increasing restrictions on where fishermen can go and how often, too many fish are still being caught. Now, as Congress prepares to update federal fishing rules, it aims to solve the problem directly by restricting how many fish can be caught. This is a move in the… Read More
That the Federal Emergency Management Agency failed when asked to respond to Katrina was obvious last summer to anyone with a working television. That the agency was told more than a year before the hurricane hit that it would fail “to manage the next ‘big one'” without substantial… Read More
When it comes to climate-change regulations, the U.S. government may be on the sidelines, but that fortunately doesn’t mean American companies aren’t already reducing their greenhouse-gas emissions. The real work on climate change in America is being done at the state and local level and, increasingly, in the… Read More
With a boost from the federal government, the University of Maine will strengthen its ties with Bangor while also helping revitalization efforts by focusing on the city’s youth, a group that is often overlooked. Under the project and its spin-offs, Bangor will gain from the university’s expertise and… Read More
Military-owned slot machines take in $2 billion a year at U.S. bases around the world, The New York Times reported this fall. Net losses by the service men and women come to $120 million, plus another $7 million from Army bingo games on bases in this country. Read More
If it is true that the Abramoff scandal, Rep. Tom DeLay’s troubles, Rep. Duke Cunningham’s guilt and an assortment of other House and Senate ethics challenges will force Congress to consider serious reform, it has a broad and sensible bill from House Democrats waiting for approval. Read More
The Environmental Protection Agency had to be badgered into analyzing the benefit and cost differences between the administration’s Clear Skies proposal and two competing air pollution measures. When it finally did the analysis, it was skewed in favor of Clear Skies, according to the Congressional Research Service. In… Read More
The overhaul at the Department of Health and Human Services that has a legislative committee so interested is about improving response, increasing skills and reducing bureaucracy. All good ideas, but fair to say few expected the commissioner of the department, Jack Nicholas, to be caught up in the… Read More
On her tour of Europe, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice encountered two more reasons beyond the inhumanity of torture for ensuring the United States rejects it and rendition that might lead to it. First, normally sure allies distance themselves from this nation, making progress on all kinds of… Read More
Most people retire at a reasonable age. Not Harvey Picker. He turns 90 today, and he’s in Boston for some business appointments on his way home to Camden after one of his four or five trips a year to meet with associates in England, Switzerland and Germany. Read More
It’s by no means a revival of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s ill-fated Quoddy Tidal Power Project to harness the Bay of Fundy tides, but a pilot project for “in-stream” energy production Down East is a real possibility. The distinction between the two technologies is important. The… Read More
The final report from the 9/11 Commission is a series of mediocre or failing grades that, if accurate, should cause deep concern in Washington. But unlike the bipartisan commission, Congress, the White House and various agencies all have political constituencies that raise complications about the recommended reforms demanding… Read More
A $150 million capital campaign approved Monday for the University of Maine will go a long way to improving the buildings, enhancing the faculty and helping students. The campaign, which is slated to last six years, should be generously supported by university alumni, area residents and businesses and… Read More
The current international climate change conference in Montreal will conclude successfully if it produces a reasonable timetable for a post-Kyoto Protocol, the document guiding much of the world toward fewer greenhouse gas emissions. But even if that debate remains temporarily unresolved, the conference has already shown a widespread… Read More
Like almost every state agency, Maine’s court system in the early 1990s lost an important portion of its budget to a recession. And like some of those agencies, it never caught up again. And like a very few of those agencies, the level of service and security the… Read More
With reports of the demise of the current Canadian government, it would be easy to assume our northern neighbor may be in for some big changes. That could happen. But it is more likely that after new parliamentary elections next month, Prime Minister Paul Martin and his Liberal… Read More
For all the charges of deception against the Bush administration over the war, the one easiest to check has been the repeated White House statement that Democratic critics saw the same intelligence as the administration before the fighting began. White House and Pentagon officials repeatedly made flat statements… Read More
Researchers have for the first time calculated how many fish are killed when fishermen go after more lucrative species and the news is not good. Nationally, for every four pounds of fish that are kept, fishermen discard an unwanted one pound of fish. This is one of the… Read More
Recent news stories about the Department of Transportation deferring $130 million in roadwork because it doesn’t have the money highlighted a larger problem. After working hard on efficiency, Maine will ultimately need more revenue or risk making travel in Maine even more difficult. Gov. John… Read More
Last spring, economists Philip Trostel and Kate Reilly showed how far off the national average Maine was with its school-district costs. At about the same time, state Sen. Karl Turner proposed consolidating school services with a “hub-and-spoke” system the Department of Education is currently investigating. Read More
