As with the rest of the budget he presented to Congress last month, President Bush’s proposal for higher education funding lacks details. What is known is that his budget would eliminate funding for some student loans and for programs that prepare low-income students for college. Programs such as… Read More
Last-minute political maneuvering by New Hampshire’s senior senator last year allowed that state to increase the weight limit on its interstate highways, leaving Maine as the only state in the Northeast with an 80,000-pound weight limit. As they have for years, Maine’s congressional delegation has teamed up to… Read More
A dissenting report from the Commission to Study Maine Hospitals, which recently concluded its work, provides the state with a means to solve some long-standing disagreements about hospital care. Given the rising costs of health care, the Baldacci administration and the Legislature should use it along with the… Read More
Maine legislators are picking through a couple dozen bond proposals under the impression that either Maine has low debt and plenty of room to borrow or has taken on lots of debt recently and can’t afford much more. According to an investment service, both views aren’t far off,… Read More
It is not often that local residents can remake a river. The Penobscot River Restoration Project, an ambitious plan to remove two dams and modify a third to return the river to its free-flowing state, offers such an opportunity. The project’s planners are actively seeking ideas from residents… Read More
If the Baldacci administration wants to kill the expansion of public health care in Maine, all it has to do is deny providers’ Medicaid bills and blame the denial on computer trouble. That is essentially what is happening with physicians, dentists, therapists, nursing-care providers and others, and it… Read More
While arguments over whether Sears Island should be used as a port facility or set aside as a nature preserve have run for years, the large island has remained largely unused, no sign directing tourists there and chain link fence limiting access. Conservation advocates may like the status… Read More
The number of Maine children hospitalized for mental health or substance abuse rose 30 percent between 2000 and 2003, an increase that should concern parents and policy-makers. The phenomenon is not limited to Maine, but the issue deserves to be examined here to see whether the children affected… Read More
The vicissitudes of Vioxx point to some truths that some doctors knew but many patients did not. The pain-relieving prescription drug was widely used until a test showed that in rare cases it could cause heart attacks or strokes. Something like panic set in. Merck took it off… Read More
A proposal to consolidate voting in Bangor at a single location will strengthen the electoral process and should be supported, at least on a trial basis. Rather than disperse voting machines and election workers to nine locations throughout the city, City Clerk Patti Dubois has… Read More
The Legislature’s Appropriations Committee will soon decide whether to support Gov. John Baldacci’s idea of selling up to $40 million in lottery proceeds for 10 years in exchange for $250 million up front. The public is free to dislike the idea without a thought of how the resulting… Read More
State and local education officials in Maine and around the country have argued that the federal No Child Left Behind act is overly burdensome and underfunded. Now, after a yearlong study of the act and its impacts on schools, the National Council of State Legislatures has come to… Read More
President Bush’s goodwill tour of Europe this week properly interested both the left and right of American politics. Through obvious symbols, the White House has signaled that it wants to begin a new relationship with Europe while at the same time maintaining its view that the United States… Read More
Richard Nixon secretly taped his Oval Office conversations. Lyndon Johnson did it, too. The George W. Bush tapes, made when he was governor of Texas, were something else. He didn’t record them, he didn’t know he was being taped and rather than showing skulduggery or hubris, they suggested… Read More
Maine’s Clean Election Fund, in danger of not having enough money for the 2006 election, was spared this week when Gov. Baldacci included $2.4 million for the fund in his supplemental budget, which was approved by lawmakers. Nearly $7 million has been taken from the Clean Election Fund… Read More
After decades of fighting, the Bush administration is trying a new strategy to allow drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Because debating the issue on its merits means the ban on drilling has yet to be lifted, the administration has now included the change in… Read More
The headline in a recent Wall Street Journal Sunday was eye-catching: “Your Ticket to a $1 Million Retirement.” While a cool million may be out of reach for some, columnist Paul Farrell offered sound advice for building a large nest egg before retirement. Think of it as a… Read More
