A prescription drug bill in the U.S. Senate will sound familiar to Mainers who watched this state lead the nation in slowing the rise in costs of essential medications. Congress, which will be playing for considerably higher stakes, is looking to Canada for help, but could find relief… Read More
From the “Research That Is Disturbing for All the Wrong Reasons” file: Scientists have discovered that microwave energy, like that emitted by cellular telephones, causes cell disruption in microscopic soil worms. The study results were reported the day after the British government determined there is… Read More
Given their similar uses, it is easy to see why Social Security might be confused with an individual retirement account, in which a participant puts in money, gains interest tax free and then draws on the account upon retirement. And unlike Social Security, IRAs can be passed on… Read More
The state’s revenue surplus allowed lawmakers last session to approve two significant projects that eventually will help Maine businesses move goods more efficiently around the state. These projects are likely to look like smart investments over the next decade. First, the Legislature approved $3.6 million… Read More
Ford Motor Co. launched the sport utility vehicle craze in 1990 with its Explorer model. For a decade, Ford has profited enormously by convincing the public that an oversized station wagon capable of roaring up mountainsides and tearing across trackless deserts was just what was needed for a… Read More
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine and Anthem Insurance have worked hard for months to persuade the public that the sale of Blue Cross to the Indiana insurer is in the best interest of subscribers specifically and Maine generally. Now, with a debate over executive compensation, they… Read More
No one thought it strange when a regionwide meeting on school violence last year was held, not at one of the local public schools, but at the Bangor Theological Seminary. When pro-life and pro-choice advocates needed a place to discuss the issue of abortion, they met at the… Read More
Whether Onel de Guzman’s Love Letter computer virus and worm is a source of national pride, as his local paper is reported to have proclaimed (“The country’s first world-class hacker,” read one headline) it was instantly ruinous and certainly costly to computer users worldwide. Though the college student… Read More
Identifying a diversity of women simply as moms in these identity-sensitive times is full of risk, but the million or hundred thousand marchers Sunday in Washington and 60 other cities have an unusual opportunity as moms this Mother’s Day. They can fulfill the traditional role of mom as… Read More
The landmark prescription drug bill approved by Maine lawmakers this week was vitally important not only to Maine residents, but to the nation itself as it seeks a way to make these crucial medications affordable to everyone. Augusta should be proud of its work on this issue. Read More
At first glance, the $100 million lawsuit filed by whale activist Richard Max Strahan against the federal and state officials responsible for fixed-gear fisheries seems like a new round in the old and tiresome death match between intractable opponents. The central issue initially seems almost cosmic: Does the… Read More
Congressional Democrats recently filed a federal racketeering lawsuit against House Majority Whip Tom DeLay. The allegation is that the Texas Republican, always known as a tough mug, has elevated his party fund-raising technique from figurative arm-twisting to literal knee-capping. Republicans respond with the charge that… Read More
Fifty-five years ago today residents of eastern and northern Maine awoke to a thick, wet coating of snow that closed schools, toppled telephone poles and ruined apple crops. During one memorable night, May 10, 1945, and the following day, the promise of an early spring… Read More
Brunswick Technologies Inc., which is being hotly pursued by a rival in what has been described as a hostile takeover, must feel flattered at being thought so desirable. But BTI’s board members, who stand to lose their positions in the takeover, want the Legislature on its final day… Read More
The latest FBI figures showing another year of reduced crime had national law-enforcement experts earlier this week wondering whether this decade-long drop could continue or if the only slight reduction seen in large cities signaled an end to the good news. An interesting report from a group called… Read More
Alert shoppers know they can shame Kathie Lee Gifford into making sure her clothing line is not produced in sweatshops; they know Nike can be pressured to at least appear concerned about the factory conditions where its sneakers are produced. But the question before Congress is whether it… Read More
A bill that will identify products containing mercury will go far to encourage recycling of the dangerous element and reduce its potential harm in the environment. The bill requires all devices and consumer goods that contain mercury to bear a label indicating the metal’s use. Read More
