Reader comments
WatchDog of Portland, ME
Jun 9, 2007 1:40 AM
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http://mainebusiness.mainetoday.com/news/ http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/lio/phSched.asp http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/lio/wkSched.asp http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/LD.asp?LD=xxxx http://www.maine.gov/portal/government/governor.html

Reader comments
WatchDog of Portland, ME
Jun 20, 2007 1:27 AM

Let's solve this the old fashioned way - pistols at 20 paces!

What? No! Darn. It would get great media coverage. Wait a sec. The Dems heard that - they're going all in for the media coverage! There's some semi-pro gamblers in the party.

But fear not taxpayers ... if Maine ends up bankrupt in a few years, we get one last referendum on whether to surrender to New Hampshire or Massachusetts.

Oh oh - get a camera on that - why are there TWO Dems with pistols? OMG ... [screen goes black]

Reader comments
WatchDog of Portland, ME
Jun 13, 2007 2:15 PM

Finally indeed. Proof that rational thinking can still outweigh political influence.

Now join the next issue for Portland Taxpayers at the Portland Club on Thursday evening at 7:00pm.

Reader comments
WatchDog of Portland, ME
Jun 13, 2007 4:11 PM

I agree with the Realtors and the State Chamber of Commerce. Why? And if taxpayers had one single consolidated organization with funding to analyze this legislation, I strongly believe they would too. As hard as the Taxation Committee worked, they "couldn't address spending cuts". And what they did do was merely to shift the total burden from one doorstep to the next.

Unfortunately, the reality of this tax plan won't hit until you sit down to do your Federal return. At that time, you'll sort of notice how much more you'll be paying in Federal taxes - if you itemize that is. So homeowners, business owners, middle class taxpayers, upper class taxpayers, seniors with passive incomes ... meet Uncle Sam.

Oh, by the way, you potential tourists next summer, welcome to Maine. Have we got a deal for you?! You've heard that we're #1 in taxation in the U.S. Now we want you to share our burden in that honor.

I wonder if Strimling, if he gets to Washington, will try to export our Federal tax burden to Canada and Mexico. LOL.

Reader comments
WatchDog of Portland, ME
Jun 13, 2007 2:58 PM

Last fall we were told that the lawmakers had gotten the message - limit spending in order to create tax relief. Now we have neither. Both the Taxation and the Appropriations committees have heard ideas on how to do both. So why haven't they produced results?

Instead, the Guv'nor put school reform on the table which served its true purpose - to distract voters from the truth that he can't/won't cut departmental budgets because that's where his appointed buddies thrive.

We've seen, in the June 12 vote, at least a couple of examples where local control did it's job in giving taxpayers a choice to limit spending - Portland's Library issue and Cumberland's Forest Lake project. The issue of school consolidation should be put firmly in the hands of local communites along with the statutory powers to reform, revise, cut and compromise to their hearts content. Local control gets results that local people can accept.

Government should think more like responsible people. When money is tight, you and I have to put off that new car another year or two; or maybe that gymnastics program for the kids will have to wait; maybe instead of a vacation in Orlando, Florida next winter, we can settle for Williamsburg and drive there.

But no! Many politicians and government administrators feel the urge to give everything to everyone - now! Many find it hard to dig out those wasteful programs, or to bother with finding efficiencies. Why? Because they aren't business people. Accountability to most politicians means an extra, unnecessary expense. You know how you feel when you don't balance the checkbook for six months and then get an overdraft notice? Well, politicians don't get that feeling. They just spend more. It makes them feel better.

Something has to change. As an ex-Democrat, I'd like Mainers to put party affiliations aside just for a minute and to vote qualified, business oriented, creative thinking people into office in 2008. (Hint: Republicans)

Reader comments
WatchDog of Portland, ME
Jun 9, 2007 7:16 PM
Let me restate the author's words. Oh, don't worry, my comments will be word neutral. I just want to re-focus attention slightly.

The tax-reform plan would produce losers at all income levels

10 percent of the state's households would end up paying more

[N]o income group would be immune from tax increases under the plan

[P]oor Mainers would pay more

The projected tax increases would be bigger

Maine families with incomes of $12,355 or less face tax increases under the plan

28 percent of families with incomes of $108,846 or more could expect to pay higher taxes

If the calculations are reliable

[T]he plan is so complex and multifaceted, and state projections of the plan's effect are so difficult to figure out ... taxes [c]ould go down or up.

The plan would ... raise the sales tax

[T]axes on meals and lodging would increase

[T]he 5 percent sales tax would be applied to ... haircuts and amusement-park tickets to newspapers and electrical work

The package also includes three constitutional amendments

Sen. Ethan Strimling, D-Portland, ... a supporter of the plan.

[A]bout 69,000 families looking at heftier tax bills

"They're a guess, and I wouldn't even claim they're a best guess," Maine Heritage Policy Center

[O]nly 59 percent of Maine families would see their property taxes go down.