The Middle East – its violence, its elections, its diplomatic prospects – is in the news every day. Yet, for the average Mainer, the region often seems to be a fractious, confusing and distant place of little consequences to the daily happenings here. As the ongoing war in… Read More
The Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee today will pretend to consider a resolve by Senate Republican Leader Paul Davis to amend the state’s constitution to require a two-thirds vote to increase a tax or repeal a tax exemption. Before the first word on LD 150 is uttered,… Read More
A Wall Street Journal columnist, Mary Anastasia O’Grady, said it plainly: “George W. Bush’s plan to create personal retirement accounts is not simply an actuarial adjustment designed to boost old-age financial security. It is a lunge for the jugular vein of the welfare state.” And… Read More
Lawmakers today are scheduled to hear a request for a $3 million bond for drug-abuse treatment that would save lives, reduce prison costs by several times the amount of the bond, reduce crime and add to the drug-treatment options available in Maine. The bond is a smart and… Read More
The safest sleeping position for a young baby is on its back. The next safest is on its side. The most dangerous position is on its belly. Most young parents know this. Leading pediatricians advise it. And the practice is linked to a dramatic reduction in the incidence… Read More
Lifting the state’s ban on Sunday hunting is a policy change that requires careful analysis on it own merits, not as part of the state’s efforts to balance the budget. Two members of the Legislature’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee have suggested studying the issue over the summer… Read More
The first step for Congress as it works on the federal budget is to acknowledge the budget’s primary contradiction: It squeezes domestic programs, especially health care and the environment, while adding to the deficit. Given that the administration knows that some of its largest cuts – for agricultural… Read More
First Gov. Baldacci’s SUV rolls over last winter and now a slip and fall on the ice resulting in three fractured ribs. The governor has said delivering health care through emergency rooms is too expensive, but does he really need to keep demonstrating it? We wish him a… Read More
Even before President Bush proposed taking $44 billion out of planned Medicaid increases, members of the Senate were wondering about the direction of the major program that provides health care coverage to the poor. With the president’s budget, they have even more reason to worry about it now,… Read More
The only advantage to Congress’ inaction on climate change bills sponsored by Maine’s senators is that evidence in favor of their legislation continues to build. Sen. Olympia Snowe has reintroduced a bill to require reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Sen. Susan Collins is again pushing for $60 million… Read More
United States and world officials are naturally wary about the future of relations be-tween Lebanon and Syria after this week’s assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister. Given the interconnectedness and complexity of Middle Eastern affairs, any sanctions or retaliatory action must be well thought out. Read More
Maine has failed to reach a long-time goal of recycling half its trash. The goal, however, should not be abandoned although the date for achieving it must be moved forward. Sen. Scott Cowger, a Democrat from Hallowell, has sponsored a bill, at the behest of… Read More
The title of Jane Mayer’s long article in the current New Yorker magazine says it in short: “Outsourcing Terror.” The Bush administration has been farming out the interrogation of its key prisoners to Egypt and other countries that routinely use torture. Ms. Mayer starts off… Read More
Pardon us while we explain to a Portland state senator a few facts about the heavy lifting of economic development around here. The sweat-producing stuff he might not see from his prettified downtown. We aren’t talking about the child’s play of his city’s port development, international trade or… Read More
You started so well, vowing Jan. 1 to exercise regularly and watch your diet. You joined a gym or your local Y. You got the instructions on how to use the treadmill and the weight machines and you used them – for about a month. Then the novelty… Read More
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the federal government naturally devoted much more attention and funding to improving airport and airplane security. While many of the security upgrades were necessary, this focus has left the country with gaping vulnerabilities. President Bush’s proposed budget worsens this… Read More
University of Maine System Chancellor Joseph Westphal wants a $400 million bond over 10 years to rebuild and expand the system’s buildings and related infrastructure. Doing this, he says, will attract more students and re-searchers, create new opportunities for learning and reduce the cost of maintenance. Sounds good. Read More