Corporations, it is often said, do not have consciences. Some, however, do have emotions. As the recent blackout of ABC by Time Warner Cable demonstrates, a few can even throw a good hissy fit. In this prime-time example of how two wrongs usually just make… Read More
It’s no mystery to veterans in Orland, Farmington or St. Agatha that a trip to the Togus Veterans Affairs Hospital in Augusta is not easily accomplished. So we may all be forgiven for wondering why an independent study was even needed of how hard it is for rural… Read More
Maine Yankee wants a $2.2 million state sales tax exemption on the storage system being built for spent fuel rods at the defunct nuclear plant in Wiscasset. Although such requests usually are accompanied by a request for a local property-tax break, a company spokesman says that won’t be… Read More
Chief Justice Daniel Wathen’s recent comments on plea bargaining will find varied, if not enthusiastic agreement among prosecutors. His observation that these pleas have become harmfully commonplace and need to be reduced would be helped, first, if judges give greater weight to recommended sentences in cases that do… Read More
Strong opposition to the sale of Blue Cross of Maine to Anthem Insurance of Indiana, as a recent poll showed, is not sufficient reason on its own to embrace the alternative plan from Blue Cross of Massachusetts. But it is good reason for the public to understand the… Read More
For two years, the Justice Department hounded Microsoft, certain that the world’s largest software company was abusing its monopoly position in operating systems to stifle competition in software applications. Last November, Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson said it was so and the focus shifted to how the behemoth should… Read More
Guilford of Maine already was known for its work in education through the Maine technical college system. Its gift this week to SAD 4 of a laptop program was more than just generosity or a way to help its workers perform their jobs better. It was a powerful… Read More
Gov. Angus King outlined his legal argument the other day against listing Atlantic salmon as an endangered species. And while he may not have made any new friends among the people bringing suit to force the listing, on at least one point he had all heads nodding. Read More
The federal Veteran’s Administration gets a discount on prescription drugs. So does Medicaid. And so does the Pentagon. And so do health maintenance organizations and other insurers. And so do Canadians and the general public of every industrial nation on the planet — except for the United States. Read More
When Congress convened back in February, it seemed the one tie that bound Republicans and Democrats was bipartisan desire to end the marriage tax. As the November election draws ever more near, that wholesome desire is being overcome by craven lust for political advantage. Early… Read More
The legislative session that ended Friday was so dominated by one subject — teacher fingerprinting — that one easily could assume nothing is more important to lawmakers than protecting children from sexual predators. Imagine their surprise, then, at this Sunday headline from New Hampshire: “Sexual offenders see haven… Read More
Having approved the medicinal use of marijuana last November, Mainers will have to wait until at least this coming November, and possibly longer, before sick people can receive the drug. That may be for the best. LD 2580, a bill that would have put a… Read More
The Great Bangor Fire of 1911 stands as the city’s single most horrific and defining event of the 20th century. Eighty-nine years ago tomorrow, the still of another Sunday afternoon was shattered by a wind-whipped inferno that claimed two lives, six churches, a synagogue, dozens of private residences… Read More
What was striking since the beginning of the debate over background checks for school personnel was the lack of specifics by the state about the program and the absolute certainty that it must go forward immediately. Now that Gov. Angus King has vetoed the Legislature’s attempt to limit… Read More
The Bangor Police Department deserves credit for responding to citizen complaints against speeding. Its increased enforcement is likely to make the city and safer and more livable place this summer. The department began last December adding speed patrols and increasing the number of warnings and… Read More
The Maine Senate voted for a $345 million majority budget Monday by a vote of 16-9. While the first number got all the attention, the second pair should raise some eyebrows. A total of 25 votes were cast. The Senate consists of 35 members. Do… Read More
The Legislature’s basic policy on gambling — that it’s bad, except when the state’s running the games — is frustrating, baffling and incomprehensible. The same can be said for the Legislature’s basic attitude toward the state’s Indian tribes — that they deserve a shot at economic development except… Read More
