Author: Conner Drigotas

I have never been in jail. I have never been arrested. But I am probably a felon, and so are you. There are so many laws (too many for even the government to count), and the punishment for being a felon can be crushing. Some felonies may sound scarily familiar: taking a sick day when you aren’t sick, telling your friends about a bad company, or getting lost in the woods. Some of the crimes on the books are simply bizarre. One law makes it a crime to sell “Turkey Ham” as “Ham Turkey” or with the words “Turkey” and “Ham” in…

In 1994, Maine rolled out the United States Emissions Test, a program that failed so significantly that the New York Times labeled it “a flop”. It took only two months of criticism for Augusta to cave to public pressure and halt the program for much needed improvements. Now, 25 years after the failed emissions testing, Maine is refusing to give up another burdensome and unnecessary program: mandatory vehicle inspections. Much like the emissions testing, inspections stickers are expensive, burdensome and have a disproportionate effect on the poor. Even for those who are well off, the annual vehicle inspection is an…

Chief Robert MacKenzie runs a police department in Kennebunk, Maine, a town of just over 11,000 citizens. It is a tourist town with a small, tight knit community on the coast. His plans to fix the opioid crisis in America, however, are anything but small. Maine sits near the top of a notorious list, ranked in the top ten for most opioid deaths in the country. In 2016, there were 301 opioid related overdose deaths in Maine, a rate of 25.2 deaths per 100,000 persons, nearly double the national rate. Maine has struggled with drug problems for years, and the…

In 2009, I graduated from high school and left for college. I planned to spend four years away and return better educated to live and work in my home state, but ten years later, I have not returned. I was accepted to all eight schools that I applied to, but not a single Maine school was on that list. Why did I leave my home state to begin with? Maine schools were not on my radar. Even my guidance counselors, advisors and teachers did not recommend them to me. My mother, a graduate of a Maine college, encouraged me to…

I was born in Maine in 1990, making me 28 years old. I was raised in Maine, went to high school in Maine and love my home state. As I packed my bags to head off to college in 2009, I was going to live outside of Maine for the first time in my life. I planned to spend four years away, then return (better educated) to live and work in the home I love. That was the plan. Almost a decade later, however, I still have not moved back. Maine is hemorrhaging young, educated people, and there are very…

I recently officiated my younger brother’s wedding. It was a Southern Maine outdoor venue, and everything went perfectly. The ceremony solemnized their love, and two families were brought together. Everyone in attendance was happy — and the state of Maine was very happy, too. You see, instead of sending a note of congratulations, the state of Maine sent an invoice — demanding payment for the privilege of getting married. Every year, approximately 2.3 million couples get married in the United States. A marriage license costs between $10 and $115 depending on state and county, with a national average cost of $55 per couple. In York County,…