Author: Krysta West

Yesterday, a U.S. district judge appointed by President Obama blocked the Department of Labor’s overtime pay rule that would have mandated overtime pay for more than four million private-sector jobs beginning on December 1. Back in September, Maine joined 20 other states and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in filing a federal court complaint challenging the United States Department of Labor’s new rule that would have doubled the threshold for salaried employees to receive overtime from $23,660 ($455/week) to $47,486 ($913/week). But yesterday, in a 20-page ruling, U.S. Judge Amos Mazzant of Sherman, Texas, determined that the rule was an…

Mainers weren’t supposed to defeat Michael Bloomberg’s agenda on the ballot yesterday. His propaganda was too powerful, his budget was limitless and his paid “grassroots” army was unstoppable. The media seemed to be with him at every turn, echoing his talking points as fact and endorsing the question, one after another. And all along, the polls were in his favor. But Mr. Bloomberg made one fatal mistake: he underestimated the power of the “little guy.” He thought that victory in Maine through our ballot referendum process would be simple and that we would be a bargain (…at only $6 million).…

If you’re from the town of Sebago, Lincolnville, Greenwood, Bremen, Newry, Machiasport, or Jonesport, Question 2 should worry you immensely. You see, while many people are talking about the 130 Maine communities that won’t receive an additional cent under this tax increase for education, seven of those towns will actually lose funding. That’s right, in spite of the fact that some of these towns have unemployment rates above the state average and more than half have an average median household income below the state average, they will lose thousands of dollars in education funding under Question 2. Although proponents such…

Today, LifeZette brought to light the story of a massive welfare and tax fraud case from Portland, Maine, highlighting a scheme that swindled taxpayers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. You may be wondering why a Washington, D.C. based news source, has brought this story forward. The answer is simple, Maine’s news media outlets decided to not bring this story to light. According to LifeZette editor Garrett Murch, “Multiple Maine news outlets had this story but decided not to cover it.” But perhaps Maine’s media outlets have taken their que from the Obama administration, which has failed to bring charges…

Question 3 on this November’s ballot has been touted by gun control advocates as a way to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals. In reality, it is nothing more than a feel-good measure that will strip away the rights of law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen in Maine. The question asks, “Do you want to require background checks prior to the sale or transfer of firearms between individuals not licensed as firearms dealers, with failure to do so punishable by law, and with some exceptions for family members, hunting, self-defense, lawful competitions and shooting range activity?” While to the…

Today, the Cato Institute, a national public policy research organization, released the 13th biennial fiscal report card, rating governors based on their dedication to fiscal restraint. The report assigns governors grades of “A” to “F” based on their tax and spending policies. Based on the January 2014 – August 2016 period, Governor Paul LePage was the most fiscally responsible governor in the country and was one of only five governors to receive an “A” rating. While state governments around the country have grown by 33 percent since 2010, LePage has fought hard to cut taxes, reduce the size and scope…

Last Sunday, the Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson, a program that airs on national network news, did a segment on Governor LePage and his efforts to reform welfare in Maine. Attkisson’s report highlighted an article on The Maine Wire about welfare funds spent in all 50 states, saying “LePage has launched a crackdown on fraud after discovering a shocking detail nobody else had unearthed. Millions of dollars in food stamps intended for needy Maine residents were being spent in far flung locations like Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.” In the report, LePage says “I am the example, the…

Today, Governor Paul LePage joined a number of other states in filing a federal court complaint challenging the United States Department of Labor’s (DOL) new overtime rules. These new rules are slated to take effect on December 1. In March of 2014, President Obama ordered the DOL to revise the overtime exemption rules to target “white collar” professionals. But under the resulting rule, the DOL has chosen to ignore the duties that employees actually perform by focusing instead on salary level, because according to DOL, the salary level “is the best single test of exempt status for white collar employees.” This defies…