It may sound like good news that the Environmental Protection Agency is accepting more public comment on its seriously flawed rule to regulate mercury air emissions. It isn’t. The reconsideration process will simply delay legal challenges to the rule, giving utilities and industrial plants more time to install… Read More
President Bush belatedly outlined for the public yesterday his “National Strategy for Victory in Iraq.” If this is his starting point for a more in-depth conversation with the country over Iraq, the president did well. If this is as far as he intends to go, it is inadequate. Read More
A generous gift of the old Merchants Bank Building will give the Bangor Museum and Center for History a more prominent and spacious new home for the longtime organization, and it gives the region’s residents another reason for visiting the city’s downtown. The Bangor region, like so many… Read More
For nearly a decade, Maine has followed California’s standards for motor vehicle emissions, reducing pollution and saving drivers money. Now Maine must take the next step by amending its motor vehicle standards to conform to California’s updated regulations on greenhouse gas emissions. It is especially important that the… Read More
If you haven’t heard of Jack Abramoff already, you will before long. He is the central figure in a burgeoning scandal that is entangling several members of Congress, some Executive Department officials and a number of their wives. The unfolding investigation is revealing a new… Read More
To all the states, Maine included, that have been carping about their costs of the federal education act No Child Left Behind (NCLB), a federal judge last week had an answer: Too bad. The act may well cost state and local governments money, but, says federal Judge Bernard… Read More
Providing justice can be difficult under the best circumstances. The fact that the trial against former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein continues despite the killing of lawyers and plots against judges is remarkable. The fact that Mr. Hussein, after initial outbursts during his court appearances, participates in the proceedings… Read More
Many credit card holders may soon get a shock when they open their monthly bills and see they were required to increase their monthly payment. Some families will find it hard to come up with the money to cover the increased monthly minimum. However, paying more each month… Read More
It’s been known for more than a year that extended, frequent and unpredictable deployments to Iraq are hurting military recruiting. Now the commander of the Maine Army National Guard is warning that sending soldiers overseas to do jobs that they aren’t trained for is further eroding recruiting and… Read More
When something horrible happens, folk wisdom comes forward with two directives: “Don’t just stand there – do something” and “There ought to be a law.” So it is completely understandable that Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, and Rep. Darlene Curley, R-Scarborough, quickly proposed tough new penalties… Read More
Hugo Chavez’s goodwill oil offer would warm a capitalist’s heart. The leader of Venezuela and acclaimed foe of the Bush administration seized on Washington’s failure to deliver more funding for oil for the poor and offered 12 million gallons of home-heating oil at a cost 40 percent below… Read More
The very good news this week about Maine’s higher-than-expected forecasted revenues is reason for relief, but not new expenditures. More important than the money, however, is the sign that Maine may be slowly recovering from a prolonged case of budget blues. The Revenue Forecasting Committee… Read More
With members of Congress back in their home states for a couple of weeks, there’s no better time for National Journal’s survey of Washington insiders on their thoughts that usually don’t make the news. The weekly magazine quizzed 101 members of Congress, including Sen. Olympia Snowe and Rep. Read More
Harriet Beecher Stowe moved to Maine in 1850, with her husband, Calvin Ellis Stowe, a professor at Bowdoin College. In Brunswick, she wrote her famous “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and many stories about New England life, including “The Pearl of Orr’s Island” (1862) and “Oldtown Folks” (1869). The latter… Read More
State Rep. Kenneth Lindell’s proposal last week to expand the types of Dirigo Health choices was a breakthrough in a lengthy fight over the future of the program. Whether his plan would help Maine remains to be shown, but it marks a public turn toward wider legislative cooperation… Read More
Iraqis are right to investigate the treatment of 170 emaciated prisoners found in Baghdad recently. But the quick response to the mistreatment of Iraqis held by Iraqis contrasts with the foot dragging in the United States over prisoners it has held in Iraq and at undisclosed locations around… Read More
Whatever you think of Rep. John P. Murtha’s proposal for a prompt withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, it is clear that he has set the stage for a long overdue debate on the U.S. invasion and how best to bring it to an end. Read More
Journalism suffered another black eye recently when veteran reporter Bob Woodward revealed he’d waited more than two years to tell his editor that he’d been told the identity of an undercover CIA operative at the center of a federal leak investigation. The revelation, along with New York Times… Read More
When people in the rest of the country think of Maine, three things are likely to come immediately to mind – L.L. Bean, Stephen King and lobsters. The first two are in fine shape, but Maine lobsters have a problem: Most of them go to Canada, where they… Read More
With the ratio of dentists to patients in Maine only half the national average, according to Anthem, there is excellent reason to celebrate the second anniversary of Miles for Smiles, a mobile dental office that brings care to some distinctly underserved communities in this region. The service makes… Read More
