As people headed to the polls yesterday, they finally heard some good news about oil prices – they briefly dropped below $50 a barrel for the first time in a month. The result should be lower prices at the gas pump, eventually. Crude oil futures… Read More
Has there ever been an election in which more money was spent to persuade so few undecided voters? If you were truly one of those who couldn’t choose between President Bush and John Kerry, feel special: The political parties just spent $1.2 billion on you and the several… Read More
Public health officials face difficult choices in deciding who should get scarce doses of flu vaccine. Their job could be made easier with guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as suggested by Maine’s senators. They have asked the CDC and Department of Health and… Read More
Feeling a little down? Lost the old pep? Can’t get motivated? Try voting! There’s no better way to reinvigorate the democratic-republic in you than to cast a vote for a worthy candidate or against one who didn’t impress. Initial an initiative. Refuse a referendum. Back a bond. Voting… Read More
As political rhetoric, a recent statement from the United Way of Eastern Maine was thoughtful and mild. The 1 percent tax cap, it said, “could result in reduced services for children and families, for seniors, and for those who need help meeting their basic needs.” But the fact… Read More
Whether George W. Bush or John Kerry wins on Tuesday, the United Nations will gain in importance and relevance to United States foreign policies. Either man will need U.N. help in devising a U.S. exit strategy for the Iraq war and in meeting other challenges in a dangerous… Read More
For months, media outlets have speculated that tens of thousands of civilians have been killed since the invasion of Iraq. Since the Pentagon declared that it “doesn’t do body counts” for noncombatants, the media estimates have been considered true. Now, a study done by American and Iraqi researchers… Read More
One of the important conclusions of the 9-11 Commission was that the nation’s 15 intelligence agencies, working in their own areas and toward their own interests – “stovepipes,” in Washington parlance – kept agencies from sharing information and seeing patterns of threats. As a House and Senate conference… Read More
With the execution of dozens of Iraqi army recruits, continued kidnapping of foreigners and aid workers and daily insurgent attacks, few people are talking about the fate of Saddam Hussein. His trial has been delayed by the violence and the inability of the Iraqi judicial system to handle… Read More
Be honest. The Red Sox World Series victory Wednesday night was anticlimactic. Of course, Sox fans will take a World Series victory any way they can get it, especially after an 86-year drought. But, the Sox made it look easy. There were no extra inning games, no blown… Read More
Those automated telephone calls, whether by office seekers, political parties or other organizations, are really annoying. They come in several times a day as the election approaches. If you’re not at home, you still get them on your answering machine. You can’t talk back, even if you agree… Read More
Should the Council of the City of Bangor adopt the following order ratifying all existing city of Bangor indebtedness? The abundant flaws in the 1 percent tax cap – Question 1 on Tuesday’s state ballot – mean it should be rejected by voters. In the… Read More
Do you favor authorizing the Piscataquis County Commissioners to issue general obligation bonds or notes in the name of Piscataquis County in the principal amount not to exceed $952,000, the proceeds to be used for the purpose of county economic development, and to assist in the creation or… Read More
Shall the council of the city of Bangor adopt the following order, authorizing construction of a police headquarters building at 240 Main Street, Bangor, Maine? By voting yes on municipal question 1, Bangor voters have a chance to put the city’s new police station where… Read More
Do you want to make it a crime to hunt bears with bait, traps or dogs, except to protect property, public safety or for research? The biggest failure of Question 2 is that it lumps two bear-hunting practices the majority of the public, and many… Read More
Do you want to limit property taxes to 1% of the assessed value of the property? To say Question 1 is bad fiscal policy, bad education policy and an unwarranted swipe against local control doesn’t really begin to describe it. If passed, the Palesky tax… Read More
The 2nd Congressional District has the luxury of two strong candidates running for the House this year, incumbent Rep. Mike Michaud and president of the Loring Development Authority, Brian Hamel. Both provide solid arguments for the district to send them to Washington, but Rep. Michaud, completing his first… Read More
During his four terms representing Maine’s 1st Congressional District, Tom Allen has demonstrated the ability to stick with an issue and to bring about small changes when giant steps fail. He has been tireless in his determination to make prescription drugs more affordable and to clean up the… Read More
The next four years of the war against terrorism will be defined by what happens next in Iraq. Will the United States seek allies throughout the Middle East and the world to build support for pulling Iraq back from the chaos of a growing civil war or will… Read More
Florida in 2000 was bad enough, with its 36-day delay in determining whether Al Gore or George W. Bush would be president, and the final decision in a hairline 5-4 decision by the United States Supreme Court. But many specialists in the electoral system fear that the Nov. Read More
Red Sox fans have learned over many painful years to not take anything for granted. So even with their team up 8-1 Wednesday night, they could not rest easy. They’d seen it before, their team on the verge of victory only to see a win disappear in the… Read More