Founding Father Benjamin Franklin is believed to have been the author of a letter that contained this oft-quoted sentence: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” His words have resonated in a society in which the power of government has swelled as both internal and external threats proliferated. Still, their relevance to any discussion depends on the weight assigned to the word “essential.” I can give up a nonessential freedom (for example, not wearing a seat belt) much more readily than an essential one (being forbidden to drive when…

This November, Maine voters will be faced with an age-old question — how much freedom are you willing to sacrifice in the name of “safety”? Billionaire and ex-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has used Maine’s Citizen’s Initiative Process to almost single-handedly fund a campaign to make his version of universal background checks the law of the land in the Pine Tree State. Question 3 asks, “Do you want to require background checks prior to the sale or transfer of firearms between individuals not licensed as firearms dealers, with failure to do so punishable by law, and with some exceptions…

A few hours ago, House Republican Leader Ken Fredette released the following statement after sending a letter to Speaker Eves regarding the email poll question he sent to House members this morning, without the consent of House Republican Leadership: “I have spoken with Speaker Eves and Senate President Thibodeau regarding Speaker Eves’ unilateral decision to poll the House of Representatives on the issue of convening a special session of the Legislature,” said Rep. Fredette. “Unfortunately, the actions of the Speaker appear to show that he is more focused on scoring political points than following the due process as set out…

This morning, Speaker Mark Eves sent the following email to members of the Maine House of Representatives: “Dear House Members, Given the recent actions of the Governor, I have decided to take the important step of polling all House of Representative members to determine whether or not a majority of members from each political party consent to come in for a special session of the Legislature to address this grave situation. Pursuant to the Provision of Article IV, Part Third, Section 1 of the Constitution of Maine, the Speaker and the Senate President have the authority to convene the Legislature…

Last month, Governor Paul LePage received a letter from the U.S. Department of Commerce requesting his cooperation in turning over classified information on Maine’s welfare program recipients, allowing the federal government to gain “access to data from your state’s food assistance, family assistance and welfare programs.” But don’t worry, they promise to take good care of our confidential information with rigorous privacy laws that are “among the most stringent in the nation.” Given recent events, we clearly have nothing to be concerned about, as violators will face steep fines of “up to $250,000…and/or up to five years in prison, per…

It’s pretty clear by now that billionaire and former NYC Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, is not a fan of the Second Amendment. In fact, he has already dropped millions of dollars in Maine just to dictate how, when and where you can shoot, lend or purchase a firearm. While many Mainers fail to understand why a New Yorker would care at all about how law-abiding Mainers exercise their rights, on their own property, in the second-safest state in the nation, Question 3 is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Bloomberg’s pet projects. Mr. Bloomberg, also referred…

On August 16, 2016 the Trump Campaign Announced its national 64-member Agricultural Advisory Committee. The views of New England’s largest agricultural state will be included with the selection of Walt Whitcomb, Maine’s Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (ACF). A dairy farmer by trade, Commissioner Whitcomb serves in the administration of Governor Paul R. LePage. Whitcomb’s selection is notable, since the Advisory Committee includes six U.S. Governors and agricultural leaders from several large agricultural states. The inclusion of Maine’s ACF Commissioner ensures that the voice of the small family farmer will also be heard. “Maine has the largest number of…

Between 2010-2014, 4,865 lottery tickets with a prize of $1,000 or more were cashed in by a total of 3,685 welfare recipients that were on the roles at the time of their winnings. This means that nearly one of every four winners of at least $1,000 were receiving your tax dollars in the form of welfare while gambling, with some recipients winning at least $1,000 more than 10 times. David Just, a behavioral economist and state lottery expert that has studied lotteries in 36 states, estimated that welfare recipients would have had to have spent “hundreds of millions of dollars”…

Today, Congressman Bruce Poliquin held a press conference in Lewiston to unveil legislation to make important changes to the welfare system, making taxpayer dollars less susceptible to abuse and fraud. Last year, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services prosecuted a record number of welfare fraud cases, totaling more than $1.2 million in fraudulently obtained benefits. Despite the drastic uptick in welfare fraud investigations and prosecutions, the problem of welfare abuse in Maine continues to persist. This year is already on track to break last year’s record with 29 cases totaling more than $456,000 already on the books. There…

