Tag Archives: Legislature

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 […]

Maine must clean up the ranked-choice voting mess

What a mess. That’s the only word I can find that fits the trials and tribulations of ranked-choice voting. Last week, the secretary of state and attorney general found mistakes in the people’s veto effort, which plunged our upcoming June election into chaos. Advocates filed a lawsuit; Secretary of State Matt Dunlap said he wouldn’t […]

The four-letter word of Medicaid expansion

“Work” isn’t a four-letter word. Well, OK, it is, but not one of those four-letter words. The Trump Administration made national headlines by opening the door to work requirements for individuals enrolling in Medicaid, or, as we know it here, MaineCare. For years, this policy prescription was a lodestar for Gov. Paul LePage and former […]

Big money doesn’t always lead to big results

A few million bucks doesn’t buy what it used to. That seems to be the message from the Georgia special election. And it’s the same message from Augusta, where lawmakers are considering changes to last November’s referenda. South of the Mason-Dixon, newly-elected Re. Karen Handel spent a little over $3 million on her campaign. Her […]

What Mary Mayhew and Wonder Woman have in common

Grossing over $100 million in the U.S. last weekend, “Wonder Woman” made quite a splash.  And although I haven’t seen it, after reading the plot, it isn’t hard to understand why; a legendary superhero — who happens to be female — overcomes tall odds, fights with friends-turned-enemies, and (spoiler alert!) ultimately triumphs and remains on […]

Will the real will of the people please stand up?

“The will of the people!” That is one of the rallying cries shouted over the past few weeks, whether in Portland City Hall or under the capitol dome in Augusta. Somewhat sardonically, it was also the name of a socialist revolutionary terrorist organization in 19th century Russia, counting Vladimir Lenin’s older brother amongst its members. […]

Don’t be silly, let’s get things done in Augusta

Tuesday’s advisory opinion by Maine’s top justices that, effectively, ranked-choice voting was unconstitutional brought several reactions. Some people offered “told you so.” Others cheered the ruling on policy grounds. Some of the proposal’s proponents accepted the decision and declared a movement for a constitutional amendment. And, yes, we saw some provocative political statements trying to make […]

Can we repeal the law of unintended consequences?

You know what would make policymaking much easier? Repealing the law of unintended consequences. For example, the proponents of last year’s Question 2 — the bill which hiked Maine’s top tax rate to one of the highest in the country at over 10 percent — advertised it would raise an additional $157 million for education. […]