Mainers have long had a love-hate relationship with out-of-state homeowners who are gobbling up prime properties along the coast and inland lakes. Maine residents hate it when these newcomers try to tell how to improve things. But Mainers also love to find ways to get the out-of-staters to… Read More
The backlash was inevitable. Now that importing lower-cost drugs from Canada has become so popular among Americans, residents north of the border are worried that their drug supply is being raided by their southern neighbors, putting Canadians at risk of shortages of needed medicines. The fear may not… Read More
State Sen. Chris Hall’s interesting comments reported last weekend about the way Maine redistributes its tax dollars will cause outrage in northern Maine and a few smug nods to the south. But the overwhelming reaction should be puzzlement with the senator, who questioned whether spending on the state’s… Read More
Fall foliage is at its height in much of the state, but change is in the air. The vivid red leaves soon will be dropping off, and the yellow leaves won’t be far behind. But those spectaculars are just introductory acts for what many consider… Read More
When 18 soldiers in Iraq refused an order to join a fuel convoy, the Army immediately locked them up and questioned them. It is unclear if the soldiers’ concerns – that they were being sent on a dangerous mission in poorly maintained trucks lacking armor – got such… Read More
For motivation, nothing works like the threat of a crisis. Towns statewide have organized themselves as never before to persuade voters to reject the proposed 1 percent tax cap on the Nov. 2 ballot. They have warned of danger and doom, of reduced emergency services and cancelled high-school… Read More
Anyone who doubts that the United States is lagging when it comes to upping the fuel economy standards for cars should look across the ocean – to China. With a growing population and burgeoning economy, oil consumption is growing rapidly in China, the world’s second largest car market. Read More
Advocates of importing drugs from Canada to lower prescription costs, including Maine’s senators, must have been surprised to hear President Bush suggest that flu vaccine could come from that country to ease a shortage of the shots. If vaccines can safely be imported from Canada or other countries,… Read More
New England groundfishermen, already upset that the number of days they are allowed to net their catch were reduced by a quarter last year, were further angered earlier this month when the National Marine Fisheries Service closed a large portion of Georges Bank to fishing. The order is… Read More
Congress is moving toward a major overhaul of the nation’s intelligence network, a reform urged by the 9-11 Commission and, by most reports, entirely necessary. But it has stopped short of true reform unless it also changes the way it oversees the 15 agencies within Intelligence, a step… Read More
If those who watched the final presidential debate came away thinking they had not heard anything new and were left wondering how either candidate would pay for the domestic programs they touted, there was good reason. Wednesday night’s debate was less an exchange of ideas than 90 minutes… Read More
The Farmer’s Almanac has predicted a harsh winter, which adds to the worries of low-income Mainers watching heating oil prices rise while their earnings remain stagnant. Congress partially solved the problem by appropriating more money for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). However, the $600 million… Read More
A pat on the head is in order for the group that revised rules that required dogs to be vaccinated against rabies more often than necessary. Starting today, the first day 2005 dog licenses are available, an owner must show proof of a current vaccination in order to… Read More
With this week’s death of “Superman” star Christopher Reeve, the potential benefits of stem cell research are again in the news. Mr. Reeve, who was paralyzed in a horse riding accident nine years ago, was an advocate for pushing the boundaries of medical research, including using stem cells… Read More
Sometimes the Internet bloggers get ahead of the mainstream press and sometimes they indulge in wishful conspiratorial theories. We’re not sure which they did in calling to public attention a rectangular bulge in President Bush’s suit jacket in the first presidential debate. But the Bush campaign would do… Read More
A recent opinion poll showed that some Maine residents are dangerously confused about the consequences of Question 1, the proposal to cap property taxes. Surprisingly, the poll found no difference in the level of support for the measure between southern and northern Maine. What it did find was… Read More
Judith Miller, a reporter for The New York Times, faces a jail sentence of up to 18 months for her refusal to testify in a federal investigation into who leaked the identity of an undercover CIA agent. In a brief but eloquent statement, she said, “I’m very disappointed… Read More
It is fashionable in some circles to deride the rest of the world and to snicker at suggestions that the United States work more closely with international organizations. A recent poll, however, shows that the American people support international cooperation and believe that the United States should sign… Read More
A highly informal poll shows that most folks have a terrible time opening the plastic packages that hold most consumer products these days. What touched off the inquiry was the purchase of a small computer gadget called a “flash drive” at RadioShack. It came nestled between two sheets… Read More
Congress expanded universal telephone service to schools and libraries in 1996 because it wanted them to have access to the Internet. Under a provision in the Telecommunications Act, it even outlined a way to help fund these connections. Ratepayers may not like the method – a charge on… Read More