It made for great political theater for senators to scold oil company executives for the huge profits they reported shortly after Hurricane Katrina shot gas prices over $3 a gallon. However, taxing oil company profits, simply because they are large, is wrong. In the third… Read More
If a new plan to revitalize Washington County is correct, Maine has been trying to do the right things for years but not doing them very well. That might be discouraging to those who have been trying to expand economic opportunity Down East, but it also suggests that… Read More
One of the hardest tasks for policymakers in the ongoing debate about building more liquefied natural gas terminals in the United States is balancing local opposition with a nationwide need for more gas. As Maine has seen, the debate quickly becomes distorted because local concerns, which are specific… Read More
The Senate this week overwhelmingly told the Bush administration it wants many more answers about the status of the war in Iraq than the White House had been willing to offer. The demand, from Republican leadership, is an important, if belated, signal that it believes changes are necessary… Read More
Members of the House of Representatives were so convinced that the Endangered Species Act was an onerous law hindering development that last month they voted 229-193 to gut the law. Outside the beltway, where endangered species actually live, reality is contradicting their assumptions. About a third of the… Read More
While there is good news about youth and adult smoking – both are on the decline – too many Maine residents still smoke. For those trying to quit, this year’s Great American Smokeout, the 29th iteration of which takes place today, is as good a time as any… Read More
Like public-utility commissions in many states, Maine’s is responding to the proposed merger of Verizon and MCI with this question, among others: Will the incentives of the market alone spread high-speed Internet access statewide or does it need a regulatory shove? California recently proposed an answer to that… Read More
After years of changes – in corporate ownership, structure and strategy – that often left Maine the loser, current changes in the paper industry are likely to work more in the state’s favor. This week’s news that that a major private corporation, Koch Industries Inc., is buying Georgia-Pacific… Read More
Seniors may have a tough time fighting through the tangle of regulations, choices, plan lists, special provisions, penalties and warnings of the new Medicare D prescription drug program, for which signups start today and extend to May 15, 2006 without penalty. If they make it… Read More
The single loss among bond questions last Tuesday was for a combined $9 million in repairs within the University of Maine and Community College systems. The loss can be explained several ways, and higher-education officials in Maine have been explaining at length. It was the last bond on… Read More
A regional plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions could be finalized this week, further highlighting the failure of Congress and the White House to adopt a national policy on reducing the U.S. contribution to climate change. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which includes Maine, New… Read More
Some good news has come along with the bad news that it soon will cost 39 cents, instead of the present 37 cents, to mail a one-ounce letter. The U.S. Postal Service is studying a proposal to offer a “forever” or “perpetual” stamp, which could be used regardless… Read More
After a six-year ban, fishermen could be allowed to hook a salmon on the Penobscot River under a proposal from the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission. Allowing a limited Atlantic salmon season on the Penobscot will restore confidence among fishermen in the management, by both the federal and state… Read More
Getting Americans to care about fuel consumption and energy conservation turned out to be easy. Right after Hurricane Katrina, when gas prices shot above $3 a gallon and caused fears about energy shortages, the public’s attention was painfully focused. Since then and even as the price has dropped,… Read More
The worst here, I guess, is the constant noise. I can spray for the bugs. I can wash away the dust for a bit. I am armed – should the need arise. But there is never any silence. None. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
Despite intense pressure from Senate leadership, Sen. Olympia Snowe has continued to point out a connection in fiscal rationality the public already sees. Though Congress has split its budget bills between spending and tax cuts, the two are linked, and the cuts to spending programs while also offering… Read More
Terrorism, the war in response and the war in Iraq give Veterans Day special urgency today. The nation is encountering new types of warfare, wondering about old enemies and, appropriately, recalling with new respect the veterans of wars past and present. All of this gives the origins of… Read More
A puzzling question is why the Bush administration stubbornly opposes Sen. John McCain’s amendment that would ban abusive treatment of prisoners in American custody. And why has Vice President Dick Cheney tried so hard to persuade the Arizona Republican to exempt the Central Intelligence Agency from the restrictions… Read More
While no landslide, the vote in favor of preserving Maine’s anti-discrimination protection based on sexual orientation finished a significant 10 points ahead and signaled that Maine has, for now anyway, answered a question that has diminished in meaning with each passing year. Opponents of the law, the Yes… Read More
The global media provide analyses of, in this case, rioting in France faster than the speed of thought, so Americans who may not know much about the social conditions of French cities encounter some strange certainties. Two of them are these: The pressure now being released by a… Read More