Perhaps only a Green representative would introduce a bill to “promote fairness and democracy in wildlife management.” Despite its idealistic-sounding title, a bill sponsored by John Eder, a Green from Portland, is worth discussion. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
Gov. John Baldacci this week presented a bond package that is reasonable, plays to the state’s strengths and fulfills some of its many needs. The emphasis on research and development is well placed as are the requests for money to strengthen traditional industries while also growing new ones. Read More
North Korea was stating the obvious when it unexpectedly claimed it had been building nuclear weapons. American intelligence had long been confident that the hermit nation already had made a few warheads. A Congressional Research Service report concluded two years ago that North Korea could make more than… Read More
Sad to say, the next time a blinding snowstorm comes roaring in from the Canadian Maritimes – today, perhaps, tomorrow? – almost everyone will call it a “nor’easter” – weathermen and women in their parkas, ordinary folks, and even newspaper headline writers. The pronunciation is… Read More
In the more than 100 years since Maine prohibited hunting on Sundays dozens of attempts have been made to repeal the law. They have all failed. The current attempt is the most convoluted because the change in hunting law is part of the governor’s plan to balance the… Read More
With little public notice, Maine has joined 40 other states to create an assistance program for lawyers and judges with problems of drug abuse, depression or other conditions that can impair their professional effectiveness. The Maine Assistance Program for Lawyers and Judges has helped 150… Read More
Israeli and Palestinian leaders have met many times in the past and pledged to work toward a peaceful settlement of their differences. After hugs and handshakes, the peace deals eventually crumble. The same fate could easily befall the most recent peace-making efforts begun at yesterday’s summit in Egypt. Read More
In his State of the State speech last month, the governor promised incentives to encourage the purchase and use of solar energy systems in Maine homes and businesses. The governor’s push to use domestic, clean energy supplies is welcome, but it must be tempered with the realization that… Read More
The details of President Bush’s budget for fiscal year 2006 will be debated in depth over the next several months. For now, the public should look at it broadly – as a warning. The budget accurately reflects the danger of a growing deficit and rising demand for mandatory… Read More
Just like its citizens, the U.S. government doesn’t save much and has a penchant for borrowing. The United Nations is so concerned about the growing U.S. budget deficit and the accompanying trade deficit that it called upon other countries recently to help straighten out America’s finances, which risk… Read More
Fishermen can be excused for not being enthusiastic about the industry’s top regulator finally talking about “community-based management.” Fishermen from Maine and around the country have long suggested that decisions about how many fish are caught and where be made by those with the most knowledge of the… Read More
By failing to support a constitutional tax break for homestead land, the Maine Senate this week gave itself time to consider the cut for homeowners in the larger context of other breaks planned for this session. The amendment should return later as part of this larger package of… Read More
Maine lawmakers are overdue in crafting a bond package for voters to consider. Last year, Republican stonewalling killed a modest bond package. Since then the state’s need to invest money in transportation infrastructure, research and economic development has only grown. This year, the governor and Democrats are taking… Read More
The best rationale for motorcycle helmet laws came from the three federal judges who considered the issue more than three decades ago. Dismissing the idea, which persists, that helmet use should be an individual decision, the judges wrote: “From the moment of the injury, society picks the person… Read More
The costs of the war in Iraq are most obviously measured by the deaths of troops and by the size of the war budget. Earlier this week, the Senate Armed Services Committee began by addressing some less obvious costs and quickly expanded the hearing to the complicated matter… Read More
Despite all the hand-wringing over government machinations in Augusta, Maine’s policy-makers and bureaucrats are doing a pretty good job of managing the state’s money, personnel and infrastructure, according to a recently released report on state government. Overall, Maine was given a B-minus, the national average,… Read More