Education programs in the recently concluded state supplemental budget picked up $110 million of the $345 million spent; tax breaks accounted for another $100 million in one-time and ongoing savings. Along with the money spent through the tobacco settlement, these issues were the winners this session in what… Read More
After weeks of tough negotiations and hard-fought compromise on a supplemental budget, lawmakers were in no mood Monday for a last-minute amendment by Rep. Adam Mack to exempt pet food from the sales tax. Some legislators were openly derisive of the proposal, most simply did not want to… Read More
Maine’s largest health-insurance problem is not the ability of the insured to sue their managed-care company but the fact that more than 160,000 residents have no health-care insurer at all. While there is no particularly good reason for the managed-care industry to get a free ride when it… Read More
House Majority Whip Tom DeLay says it made him ashamed to be an American. Sen. Bob Graham, Florida Democrat, says it was insensitive and crude to do it on Easter weekend. Republican National Committee Chairman Jim Nicholson says it was “unnecessary, unlawful, ill-advised and ham-handed,” but then urges… Read More
Maine’s members of Congress, with a little prompting from constituents, have been pointing out the problem for years, but health-care experts last week still seemed shocked that federal money for home care has dropped so low since the mid-1990s. When they recover from that shock, they might do… Read More
The Legislature returns to work today after a well-deserved week of rest and relaxation. On the issue of fingerprinting school personnel, perhaps some reflection as well. Rarely does something so grounded in good intentions become so swamped by confusion and anger, or a question so… Read More
It probably won’t be known until next week if Gov. King will veto the living-wage bill, legislation that ties public support of business to business support of the working public. However, anyone who can unravel the subtleties of the phrase “major concerns” heard from the governor’s office probably… Read More
The Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty opens in New York Monday. This regular five-year assessment of how well the world is doing in preventing nuclear destruction will be conducted amid the old familiar atmosphere of urgency and a new one of hope. The hope… Read More
Senate Republicans have tossed a wrench into the budget works built by the governor, Democrats and House Republicans. It’s probably not enough to bring it to a halt — nor should it — but amid the clang and clatter, a good point can be heard. Read More
Divorce is difficult. Throw in a child custody dispute and it becomes sorrow. Make that child an infant and it’s heartbreaking. LD 2307, a bill that adds breast-feeding to the list of factors a judge may consider in awarding custody, won’t make things any easier for the parents. Read More
As Congress prepares to reconcile two plans for a home heating oil reserve in the Northeast that could avert repeats of this winter’s shortages and price hikes, oil industry experts are calling the whole idea merely feel-good politicking in an election year, a waste of time and energy… Read More
Not far from where Maine’s current governor lives, the former home of Maine’s most famous governor is about to undergo a significant restoration. Gov. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s house on Maine Street in Brunswick, which had served as an apartment house for 44 years before being saved from the… Read More
Legislative Democrats, and, indeed, the entire Education Committee, had high hopes this past session for a major increase in General Purpose Aid to Education. They discovered — and should have known beforehand — that high hopes alone rarely pass legislation. Before the next session begins, advocates for a… Read More
For good reason, the Clinton administration’s foreign-policy record has not been recorded as one of the nation’s most stellar. For even better reasons, the president’s record on China is even more suspect. But Monday’s decision by the White House, against selling four Aegis-class destroyers to Taiwan but in… Read More
It is difficult to say whether there is a connection between the two, but a recent poll found that Americans generally believed the presidential race is too long and a large majority do not know the positions of the candidates. If this sounds like an old Woody Allen… Read More
The forest industry may object strenuously to the phrasing of a recent poll on certifying their cutting practices, but the results show a useful path for the future of the industry. They are especially important given the concern Maine has had in recent years about how heavily the… Read More
