Seize the opportunities June 15, 2018 by Staff on Editorials, Opinion Late spring in Maine brings many new beginnings, including numerous college and high school graduations. It is a ceremony of passage, leaving one place, one step in life, and leaping to the next. America’s youth are worldlier and possess more technological aptitude than any generation before them, giving them tools to meet challenges unforeseen barely …
Debt clock keeps on ticking June 14, 2018 by Staff on Editorials, Opinion America’s federal debt now exceeds $21.2 trillion and each citizen’s share of that debt is more than $64,500. The Congressional Budget Office, in its “Budget and Economic Outlook: 2018-2028,” says that our federal debt is projected to be on a steadily rising trajectory throughout the coming decade. Debt held by the public, which has doubled …
The better part of valor June 8, 2018 by Staff on Editorials, Opinion The Municipal Review Committee (MRC) voted last Thursday to allow member towns to rely, temporarily, on their former trash-to-energy partner, the Penobscot Energy Recovery Co. (PERC), for garbage disposal. The decision was rational and expedient. It also was painful. Had everything gone according to plan, the Municipal Review Committee’s 115 member towns would be sending …
Cost containment June 6, 2018 by Staff on Editorials, Opinion Supporters of more and larger government often dismiss the suggestion that public spending (your tax dollars) needs to be managed as a private company manages its budget — maximizing every dollar on a profit/loss ratio. True, many public programs are difficult to measure in terms of gains vs. losses. In other areas, however, public spending …
If it ain’t broke June 1, 2018 by Staff on Editorials, Opinion The old saw that politics makes for strange bedfellows found new relevance on May 21. On that date, Jason Savage, executive director of the Maine Republican Party, found support in the wisdom of California’s uber-liberal Democrat Governor, Jerry Brown. At issue was ranked choice voting, which is a contender for top topic as we prepare …
Maine: A power cord for other states? May 30, 2018 by Staff on Editorials, Opinion For seven and a half years, Governor LePage has decried Maine’s high energy costs and worked to address both supply and cost issues for businesses and homeowners. In his recent weekly radio address, the Governor sent out a request for experts to provide more insight into the rapidly changing energy landscape. He asked how Maine …
Legacies, deadlines and dubious politics May 25, 2018 by Staff on Editorials, Opinion On June 12, Democrat and Republican party members will vote for their respective candidates in the primary elections. The plurality “party” of Mainers, the unenrolled voters, will be on the sidelines, watching. Eighteen days after these primary elections, the state’s fiscal year will end. The possibility exists that several major legislative bills will remain unreconciled. …
For love of country May 23, 2018 by Staff on Editorials, Opinion The meaning of a holiday can get lost in its trappings — decorations, days off, family dinners. Such can be the case with Memorial Day, a day that in Maine has the added distinction of being the unofficial start to the summer tourist season. Open the I-95 floodgates: They’re coming. What Memorial Day is supposed …
Putting our House in order May 18, 2018 by Staff on Editorials, Opinion The second regular session of the 128th Maine Legislature convened Jan. 3 and adjourned, unceremoniously, May 2 — two weeks past its statutory adjournment date of April 18. In 15 weeks of committee meetings and hearings, the Legislature fiddled with hundreds of non-emergency bills, while deferring action on the critical legislation affecting the majority of …
Source unknown May 18, 2018 by Staff on Editorials, Opinion When President Trump claims that reports in the New York Times, CNN and elsewhere are “fake news,” his declaration is rarely met with universal concurrence. “Inconvenient news” might be closer to the mark. The President is on firmer ground when he criticizes reporters’ use of unnamed sources. News stories developed from “sources familiar with the …