The states with the largest economic interest in the pending Central American Free Trade Agreement are in the Southeast. Florida represents nearly 20 percent of U.S. exports to the five Central American countries in the trade pact; Alabama relies on the region to buy its apparel and fabric-mill… Read More
Although the demise of the state’s lobster industry has been predicted for years, only to be met with years of record catches, a recent study by fisheries researchers provides reason for concern. University of Maine marine scientists found that fishing that targets specific species, especially those high up… Read More
With snow piling up outside, it is hard to get people to worry about water. But, as the drought of 2001 and 2002 brought home, even a wet state like Maine can experience water shortages. That’s why the state is wise to quantify and regulate water use now… Read More
The success of Sunday’s election in Iraq is a victory for democracy and it is a major defeat to terrorists who tried mightily to derail the voting. Despite the murder of candidates and threats against those who planned to vote, millions of Iraqis cast their ballots. Many said… Read More
Experienced White House watchers were quick to spot the fact that the spirit and letter of President Bush’s second inaugural address echoed the writings of Natan Sharansky, a prolific Israeli politician who has long been a favorite of the neoconservative group in the Bush administration. Read More
Instead of addressing their criticism northward, Gov. John Baldacci and his colleagues should increase pressure on Washington to change this country’s drug-pricing policies. Five governors recently wrote to Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin asking him to not restrict his country’s exports of lower-cost drugs to the United States. Read More
Last year’s World Cup biathlon races in Fort Kent brought a sense of vitality, both economic and emotional, to northern Maine. It will take more than excitement, however, to ensure that these benefits aren’t short-lived. Earlier this week, the U.S. Biathlon Association, in Colchester, Vt., announced it was… Read More
In response to the governor’s State of the State speech earlier this week and his touting the tax-relief plan passed by the Legislature, Senate GOP leader Paul Davis said he was unimpressed. “In fact, I’ve got some people in my district who will actually be getting a tax… Read More
Even before President Bush pulls together conflicting views and fears in his own party and says what he means about “saving” Social Security, the powerful AARP is floating its own far simpler and far less scary plan. The 35.6 million-member organization unexpectedly became Mr. Bush’s… Read More
The conclusion of a recent Audubon report on the Penjajawoc Marsh aptly sums up the promise and challenges of the re-discovered wetland. “The Penjajawoc Marsh is indeed an outstanding wetland … a unique and beautiful place. The pattern of ownership and proximity to the Bangor Mall will make… Read More
If Gov. John Baldacci’s State of the State speech Tuesday had a common theme or message, it was lost amid all those people being asked to stand, the numerous Dem-ocratic applause lines and the listing of assorted proposals the governor intends to introduce this session. The speech contained… Read More
After decades of climbing, the number of women in the state house – in Maine and nationally – has leveled off. Researchers have yet to determine why, although term limits and recruitment efforts may play a role. If there are barriers that are preventing women from running for… Read More
In choosing an incremental approach to tax relief rather than something more dramatic such as the voter-rejected Palesky initiative, the Maine Legislature can’t claim they delivered massive tax cuts to property tax payers. But they did achieve reasonable savings after several attempts for more ambitious cuts failed. More… Read More
The point of the months of work that went into reforming the nation’s intelligence community was that ultimately the community would yield better-coordinated, more-thorough information. A report this week that Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld has been running for two years an organization called the Secret Support Branch… Read More
It is hard to understand why a new government entity regulating a new industry in Maine has chosen as its first priority to exempt itself from the state’s Freedom of Access law as the Gambling Control Board seeks to do through emergency legislation. In effect, much of the… Read More
A fresh effort to resume nuclear-weapons talks with North Korea looks promising – except for one serious obstacle. Officials in Pyongyang have told a U.S. congressional delegation that North Korea is ready to resume negotiations if the reorganized Bush administration doesn’t go on with its slanders and interference… Read More