A year ago, the operative phrase for the Maine Youth Center was “woefully inadequate.” Now, it’s “substantial improvement.” The next step, if Maine lawmakers can nurture the nonpartisan, cooperative spirit that got the South Portland juvenile corrections facility this far, could — and should — be “national model.”… Read More
As much fun as it may be to look to Massachusetts and shake one’s head in bemusement, there’s little amusing in the news that the Big Dig — a multibillion-dollar project to improve traffic through Boston — has gone bankrupt. Not only was this project of importance to… Read More
When Mainers turned in Thursday night, they had every reason to believe that the controverial teacher fingerprinting law would be amended to apply to new hires only and that their state would be the first in the nation to do something about soaring drug prices besides throw more… Read More
The recent report by the National Academy of Sciences on genetic foods, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s disqualification of these foods from organic standards, strongly suggests that the federal government is getting the message that the public has been sending for nearly a decade. The academy’s… Read More
A report last week from the American Medical Association’s Institute for Ethics that found 39 percent of doctors deceived insurers about patients’ health to help them get necessary care. As that the report was being released, Aetna U.S. Healthcare settled a lawsuit in Texas by agreeing to stop… Read More
The key question lawmakers needed to ask when they were told by the pharmaceutical industry that “price controls do not work” is, “Do not work for whom?” Because for all the bluster about state and federal bills that seek lower drug prices for the public, negotiated prices are… Read More
The town formerly known as Madrid held its last official get-together Saturday. Having voted itself out of municipal existence last year, the purpose of this year’s gathering was to divvy up the late town’s estate — trucks, buildings and all the rest. A primary factor in Madrid’s vote… Read More
Miffed by the Natural Resource Council of Maine’s support for a bill that would have tied tax breaks and other business subsidies to compliance with pollution laws, a group of angry Republican legislators filed a complaint against the state’s largest environmental organization, alleging it had not fully reported… Read More
There’s a joke going around Buffalo, N.Y., a city that has lost a substantial portion of its population in the 1990s. The New York Times recently reported the joke this way: One way to tell you’re from Buffalo is that half of your friends have moved to Charlotte,… Read More
Where the Legislature starts as it removes the tax on pensions for retired government employees is not nearly as important as where it ends up. Removing this tax is a matter of fairness toward people who have devoted their careers – or, in the case of the military,… Read More
The Maine Senate distinguished itself Saturday by giving bipartisan support to a bill that brings much-needed public oversight to the use of public bonds that finance student loans. The House can do the same today — if it can see through offensive and misleading opposition fog. Read More
Maine ranks 50th among the states, dead last, in Medicare reimbursement. This has long been a concern of the state’s hospitals, struggling to keep costs down and services available, of Gov. King, who is foming a coalition of other under-reimbursed states, of the congressional delegation, which is backing… Read More
The Mental Health Department’s flexibility in postponing a methadone treatment-program in Bangor was a positive sign for the city and the potential treatment program itself. Federal, state and local officials can use the next couple of months to get a better appreciation of each other’s concerns and devise… Read More
When the Legislature first heard of single factor apportionment based on sales (SFAS) early this session, the hot, new economic-development tool was touted as a way to make new-economy mutual fund businesses race into the state. The bill now emerging from the Legislature, which could virtually eliminate income… Read More
One may reasonably question why Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush chose this week to pick on the federal Superfund as a way of assailing Democratic challenger Al Gore’s environmental record. One may also wonder why Gov. Bush, failing to learn from the mistakes his own father once… Read More
Beyond the impressive qualities of the person nominated this week to fill the position left by the death of U.S. District Judge Morton Brody, the members of Maine’s congressional delegation are to be congratulated for their unified effort to move this process along. Their action might inspire Congress… Read More
The official name of the major environmental bill in the Senate is the Conservation and Reinvestment Act. The unofficial name might be the Sen. John Chafee Act. The late Sen. Chafee — Republican of Rhode Island, strong environmentalist, dear friend of Maine — was not only a key… Read More