Yesterday, Secretary Dunlap announced the ballot order of referendum questions for the upcoming November 8, 2016 election. The order was determined by a random drawing and will appear as follows: Question 1: An Act To Legalize Marijuana. “Do you want to allow the possession and use of marijuana under state law by persons who are at least 21 years of age, and allow the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, testing, and sale of marijuana and marijuana products subject to state regulation, taxation and local ordinance?” Question 2: An Act To Establish The Fund to Advance Public Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education. “Do you want…

“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” – Wayne LaPierre, NRA Today, thanks to two brave bystanders who were legally packing heat, Augusta police were able to arrest four herion dealers, three of which were from New York, after they exchanged gunfire between their vehicles in the Walmart parking lot in Augusta. The suspects were parked beside each other and opened fire from within their vehicles during an altercation. When the shooting stopped and one of the suspects exited their vehicle to confront the occupants in the other vehicle, two law-abiding…

Yesterday, House Republican Leader Ken Fredette met with Governor LePage, House Speaker Mark Eves, Senate President Mike Thibodeau and Senate Minority Leader Justin Alfond to address LePage’s concerns regarding the funding sources for four bills that were passed by the Maine Legislature during the last legislative session. The bills in question are as follows: LD 1465: “Resolve, To Require the Department of Health and Human Services To Conduct a Study of Ambulance Services” LD 1552: “An Act To Reduce Morbidity and Mortality Related to Injected Drugs” LD 1614: “Resolve, To Provide Funding for the County Jail Operations Fund” LD 1645:…

“Maine taxpayers see it every day at the grocery store and they are sick and tired of watching their hard-earned money go down the drain.” -Governor LePage A few days ago, Governor LePage sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, in response to the denial of a waiver request for Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services to undertake a pilot project prohibiting the purchase of candy and sugar-sweetened beverages with food stamps in Maine. LePage argues that this measure is such commonsense that a demonstration project “should not even be necessary.” He goes on to say that”…

On Tuesday, June 7 the Sun Journal posted a column in which David Farmer, spokesman for the group Mainers for Responsible Gun Ownership, said that the group is excited about the “early seed money” and “the strong grassroots and community-based campaign” for the background check referendum in Maine. While I am sure that his group is excited to have $3 million dollars and virtually no opposition to date, if your donations all come from one wealthy billionaire from out of state, you can call your organization whatever you want, but it is neither a “strong grassroots” or a “community-based” campaign.…

Do you ever wonder what the other side’s playbook looks like in Augusta? Well, recently we got our hands on the Maine People’s Alliance’s candidate questionnaire, and what it reveals is truly shocking. While it comes as no surprise that the organization is behind some of the most egregious job-killing policies in recent state history, the goals outlined within the questionnaire prove to be way out-of-touch with the vast majority of Mainers, regardless of political affiliation, yet this organization acts as the not-so-silent driving force behind the policy agenda of liberal leaders in Augusta. While the full questionnaire can be…

Yesterday, The Maine Heritage Policy Center released a new report, “Top 10 Things Keeping Mainers Poor.” Poverty is an issue that has touched everyone’s life in some way, regardless of zip code, age or class. It’s an issue that, traditionally, only the left talks about. However, we can’t afford to sit back and simply throw money at the problem any longer. It isn’t the compassionate thing to do. Since the early 1990s, the percentage of Mainers living below the poverty line has risen dramatically from 9.4 percent to 12.3 percent. Wages are low, educational outcomes are stagnant and taxes are…

“Maine people know that it isn’t about conservation. It is about control and buying a legacy.” Bob Meyers- Maine Snowmobile Association Last night, a crowd of about 1,400 people made their way to Orono to weigh in on Roxanne Quimby’s proposed North Woods national monument at a meeting put on by Senator King featuring the National Park Service Director, Jonathan Jarvis. Much to my surprise, despite the SIX busloads of people brought up from southern Maine by environmental groups, the opposition was also well represented at the meeting. Regardless of which side of the issue people were on, there was…