Bangor’s Dakin Pool, which lies hidden on a dead-end side street off Stillwater Avenue, suddenly has new friends now that city councilors have suggested tearing it up. The pool is modest in every respect and its bathhouse is in need of repair, if not replacement. But though it… Read More
Thirty-four states had Medicaid shortfalls last year, Maine among them, despite actions by all 50 states to curb Medicaid growth. The problems will grow worse in 2005 through a combination of challenges – or “touch choices” in Dirigo’s parlance – that will require lawmakers this session to examine… Read More
When the Eastern Fine Paper mill in Brewer closed last January, the future for the sprawling facility on the banks of the Penobscot River seemed as bleak as the weather. Now, just a year later, grand plans for the mill complex are moving forward. A… Read More
A minor scandal erupted in the 1950s when word leaked out that private companies were secretly paying disc jockeys to play their records. That was private payola. Now we have something worse: government payola. The Department of Education paid $240,000 to Armstrong Williams, a talk show host and… Read More
Iraq’s elections scheduled for Jan. 30 are turning out to be far more than just the selection of a national assembly that will draft a constitution and prepare for the creation of a national government. Beyond that, they promise to be a test of President Bush’s entire Iraq… Read More
President George Bush will be inaugurated today after having received the greatest number of popular votes ever and by being re-elected by the narrowest margin of any president since 1828. This dichotomy reflects uncertainty about his presidency as well as the direction of the nation, and would make… Read More
After all that howling over the Washington County coyote derby, the 68 hunters who participated killed only two animals over the weekend. One of the successful hunters used dogs to help him; some wondered whether cats would have been even more effective. . googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
Buried in the massive federal budget bill passed by Congress late last year was a provision to reassert the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s authority to site liquefied natural gas terminals. In Maine, where local opposition has squelched several proposed LNG terminals, this reaffirmation could have serious consequences. Imagine… Read More
It may seem strange to put major law changes into a budget, but given the state’s twin attempts to lower taxes and maintain services, there are many oddities in the new budget plan. One that is sure to get a lot of attention is a proposal to largely… Read More
Regardless of whether Spc. Charles Graner’s 10-year sentence was too harsh or too light – many Iraqis apparently think he should be executed in front of his victims – his trial should be the first of many involving military personnel who took part in or condoned the abuses… Read More
A new PriceWaterhouseCoopers study of Maine’s tax conditions should both reassure lawmakers that they are moving in the right direction and inspire them to keep going. The study, commissioned by the Maine Business Association Roundtable, didn’t reveal much that was new, but it did confirm for the state… Read More
There may be no more fitting way to observe the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. than to recall his defining speech, delivered in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 28, 1963. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties… Read More
It is easy to blame federal regulators and the shipping industry for acting too slowly to stop the inadvertent killing of North Atlantic right whales. However, the first time a shipment of heating oil was delayed in January or a boat full of televisions was held up in… Read More
Embezzlement is a growing problem in Maine. An article in the current issue of Chamber Business, published by the Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce, reports that employee theft losses total as much as $100 billion a year nationally. It quotes District Attorney Michael Povich as saying that enough… Read More
Children feel pressure to perform at a high level in sports regardless of their enjoyment of it, to specialize early in a particular sport and to put winning ahead of participation. Out-of-school sports leagues can worsen these conditions as can parents who live fantasy lives through their children’s… Read More
Those who have criticized the governor’s proposal to increase state revenue by ticketing people who aren’t wearing seat belts are right that this isn’t a good way to plug a hole in the state budget. However, because seat belt use has been shown to reduce the severity of… Read More
Despite objections from the governor, a coyote derby is expected to start as planned this afternoon in Washington County. After months of contact between the Washington County Fish and Wildlife Conservation Club and state wildlife officials it was inappropriate for the governor to ask the club to cancel… Read More