Saddam Hussein wanted to make new weapons but his aspirations were dashed by international sanctions, according to a report from Charles Duelfer, the Bush administration’s hand-picked weapons inspector. This assessment contrasts sharply with the case built before the invasion of Iraq when the public was warned that Saddam… Read More
A reasonable reaction to the news that flu vaccine will be in short supply this winter is to rush to the doctor’s office in search of a shot before they are gone. This is unnecessary and will put people who really need the vaccine at risk. Read More
The first presidential debate has drawn a clear line between George W. Bush and John Kerry on what the United States should do about North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Except for the continuing war in Iraq, it is probably the worst security threat facing this country. Under the… Read More
Perhaps to demonstrate once and for all that Democrats have not lost sight of the big themes for which they traditionally have stood, the Maine party this week did not appeal a Superior Court decision on whether independent Ralph Nader’s name would appear on the ballot. Instead, its… Read More
Recently, Bangor city councilors unanimously approved the creation of a citizen’s advisory group to help resolve conflicts involving the Penjajawoc marsh. They also approved a state study to evaluate the status of the marsh and stream near the Bangor Mall. Both are long overdue, the importance of which… Read More
No 90-minute debate could cover all the important topics facing the nation, though moderator Gwen Ifill gave it a try Tuesday when Vice President Dick Cheney and Sen. John Edwards met. Still, given the momentous events in Iraq – new information about the assumptions leading to the war… Read More
President Bush and Sen. Kerry didn’t agree on much during their debate last week, but both said nuclear proliferation – “weapons of mass destruction in the hands of a terrorist network,” as the president described it – was one of the most serious threats the nation faces. Three… Read More
It doesn’t really matter whether the threat of a lawsuit prompted Cherryfield Foods to act or whether the company was contemplating changes all along. What matters is that Maine’s biggest grower and processor of blueberries has announced that it will stop aerial spraying of pesticides on its land. Read More
Some missile defense is better than none, according to Bush administration officials. Perhaps, but those few missiles ought to be shown to work exceedingly well if they are to be relied on. The missiles the administration has placed in the Alaska tundra, however, don’t meet that test. Read More
Drugs, some of which save lives while others just end a headache, are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. So are cookies and milk. But, cigarettes, one of the more deadly consumer products, do not fall under FDA jurisdiction. That would change, as it should, if a… Read More
Nearly 93,000 more people live in Maine now than did in 1998, a huge shift from the previous decade, during part of which Maine had a net loss of people, suggesting that Maine is doing at least a few things right. But it is also a phenomenon that… Read More
After the debate Thursday between President George Bush and Sen. John Kerry, it was difficult not to conclude that the preceding year of campaigning had been an enormous waste of time. If you wanted to understand the differences between these two men, on the specifics of foreign policy… Read More
Reimportation of lower-priced prescription drugs from Canada is a Rube Goldberg process for what should be a straightforward transaction. But because Congress cannot overcome its fear of negotiating drug prices – even as it seeks low bidders for much else that it does – reimportation is one of… Read More
From the first discussions of No Child Left Behind, the president’s reform of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, rural states pointed out that the assumptions in the act made school districts all sound urban. NCLB assumed, for instance, an unlimited supply of qualified teachers and offered as… Read More
Along with the California-style referendum on capping property taxes this fall, voters will be asked for their signatures to put a Colorado-style cap on government revenue collection. But just as Maine is not like California, it is not like Colorado, and the Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights must recognize… Read More
With U.S. attention diverted by Iraq and a presidential election, too little attention has been paid to Afghanistan. Security there remains a concern in many areas, training of an Afghan army is progressing slowly and warlords, including some affiliated with the Taliban, control some sectors of the country… Read More
Not to knock the work by the American Legislative Exchange Council, but one of its recent studies, reported on last weekend in Maine, could cloud the question of how this state’s students are performing. In the council’s report, it concludes that Maine placed a dismal 41st on its… Read More
Maine officials during the last 20 years have come up with all sorts of reasons to explain why more of the state’s high-school graduates haven’t gone to college. They weren’t prepared academically; they weren’t ready socially. Costs were too high; aspirations too low. Families weren’t encouraging enough. All… Read More
There are many reasons to be concerned about sprawl – it eats up open space and wildlife habitat, it drives up the cost of municipal services as the population spreads out. A new study provides a more personal reason – it’s bad for your health. Read More