Today, Mary Mayhew, commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services, was a guest on The Daily Signal to talk about recent welfare reforms in Maine that encourage employment. She also discussed how Maine reduced the number of childless adults on food stamps significantly from 13,322 in December of 2014 to 2,768 in March of 2015. According to Commissioner Mayhew, welfare programs have trapped people in poverty. She said, “A job is not a dirty word. A job is what contributes to self-esteem, to self-worth, to human dignity and to really change someone’s life, we need to get them…

Despite 8 legislators taking a walk on the solar bill vote today and tremendous pressure from the solar lobby (see photo below), the House was able to sustain Governor LePage’s veto of LD 1649 by a vote of 93-50-8, just 3 votes shy of the required 2/3 majority to override a veto. As previously reported in The Maine Wire, this bill, sponsored by Representative Dion (D-Portland), would have subsidized solar energy in Maine at the detriment of household ratepayers and businesses, further putting Maine employers at a disadvantage when competing with companies in states with significantly lower energy costs. While cost projections…

Tomorrow, legislators will assemble under the dome for “Veto Day.” Here is a peak at a few of the most important vetoes that will be considered. LD 1649, “An Act To Modernize Maine’s Solar Power Policy and Encourage Economic Development” This bill, sponsored by Representative Dion (D-Portland), would subsidize solar energy in Maine at the detriment of household ratepayers and businesses. As previously reported on The Maine Wire, estimates on the exact cost to ratepayers varied greatly, however the Public Utilities Commission estimated that in five years, this legislation would cost all ratepayers around $22 million annually AND would cost the…

I must say, as a conservative, I found parts of Rep. Archie Verow’s April 11 BDN OpEd on the Democrats’ “Welfare that Works” program to be quite refreshing. Maine taxpayers of all stripes and backgrounds have long agreed that the current welfare policies in the state are failing to achieve the end goal of lifting Mainers out of poverty and helping the truly needy. And it is important to note that progress has been made in reigning in Maine’s welfare system. Maine ranks 25th in the country for percent of individuals receiving TANF at 0.76 percent, a dramatic decline –…

Today in Augusta, the Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC) unveiled the latest research publication, Healthcare Costs in Maine. The report compares prices for common medical procedures between thirty-three hospitals to expose the substantial price variation between facilities and get to the root of why Maine’s healthcare costs are among the highest in the country. In Maine, out-of-pocket expenses for premiums and deductibles doubled between 2003 and 2013 while the median household income remained relatively stagnant. As a result, average annual healthcare spending per person reached $8,521 in 2009, with total aggregate expenditures surpassing $11 billion. In 2014, Maine ranked 11th…

Last week, Governor Paul LePage delivered a letter to the 127th Legislature vetoing LD 1492, “An Act To Establish a Protocol for Review of State Education Content Standards of the System of Learning Results.” This bill, originally supported by The Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC), was sponsored by Representative William Tuell (R-East Machias) to remove the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) from the system of learning results by the end of the 2017 school year. Although the bill started with strong bipartisan support, the end result was an amended version that completely replaced the original language into a do-nothing bill…

Yesterday, the Senate voted in favor of the minority report of LD 1600 by a narrow vote of 18-17. While Senate Democrats largely stayed in lockstep with Roxanne Quimby, one Democrat, Senator James Dill of Penobscot, voted in favor of the measure. This Governor’s Bill, sponsored by Representative Stephen Stanley (D-Medway), originally stipulated that in the event that the Federal Government designate land as a national monument, the State would require a reverter clause to apply. According to testimony by Avery Day, Chief Legal Counsel to the Governor’s Office, “The reverter clause would state that such land shall revert back to the person…

