Tag Archives: Medicaid expansion

Infrastructure funding will determine whether Maine is not Washington

Well, at the very least, things are consistent. Just over a year ago, I wrote that Democrats — in Augusta and Washington — are a study in contrasts. It’s still true today. In the past 10 days, we saw two traditional ceremonies take place. In our nation’s capital, a procession of House Democrats marched to […]

Measure growth, cut government, and grow the economy

It’s that time of year. No, not mud season (although it is that too). It is the time when the “Maine Economic Growth Council” — an organization established by law at the end of Gov. Jock McKernan’s tenure — releases its annual report known as the “Measures of Growth.” It takes a snapshot of certain […]

Skip the extensions and pay your sales taxes

Tax day hath cometh and goeth. I hope you sent your paperwork to the IRS, or got an extension. Meanwhile, the state Legislature is no longer meeting. Maine law requires them to adjourn their “short session” by April 18, or get an extension, which they failed to do. Like the proverbial college student, they waited […]

The lesson from Tuesday? Buckle up for a wild ride.

Another exercise in American democracy has come and gone. Now, hopefully, the campaigns will get their signs picked up before the snow flies. As we prepare for another Maine winter, what can we learn from Tuesday’s results? Maine is a center-right state. Yes, the retort to this assertion will be “but Medicaid expansion!” However, advocates […]

Cheers to our corporations

While it probably won’t have a catchy name, Mainers will remember the October storm for years to come. With more power outages and likely a higher total cost than the infamous Ice Storm, it would be hard to forget. So thank goodness for corporations. Wait, what? Directing hate towards “corporations” is a cause celebre in […]

Read past this headline, or you may not understand what’s really going on

“Report: Majority Of Portland Residents Can’t Afford Average Rent, Median Home Prices” “There’s a growing gap between Republicans and Democrats on helping needy” Read those two headlines. Now, what is your first impression? Probably that Portland is on the verge of mass homelessness and that one political party doesn’t want to help needy individuals. Back […]

I’ve got all the answers. Now what was the question?

42. That’s a Deep Thought. Well, more specifically, it is the result given by a supercomputer called “Deep Thought” as the “Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything” in the famous book, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” by Douglas Adams. That strange and esoteric response led Deep Thought to explain […]