Good for Gov. John Baldacci for wanting Mainers to get in shape. With skyrocketing health insurance costs and thousands of Mainers suffering from preventable ailments caused or made worse by a lack of physical activity, fitness should be a top priority. It will take a lot more than… Read More
Ready or not seems to be the Bush administration’s motto for the promised elections in Iraq. President Bush and Ayad Allawi, Iraq’s interim prime minister, vowed together in the White House Rose Garden that free elections in Iraq would go forward in January as scheduled. Britain’s Tony Blair… Read More
Recent human deaths from bird flu in East Asia have brought a warning that a pandemic – a widespread or global epidemic – of the disease may be looming. At the least, it could mean catastrophe for producers of domestic fowls who would have to destroy their flocks… Read More
If a new power line needs to be built connecting Maine to eastern Canada – and the governing body of New England’s power grid says it does – the new route chosen by Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. is a good one. Recently, Bangor Hydro announced plans… Read More
Unlike many other states, Maine has not rushed into unproven, manipulation-prone touch-screen voting machines, which may well lead elsewhere to confusion, fraud, protest and delay in the approaching presidential election. Maine’s Elections Division, a branch of the Department of the Secretary of State, has had the wisdom to… Read More
For those who thought predictions of massive holes in municipal budgets and deep cuts in services were hype meant to scare voters away from approving the tax cap measure on the November ballot, a report released this week by the University of Maine provides some sobering numbers. Not… Read More
With endangered wild Atlantic salmon returning to Maine rivers in such low numbers, cormorants, which eat the migratory fish, are now in the crosshairs of federal regulators. They are looking for ways to reduce the numbers of the black birds, which are ubiquitous in rivers and estuaries, so… Read More
A mathematics teacher has created a stir in Charleston, S.C., by proposing that Iraqis be asked to vote on whether they want U.S. military forces to leave their country or stay longer. In a brief letter to the editor of The New York Times, Herb Silverman wrote: “Since… Read More
Caught between a public, including the families of the 9-11 victims who wonder why it takes Washington three years to reform an intelligence system that failed them, and the powerful friends of the Department of Defense, the Senate this week moved forward thoughtfully with an overhaul of the… Read More
Young adults have long had a reputation for being self-absorbed and apathetic about politics. The fact that voters between the age of 18 and 24 are half as likely to vote as their older counterparts bears out the latter. This year, however, youth voters are paying close attention… Read More
It is confounding that so-called safety advocates would rather have tractor-trailer rigs carrying logs, gravel, heavy equipment and other commodities through downtown Bangor and along narrow rural roads instead of traveling on straighter and safer roads. This is the practical result of their opposition to measures to raise… Read More
A U.S. district judge last week found the rules of the Federal Election Commission didn’t reflect the intent of Congress when two years ago it passed its landmark campaign finance reform. Worse, according to the judge, the FEC may have created loopholes that make the use of soft… Read More
It is unfortunate that it took a request from the Bush administration to use more than $3 billion in funds for security in Iraq to tell some members of Congress how badly things were going there. That money was appropriated for rebuilding, but reality dictates that the money… Read More
While reducing pollution from school buses is a noble, but certainly not novel, cause, there are much bigger steps the federal government can take to clean the air in Maine. So, while the schoolchildren Michael Leavitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, meets in Portland today aren’t… Read More
The Maine Chamber of Commerce promised a month or so ago to provide an alternative to the Palesky tax cap, allowing voters to reject the heavy-handed swipe at municipal governments while having reason to believe a better option was likely. Last week, chamber President Dana Connors delivered a… Read More
At a time when standardized tests have gained prominence – and the ire of many educators – because of the federal No Child Left Behind program, students, parents, teachers and others are right to worry about how learning will be measured in Maine. Rather than follow the national… Read More
Through a series of campus meetings and in dozens of exchanges, the University of Maine System’s strategic plan has become stronger and more sharply focused on quality, on the specific roles of each university and on aligning itself with the growing Community College System. The major remaining objection… Read More
CBS News anchor Dan Rather made questions over the veracity of documents he used on the show “60 Minutes II” much more difficult by an aggressive refusal, at least initially, to consider that he might have been duped. CBS now says it will investigate the charge, which it… Read More
Senate leaders Republican Bill Frist and Democrat Tom Daschle this summer gave the Senate’s Governmental Affairs Committee the major job of turning the conclusions of the 9-11 Commission report on intelligence into legislation that that could be supported by both parties and passed this fall. The committee accomplished… Read More
The final run on the Maine Central Railroad line between Brewer and Calais took place Nov. 20, 1985. For the nearly 19 years since, the question of what to do with those tracks has stalled, for the past several years over whether the track can be revived to… Read More