Last week, the Senate joined the House of Representatives in voting to indefinitely postpone LD 1662, otherwise known as the Bloomberg gun control ballot initiative. This means Maine voters will be barraged with anti-gun propaganda between now and November by the out-of-state gun control group called Everytown for Gun Safety and the group it funds called Maine Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Everytown for Gun Safety is a New York City-based group funded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg. Contrary to the name, its focus has nothing to do with gun safety and everything to do with advancing Bloomberg’s…

Yesterday, Governor Paul LePage (R) signed LD 180, “An Act To Allow Terminally Ill Patients To Use Experimental Treatments,” making Maine the 25th state to join the growing Right-to-Try movement. As previously reported in The Maine Wire, this new law, terminally ill patients in Maine will have the right to use treatments that are going through the Federal Food and Drug Administration approval process to try and continue living with the consent of their physician. Senator Eric Brakey, a co-sponsor of this important bill, explained that “When someone is terminally ill, they are likely out of traditional options or close to…

The Ivanpah solar plant in the Mojave Desert is yet another example of what happens when the federal government interferes in the free market by subsidizing, or rather, artificially selecting “winners” and “losers.” Last week, we reported on how American taxpayers said goodbye to $2 billion due to the failure of health care co-ops that were heavily subsidized under Obamacare to compete with traditional health insurance companies. Last week, it came out that the massive solar plant subsidized by the Obama administration to the tune of $1.6 billion may be closing due to chronic underperformance, along with other serious issues. Power…

Amidst all of the disagreement over controversial issues such as welfare reform and Medicaid expansion in Augusta this week, Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate came together to pass Right-to-Try legislation, giving the nod for Maine to join this growing humanitarian movement. Sponsored by Representative Thomas Longstaff (D) and Senator Eric Brakey (R), Legislative Document 180 would recognize the right of terminally-ill patients and their physicians to choose the best course of action regarding the quality of their lives and the direction of treatment. As previously reported by The Maine Wire, while the need for drug safety is…

Due to pressure from some socialist legislators and progressive lobbyists, Senator Nathan Libby (D-Androscoggin) intends to introduce an amendment to his welfare reform bill, LD 1097, today at 1:00 p.m. in the Health and Human Services Committee to water down certain measures of the bill, including a significant reduction in penalties for the misuse of welfare dollars. As drafted, LD 1097 would restrict the use of TANF benefits outside the state of Maine and New Hampshire, the withdrawal of more than 25% of  benefits in cash each month, and a prohibition on using welfare funds to purchase certain items such…

Members of the House of Representatives may have Bloomberg’s gun control ballot initiative before them for consideration as early as this Thursday. Despite the fact that nearly 19,000 signatures were deemed invalid, Bloomberg’s initial investment to push his failed New York-style gun control policies on the citizens of Maine has paid off, and the measure will now go before the legislature. If the legislature fails to adopt the measure as-is, the referendum will be placed before voters this November. If the legislature moves to enact this measure as-is, nearly any private TRANSFER of a firearm will become illegal. As previously…

Amidst the chaos under the dome yesterday surrounding the Democrat’s new “welfare reform that works” proposal, the Health and Human Services Committee held a hearing on the Governor’s Bill, LD 1631. As previously reported, this common-sense legislation would align Maine requirements for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) with federal law to avoid further penalties for our incredibly low work requirement compliance. According to Beth Hamm, director of the Office for Family Independence, Maine has remained out of compliance since 2007, and our current work participation rate is a staggering 19%. The federal requirement for this block grant is 50% participation,…

For a number of years, Maine law has been more lenient than federal law in regard to work readiness requirements for recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). As a result, more welfare recipients have been able to skip important job training activities, Maine’s work participation rate has declined and the federal government has rightfully threatened the state of Maine with up to $29 million in fines for refusing to reform to federal law. Governor LePage unsuccessfully attempted to align Maine requirements with federal law in 2014 and again in 2015. Lawmakers wrongfully assumed that federal penalties would never…