The most contentious piece of Gov. Baldacci’s new state budget contains all the elements for ridicule: His lottery revenue capitalization strategy is complicated; its revenue source is frivolous; and its decade-long timeline means no one will remember by its final payment whether it was a success or failure. Read More
Another proposal from the governor, however, needs more work. His funding plan for K-12 education would, because of the way his administration has chosen to raise the state’s share of funding, send millions more dollars to wealthier communities while leaving poorer ones, at best, with no additional funding. Read More
Three years ago, a local fisherman and boat builder stood up at a Southwest Harbor selectmen’s meeting and demanded that something be done about rampant drug abuse in the area. Weldon “Bunny” Leonard told of drug dealers operating openly around his boatyard and hypodermic needles littering the streets. Read More
In a region too often wracked by violent attacks and violent reprisals for them, the pictures of jubilant Palestinians celebrating the victory of Mahmoud Abbas, who was elected Palestinian president Sunday, were refreshing. There was some shooting of guns into the air, but mostly Palestinians cheered and waved… Read More
Over the years, many plans – a restaurant, condominiums, medical offices – have been proposed for Bangor’s dilapidated waterworks. Given the high cost of refurbishing the historic structures, anyone who needed to make money on the project soon gave up. A current proposal to build 35 efficiency apartments… Read More
National newspapers last week ran front-page stories about the contents of a leaked memo from the White House detailing its strategy and challenges of reforming Social Security. But the memo was not merely a political document that may have been floated for public reaction. It was an acknowledgement… Read More
Twice a year, Maine’s vigilant public advocate, Stephen Ward, and his Augusta staff put out the Ratewatcher Telecom Guide to keep you up to date on telephone charge increases and advise you how to fight back. The January guide, just out, has some new helpful… Read More
Too bad mediocre grades aren’t rewarded at all levels of government. Maine has a habit of averaging Gentleman C’s on a widely used report card of economic vitality but instead of coasting comfortably finds itself struggling to keep up with others. The report card provides a broad range… Read More
Vaccinations have tamed chickenpox, the itchy illness that was once a childhood rite of passage. Not only do the shots save lives and money, they are required for many Maine schoolchildren. Starting this school year, students in grades two and nine needed to show proof… Read More
A first look at the governor’s budget for 2006-07 suggests it is strong evidence for Maine to continue its tax-and-spending reforms that will shift the state away from being forced to count on lottery sales, savings on the unfunded liability in its retirement account and new fees to… Read More
Eight months after the dehumanizing pictures of torture at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, Americans know that this scandalous work was not that merely of a few rogue and overwhelmed soldiers, and was not made up of a couple of isolated instances. Traced back through Afghanistan to Guantanamo… Read More
It would be a stretch to blame last month’s sinking of a scallop dragger and the death of five of its crewmen off the coast of Massachusetts on federal regulations. However, it often takes a tragedy to prompt change and that’s what the loss of the Northern Edge… Read More
Advocacy groups beseech the Maine Legislature regularly in support of their causes – they appeal to lawmakers’ sense of decency, their morals and desire for civil society, their hearts. The legislators do not yawn, for that would be wrong, but they do calculate the long line of requests… Read More
The deadly aftermath of last week’s tsunami in Asia temporarily shifted attention away from Iraq. The news from the Middle East, however, has been bad and getting worse. Yesterday, 25 people were killed in insurgent attacks. Twenty were killed and 25 wounded when a car… Read More
Medicaid and Medicare were created through the Social Security Act of 1965. Both have had major revisions since then, notably Medicaid in 1997, when children’s services were greatly expanded, and Medicare in 2002, when prescription drugs were approved as an added benefit for the elderly. Both have had… Read More
The two possible futures for the United States in Iraq are evident. The first is that the Iraqi elections, scheduled for Jan. 30, will be a big success, the creation of an Iraqi army and police force will proceed rapidly, the United States will turn over the security… Read More
Old folks remember the Model T Ford, popular in the 1920s, and available in one color: black. People called it the tin Lizzie. To start it, you had to get out in front and crank the engine. The crank sometimes spun backward and broke your arm. Doctors could… Read More