Suffering through chickenpox used to be a childhood rite of passage. Now, fortunately, children can avoid the itchy, and potentially dangerous, disease by simply getting a shot. Beginning this year, students in kindergarten, first, second and ninth grades must show proof that they have been vaccinated against the… Read More
Every four years, there’s a surge in demands to abolish the Electoral College. The New York Times recently reversed itself and came out for abolition. Its editorial argued that the election of a president by 538 electors rather than by the voters themselves is “a ridiculous setup, which… Read More
Homeowners waiting to see whether the Palesky tax cap passes should keep in mind that Maine already has a property-tax break for those who qualify. The Circuit Breaker Program (officially, the Property Tax and Rent Refund) knocks up to $1,000 off annual property taxes, a lot of money… Read More
President Bush and his Democratic rival John Kerry seem to be competing for who can scare American voters the most about possible North Korean nuclear weapons. Mr. Bush listed the country with Iraq and Iran as members of an “axis of evil” and thus as potential targets for… Read More
Say you were a candidate for political office in Maine and by mid-September you still hadn’t done your homework about the economic, social and environmental conditions here. Before this year, you would have been forced to panic, allow yourself to be shocked and dismayed by whatever your opponent… Read More
Whatever officials in the United States and elsewhere choose to call the atrocities in the Darfur region in the Sudan, it is clear that international help is needed to put them to an end. Secretary of State Colin Powell last week labeled the killings in the region “genocide,”… Read More
After all the hubbub and cheering and booing of the Democratic and Republican conventions, what a relief to have all that meaningless hoopla behind us. Now it is time for getting down to the serious issues that figure in the choice of the next president and the country’s… Read More
The third anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is a time for solemn remembrance of the 3,000 who were killed. In the wake of a commission report that highlights the missteps before the attacks and the need for reforms in the intelligence community and elsewhere after them,… Read More
If the question in the Millinocket area is whether the region’s future will be about either timber or tourism, the answer is, “Both.” This opportunity can be seen in a proposal to build a resort complex on Millinocket Lake; it’s a plan that relies on both aspects of… Read More
The governor’s office should support the arts in Maine even if they never produce a dime in revenue, but Gov. Baldacci’s recent comments about his view of the role of the arts in the creative economy should have thrilled their supporters. He is asking the public to regard… Read More
Vietnam War-weary voters are experiencing another battle in the presidential election concerning what the two contenders did or failed to do more than 30 years ago. President Bush’s Air National Guard record is at issue this time, giving Republicans another chance to be infuriated, but they should make… Read More
There are many reasons students drop out of college – money, homesickness, lack of preparation. When these problems arise, new students often don’t know where to turn for help, advice and support and heading home is often the easiest choice. The University of Maine hopes to change this… Read More
A Pentagon report that calls for more resources to build an agile specialized fighting force and less for costly equipment like tanks and planes is long overdue. Although weapons contractors are likely to try to stall the reforms presented in the Pentagon slide show, training and recruiting more… Read More
If Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reported call to Pakistan yesterday was as effective as those made by the United States, his terrorism problems are a long way from being solved. Mr. Putin’s reaction to his country’s tragedy in Beslan last week, however, demonstrates how international the struggle with… Read More
It’s nice that members of the Bangor City Council want to help downtown business owners free up parking spaces for their customers. However, it is up to the business owners, not the city, to devise ways to stop employees from taking prime parking spots on the street. Read More
Three troubled airlines are moving toward possible default of their pension plans, and others could follow. The worst case would throw billions of dollars in pension liabilities onto the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp., a U.S. government agency that insures private retirement accounts for 44 million people. It pays… Read More
Now that the kids are back in school, it is time to make decisions about what to pack in their lunch bags or what to let them buy at school. Some companies – even those long known for making unhealthy products – are making it easier for parents… Read More
Ever since President Grover Cleveland signed an act making the first Monday in September a legal holiday to honor America’s workers, Labor Day has been a holiday of conflicting themes, an odd mixture of the somber and the frivolous. Even 19th century labor organizer Peter J. McGuire, credited… Read More
Everybody expects clean water to come out of the tap when they turn it on. In many communities the water pipes and storage facilities necessary to get the water to the tap have been in place for a century. As with any old system, problems start to arise. Read More
Acceptance speeches at political conventions have only one rule: Say nothing that your opponent could later use to embarrass you. After that, the smart candidate satisfies his most pressing potential shortcoming. In John Kerry’s case it was to introduce himself as a strong leader, capable of handling whatever… Read More