“The mark of a healthy, dynamic market is having new firms constantly challenge the business models of old firms. Without this creative destruction, economies fail to serve consumer desires and stagnate.” –Matthew Mitchell, senior research fellow, Mercatus Center If I told you that you could run a business where you were guaranteed to sell your product at a certain price or make a certain amount of revenue with no regard for planning or best-practices, would you believe me? Under our current federal farm bill, that is exactly what is happening, and it is happening at the expense of you, the…

It appears that State legislative leaders and Governor Paul LePage may finally reach an agreement on the critical tax conformity bill as early as tomorrow. As previously reported here and here, the tax conformity bill was hijacked in the State House after passing unanimously out of the State Senate in a last-ditch effort by certain legislators to pass an unrelated measure that would raid the rainy day fund to increase education spending. The entire situation is baffling, considering that no one was ever actually opposed to tax conformity. Representative Linda Sanborn (D-Gorham) noted that the only chance for her measure…

I have had a mild obsession with the 1984 hit movie Footloose for as long as I can remember. The way actor Kevin Bacon, an underdog and outcast, rallies his fellow classmates and community members one at a time, and eventually takes his case to the town’s moral authority, Reverend Shaw Moore, to allow the high school to put on a school dance gets me every time. While there is not a prohibition on public dancing on any day of the week in Maine (phew!), there are still a handful of antiquated “blue laws” on the books today. According to…

There has been a lot of talk lately about the cost of health care in Maine, especially around L.D. 1305. While lawmakers attempt to address the issue in Augusta, some businesses have taken matters into their own hands by instituting company-wide policies that save money by providing incentives for employees to shop for the best value when planning medical procedures. With a little creativity and hard work, Hardwood Products Company and Puritan Medical Products Company of Guilford, Maine have instituted successful incentivized employee programs that have saved the company health plan a significant amount of money by working with employees…

Thanks to continued efforts by Governor Paul LePage, the amount of Maine welfare funds spent outside of Maine have decreased to nearly half the level they were at when he took office in 2011.  In 2011, the amount spent outside of Maine totaled $15.9 million. Today, that number is down to $8.9 million. According to Governor LePage, “Maine’s welfare programs should support Maine’s neediest families and children, not those who live in other states, take a vacation to Disney World or gas up their car for a trip to Lowell, Massachusetts to buy heroine.” Democratic Representatives have been critical of any…

Today, Gallup released the Analysis of Political Party Affiliation at the state level for 2015 – and the results are encouraging for conservatives in Maine as well as nationwide. According to the report, “13 states’ political classifications changed between 2014 and 2015, with 11 of these shifting in a more Republican direction. The Democrats lost three states – Maine, Pennsylvania and Michigan – each of which moved from Democratic-leaning to competitive.” For the purposes of the study, competitive is defined as states in which the parties are within 5 points of each other in party affiliation. For the first time…

Nearly every session there is at least one piece of legislation introduced to somehow chip away at the antiquated Sunday hunting prohibition in Maine, and each time it dies a swift death before making it out of committee. While many hunters feel that Sunday hunting prohibitions are detrimental to the future of the sport and unfair, there is also a negative economic impact associated with being one of three states in the country with an outright prohibition still on the books. Eleven states remain with some form of Sunday hunting “blue law.” In Maine, hunting is a major part of our economy, particularly in some of the…

In the latest disagreement between the executive branch and the Attorney General’s Office, Janet Mills threatened to take action against the administration if they do not modify certain job descriptions to make it clear that without approval from the AG’s office, executive branch attorneys are not legally permitted to handle legal matters of the state. According to Mills, “The administration is violating the law by hiring individuals who hold themselves out as attorneys for the state and by permitting them to provide legal advice…The job of a lawyer does not begin at the courtroom steps.  The job of a lawyer…