Compromise to produce a better tobacco-money package is still possible in the Legislature, and while both Democratic and Republican proposals contain some good ideas, combining them would make the result even stronger. Here are a few proposals that deserve to be in the final package:… Read More
Bangor is defined through its history with fire, most importantly, the one that leveled much of the downtown in 1911. Myriad photos and essays recall, first, how that fire raged out of control, and, later, how the city rebuilt itself. But what do you say about a fire… Read More
With the anxiety over high fuel prices hardly abating even as gasoline prices begin to fall, it takes courage to defend fact and environmental priorities before an expectant electorate. For that, Maine’s Sen. Olympia Snowe deserves applause. Sen. Snowe, a member of the Senate Budget… Read More
Back in December, the last time legislators had to deal with cost overruns for the State House restoration, the pain of budget-busting bids was soothed by the explanation that high prices were the price Maine paid for a booming economy. Construction was lively, contractors were, as busy Mainers… Read More
A couple of years ago, Ron Yechout was elk hunting in Oregon’s Coast Range when he discovered employees of a nearby federal salmon hatchery bashing adult coho salmon with baseball bats. Mr. Yechout captured the slaughter with his video camera. The explanation offered by state… Read More
Given the gigantic cost overruns at the state Capitol, legislators’ request for a mere $627,000 to supply each of them with a laptop computer seems almost too small to consider, until you remember their disdain for Gov. Angus King’s idea to supply laptops to all seventh-graders in Maine… Read More
No fear strikes parents more deeply than their children falling to harm. In that, everyone understands a desire to do what can be done to ensure children are safe. So while the identification kits being distributed by Skowhegan police are most useful after a tragic event, they are… Read More
Bangor city councilors and local law-enforcement officers have reasonably requested that state officials postpone placing a heroin-treatment center here until a police program just getting under way is given time to work. The state Office of Substance Abuse wants to go forward anyway, and may have the legal… Read More
The weather man provided the opportunity. The men and women of the Fort Kent area are doing the rest. Three weeks ago, and with just a few days notice, the U.S. Junior Biathlon Championships were moved from the world-renowned and unexpectedly snowless Olympic facility at… Read More
It will be clear Monday to the state superintendent of insurance, if it is not already, that the proposed sale of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine to Anthem Insurance Co. is unacceptable to a significant number of Maine doctors and professional groups in health care. The… Read More
The same politicians who denied Sen. John McCain’s assertions that campaign money influenced congressional votes are now declaring a proposal by Vice President Al Gore unworkable because it cuts off donors’ access to members of Congress. The contradiction shows, first, that they are being less than honest toward… Read More
Several of the state’s most prominent and experienced Republican legislators have taken strong stands lately for ethical conduct in the public arena. When concerns arose that a Maine citizen’s free speech rights were abridged, Rep. Henry Joy called for an investigation that could have led to the removal… Read More
During the most heated parts of the Cold War, America’s huge arsenal of long-range nuclear weapons clearly served their intended purpose. Mutually assured destruction — the fact that so many weapons were deployed, neither the United States nor the Soviet Union could assure its survival once the bombs… Read More
Members of the Legislature’s Business and Economic Development Committee can do a lot today to assure the public that the state’s tax-exempt bonds used to finance student loans are producing a good return on investment by increasing access to higher education in Maine. They can do that only… Read More
To local chambers of commerce, it’s dual utilization. To Maine’s public-interest groups, it’s double dipping. Whatever one wants to call it, there is something wrong with the current practice of businesses getting a tax break from their town and then a tax break from the state on taxes… Read More
His generosity to the Bangor region generally has come quietly, but this time businessman Christopher Hutchins properly has stepped into the limelight to lead the redevelopment of the city’s waterfront. The gift of an amphitheater from the Hutchins family is important and appreciated for many reasons, most importantly… Read More
The Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce was appointed by Congress in October 1998 to study the impact of federal, state, local and international taxation and tariffs on Internet access and transactions. A key element of the task before this panel of trade, taxation, telecommunications and technology experts was… Read More