Gov. Baldacci was forceful last week in response to the possibility that insurers would fail to recoup and pass along savings in the health care system caused by Dirigo Health, which offers coverage to working men and women. But insurance companies themselves are caught between the governor and… Read More
Having set up cuts worth billions of dollars in social programs – foster care, Medicaid, food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families – Congress now begins debate on tax breaks for the rich. The program cuts, Republican leaders claim, were needed to help balance the budget, though over… Read More
With no races for governor or Congress, this off-year election is not likely to bring a lot of people to the polls. That is a shame. With an important civil rights referendum, five bonds, a constitutional amendment and local races on the ballot, many questions are likely to… Read More
Threats are mounting for the national parks. Most Americans love them just as they are, as places where they can enjoy nature and find occasional refuge from the increasing hubbub and commercialism of life. But National Park Service Director Fran Mainella and her boss, Interior Secretary Gail Norton,… Read More
“Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to permit the Legislature to authorize waterfront land used for commercial fishing activities to be assessed based on the land’s current use in a manner similar to treatment now available for farms, open space and forestland?” Rapidly… Read More
An ambitious state plan that elevates the role of private business in building Maine’s research and development muscle was long and badly needed, so an inspiring proposal yesterday to boost R&D activity in Maine to $1 billion by 2010 was especially welcome. Now the governor and Legislature should… Read More
“Do you favor a $12,000,000 bond issue to purchase land and conservation easements statewide from willing sellers for conservation, water access, wildlife and fish habitat, outdoor recreation, including hunting and fishing, farmland preservation and working waterfront preservation to be matched by at least $7,000,000 in private and public… Read More
“Do you favor a $9,000,000 bond issue to make building renovations at campuses of the University of Maine System, improve and expand the facilities of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Southern Maine and make building renovations at campuses of the Maine Community College System?”… Read More
“Do you favor an $8,900,000 bond issue for purposes related to agriculture and the environment in anticipation of approximately $31,000,000 in federal funds to be used for sustainable water sources and irrigation system development, loans from a wastewater state revolving fund, grants from a small community grants program,… Read More
“Do you favor a $20,000,000 bond issue to stimulate economic growth and job creation through investments in the Maine economy in anticipation of approximately $44,000,000 in federal and private funds for medical research and development …?” The above is part of an overlong question for… Read More
“Do you want to reject the new law that would protect people from discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations and credit based on their sexual orientation?” With the rest of New England and nearly half the country’s population covered by similar laws, the doomsday… Read More
“Do you favor a $33,100,000 bond issue for improvements to highways and bridges; airports; public transit improvements; state-owned ferry vessels and ferry and port facilities including port and harbor structures; and statewide bicycle trail and pedestrian improvements that makes the State eligible for over $158,000,000 in matching funds?”… Read More
Maine has undertaken many studies and hired many consultants in an effort to draw more tourists to Vacationland. Instead, the state could just learn from Namibia. The developing African country is focusing its efforts on attracting wealthy tourists. Maine, too, could benefit from this high-value, low-volume strategy. Read More
The Senate has made it clear that torture, by any U.S. entity anywhere in the world, is wrong. Seeking a way around such a prohibition, the Bush administration is now seeking to allow the CIA to engage in torture. The Senate should hold its ground. Read More
If the purpose of international food aid is to ease famine, which it of course should be, it simply makes sense to ensure that as much food as possible reaches needy recipients as quickly as possible. The purpose of the 50-year-old Food for Peace program, it turns out,… Read More
A group of Mainers recently got a close look at Eliot Spitzer, the New York attorney general, when he gave the annual Frank M. Coffin lecture at the University of Southern Maine. The audience of Maine lawyers, business leaders, judges, law students and faculty gathers every fall for… Read More
Lewis Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, is for now the public face of the Bush administration in the case of leaking the name of a covert CIA agent because he has been indicted for obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury over… Read More
A land swap between an outspoken conservationist and a local landowner and logger revives an old model for land preservation in Maine. The deal, involving lands near Baxter State Park, changes both the tenor and context of land negotiations because each side was willing to look beyond its… Read More
In their shock over the effects of Hurricane Katrina, Americans may not have appreciated how generous more than 70 countries were in offering aid and support for reconstruction of the Gulf Coast. Some of that help has usefully arrived; a lot remains merely pledged. While this nation can… Read More
The final argument President George Bush used in defense of Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers was personal. Trust me, he said, “I picked the best person I could find.” Conservatives considered trusting the president and they considered the court over the next 15 or 20 years and their… Read More