Billionaire and former mayor Michael Bloomberg, financial backer of the upcoming “universal background checks” referendum, has had his sights on Maine for at least six years now. On February 16, 2010, the Lewiston City Council voted unanimously to accept a one-year grant totaling $75,000 to fund efforts to advance Mr. Bloomberg’s anti-gun agenda through his groups titled Mayors Against Illegal Guns Action Fund and United Against Illegal Guns Support Fund.  The vote, (71-2010), flew through the council unanimously and placed a “gun violence prevention coordinator,” aka anti-gun lobbyist, in city hall for a one year term to spread the gospel…

In an effort to increase transparency and accessibility, Governor Paul LePage will hold his next Town Hall style meeting live on WVII Chanel 7 on Tuesday, January 26 from 08:00 pm to 09:00 pm with the opportunity for viewer participation by submitting questions to tv7news@wvii.com.  For those outside the viewing area, you will have the opportunity to livestream the event at www.foxbangor.com. During the meeting, the Governor will present his vision for Maine and speak about further reducing the income tax, reforming welfare by strengthening the state’s safety net for the most vulnerable, cutting energy costs and addressing high student-debt…

A few days ago Maine Moms Demand Action, a group funded by anti-gun billionaire and former mayor Michael Bloomberg, announced that it has collected enough signatures to attempt to bring New York style gun control to Maine this November through a citizen-initiated referendum.  Mr. Bloomberg has been open about his plan to dump $50 million into 15 states, including Maine, to push his gun control agenda on the American people. Please ask yourself why the former mayor of one of America’s most violent cities has chosen Maine, the second safest state in the country, as the next battleground for his…

There is a humanitarian movement growing momentum right now at the state level referred to as Right-to-Try.  This movement transcends partisan lines and is about recognizing the right of terminally ill patients and their physicians to choose the best course of action regarding the quality of their lives the direction of treatment. While the need for drug safety is essential, the process for FDA approval in this country is wrought with bureaucracy, road blocks and red tape that erect insurmountable barriers and prohibit potentially life-saving drugs from ever making it to consumers.  The process to approve a new drug in this…

Investigators with The Department of Health and Human Services’ Fraud Investigation and Recovery Unit has reported a record 105 welfare cases to the Attorney General’s Office for prosecution in 2015, up from only 32 prosecutions when Governor LePage took office in 2011.  The offences include fraud, unauthorized use of EBT cards, falsifying documents, lying about income, hiding trust funds and most bizarrely “water dumping,” among other things, totaling more than $1.2 million. The “water dumping” case was brought forward by grocery store employees who realized that a Norway woman was using her EBT card to purchase cases of water, going…

Members of the Maine House of Representatives defeated the effort to impeach Governor Paul LePage by a landslide, bi-partisan vote of 96-52 after a contentious three-hour floor debate.  Impeachment efforts would have required a simple majority in the House of Representatives and a two-thirds majority in the Senate. During the Debate, Representative Lawrence Lockman (R-137) suggested that Governor LePage deserves a public service award for blowing the whistle on the cronyism that has plagued Augusta for years, citing the fact that it has come out that Bill Brown, a paid member of Speaker Eve’s staff, was on payroll at The…

There is a bill before the legislature this session dealing with a question as old as time: what is more likely to motivate a shift in behavior, reward or punishment? Is educating consumers enough, or does there need to be something more tangible to cause people to actively change their behavior? As a young woman of 20 something, I can tell you that I am already extremely set in my ways. I have certain places that I shop, certain items that I always order at certain restaurants and certain doctors that I have gone to for years, regardless of cost…

Today, January 5, 2016, Governor Paul LePage (R) filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought against him by Speaker of the House, Mark Eves (D). This motion was filed on the grounds that Governor LePage is immune from the lawsuit that seeks to curb his freedom of speech as an elected official, stating that political disputes of this nature do not belong in court. The lawsuit, filed by Speaker Eves in July, claims that Governor LePage’s promise to withhold state funding from his discretionary funds directly caused the Good Will-Hinckley’s board of directors to rescind its offer for Speaker…