With strong support in the House and expected support in the Senate, advocates for the mentally ill who rely on guardians soon will again be making a case to the public that these Maine residents deserve a right to vote. They will have a formidable challenge, as the… Read More
What began as a clarification of how game wardens stop motor vehicles has turned into a question in the Legislature of whether wardens should do anything but intercede in the most egregious hunting, fishing and trapping violations. Before lawmakers declare open season on some of Maine’s most-effective conservation… Read More
Congress has rejected a bill to provide immediate relief from high gasoline and heating oil prices that included measures specifically aiding New England. Key lawmakers from oil-producing states engineered the defeat, saying what the nation really needs is a long-range policy to increase domestic production and to lessen… Read More
The investment firm J.P. Morgan has an ad campaign which asserts that the glass is half full only if you’re busy filling it. It’s a moderately clever twist on the old half empty/half full conundrum, one that is particularly applicable to Maine’s efforts to build a high-tech industry. Read More
The Justice Department has taken on a tricky but entirely justified job of examining whether e-mail records regarding campaign funding raising had been suppressed by the White House. But in going forward with this search in the middle of a presidential race, Justice also has an obligation to… Read More
If either George W. Bush or Al Gore enjoys a 40-percentage-point lead in the polls over his opponent on Nov. 3, he probably won’t worry too much about how things turn out on Nov. 17. But in Russia, where Vladimir Putin, the current president, enjoys just such a… Read More
State senators this week got some reinforcing information suggesting that they were correct in their vote to prohibit drivers under 21 from carrying passengers other than immediate family for the first 90 days they are licensed. The information should help the full Legislature support this life-saving measure. Read More
Though it will probably be called Vermont’s gay marriage law, the bill creating civil unions supported last week by that state’s House of Representatives mentions marriage only to point out that this isn’t it. Instead, it is, first and last, a legal, rather than religious, document that provides… Read More
Not content with having acted with decency last year by voting to protect restaurant workers from tobacco smoke, lawmakers now are considering a bill to rollback these protections and give a pass to bowling alleys and pool halls on smoking restrictions. If the major gripe about last year’s… Read More
With approximately 200 people per year being added to the list of mentally retarded adults waiting for day and residential services in Maine, two legislative committees this session properly endorsed additional funding for these programs. The challenge now is twofold: Keep the added $5 million in the budget… Read More
With the nation in frenzy over rising gasoline prices, congressional Republicans almost had a two-fer: Eliminate the 4.3 cent federal gas tax increase passed by a Democratic-controlled Congress in 1993; label it the Gore Tax, after the vice president who cast the tie-breaking vote. It would have worked… Read More
A little more than a year ago, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University published a report card on the management practices of all 50 state governments. The states were graded essentially on the extent to which they conducted the people’s business in a… Read More
As the congressional debate over Medicare continues, a quiet proposal designed to help visually impaired seniors lead independent lives is not getting the attention it deserves. The bill stands strong on its own merits and could be a model for future Medicare proposals. The Medicare… Read More
If this is the information age, how do you explain so many legislators so seemingly confused about the details of Gov. Angus King’s laptop proposal? Whether Gov. King could have done a better job explaining how his plan would annually provide seventh-graders with laptop computers and teachers with… Read More
Given the federal government’s intransigence toward the medicinal use of marijuana, one can easily empathize with the position held by Maine’s chief drug-enforcement officer, Roy McKinney of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency. Mr. McKinney told a legislative committee Monday that he opposes having his agency… Read More
This week’s attempt to launch an inquiry into the job performance of Attorney General Andrew Ketterer that could have led to his removal from office was kindled by smoldering grudges held by some of Maine’s more conservative elements. It flared up in that late-session environment of haste when… Read More