Even supporters of the plan say it is hard for Mainers to figure out if it would help or hurt them

"Everybody sees themselves as being a loser," ... Sen. Richard Nass, R-Acton

Good thing the article was politics-neutral. It might have come across as negative otherwise. What is missing from all of the propoganda is that many of the taxes shifted were shifted to areas which are NOT deductible for Federal purposes. If proponents want to appear fair and balanced, ask them to consider the NET impact on your combined State and Federal taxes.

The Good News - job hunting expenses for that 3rd job may be tax deductible.

Reader comments
WatchDog of Portland, ME
Jun 9, 2007 7:35 PM
"Turnpike work will result in Exit 36 ramp closures" - I hate the numbering system on the turnpike. Exactly which exit is Exit 36? Is it Exit 2, 3 or 4? I hope they never get the thought to change the names of towns along the Interstate to Town 37, City of 42, Town 52, the Twin Cities of 64/68, etc

Reader comments
WatchDog of Portland, ME
Jun 9, 2007 1:40 AM
I can't resist. How many times has anyone EVER seen a cut at the top of any organizational structure result in more resources for the front-line staff? No. Some people will be cut and the "savings" will go to pay the remaining administrators and their staff more money - maybe with different titles and/or new (bigger) offices in some "consolidated" building.

Let's get real. If there truly is fat in any municipal school budget, then voters need to plant themselves on the doorsteps of their locally elected officials.

"Consolidation" won't cut fat. It's only going to redistribute the waste. One of two situations produce "fat" in school budgets:
1. There's more people than there is work to be done - (highly doubtful)
2. A given program is being operated ineffectively by incapable or underqualified staff.

Will consolidation really change either of these factors? Duh!!! No! It will make it worse. You need to fix the underlying cause of the waste (which may be tenure, nepotism, favoritism, corruption or some other political motive).

Face facts. Who benefits from inefficient and ineffective administration of schools, programs and activities? Well? How about the people who know they don't have a clue how to do their jobs?

My proposal - develop teams of experts charged with identifying poor practices - including people who engineer human systems and can identify inefficient and ineffective practices and procedures; including people, auditors, who can identify fraud and waste of taxpayer funds; including logistics experts and legal experts; and direct them to produce critical reviews and recommend best practices - at the LOCAL levels. (The State should have to do this same analysis throughout all of it's agencies).

Consolidation is a Rube Goldberg solution to an all too real problem - government fraud and waste. It only works if you apply a LOT more grease ($) every year.

Reader comments
WatchDog of Portland, ME
Jun 7, 2007 1:27 AM

Westbrook Taxpayers,

The enclosed document may appear to be a tax valuation and assessment for the upcoming fiscal year. That would be an erroneous assumption.

In fact, please consider this notice to be your special invitation to gather together with residents of all municipalities to form a group to be known as TABOR II.

Please don't join the TABOR II movement. Some of us got big raises this year and we'd like to keep the extra pay and benefits until next year's increase. Pay increases really up the City's pension contribution! Please, don't make us cut costs at the local level. We've fought long and hard to get leather covered pencil holders and all-in-one laser printers on every desk. Please, please don't screw us over just because we're taking a bigger chunk of your income this coming year.

Come on! We've got families you know. And you need us. When you become homeless - who's going to help you if we don't? If you think our budget is too out-of-control, well, then, let's see how good your's is. Gee willickers, we waste more than your whole family makes!

Don't forget - you need us! No more TABOR now! Be compliant!

Reader comments
WatchDog of Portland, ME
May 30, 2007 4:20 PM
Duson is definitely of an out-of-state mindset. You have to wonder why the NAACP planted her in Maine in the first place. And she is NOT a lawyer as she has lead people to believe.

When she worked for Northern Utilities she advocated AGAINST consumers and she continues to do so now ... that is, when she's actually doing something.

Pay close attention to her skills on the City Council. She can sit there and open her mail and read personal emails with the best of them.

Reader comments
WatchDog of Portland, ME
May 30, 2007 4:41 PM
I applaud this bill and the legislators who support this as a way to cut costs at both the State and Local level. It is understandable that the press association members would be unhappy about losing this easy revenue, but they will still have Federal Public Notices to print.

If the only issue is whether everyone has access to the Internet, I'd be surprised if there are many people who don't either have their own access or friends and family who do. It good to see government aligning itself with 21st century technology.

By the way - does everyone know they can listen to the House, Senate and Committees over the Internet? http://janus.state.me.us/legis/audio/

Friday, April 27, 2007

Computers in the closet? Old monitors collecting dust? Let Staples take them off your hands. Starting May 13, Staples will recycle your old printers, laptops, scanners and more for just $10 per machine. Find out more at your local StaplesЎ store.

YES

NO

Do you want to allow a Maine Tribe to run a harness racing track with slot machines and high stakes beano games in Washington County?

Governor's Veto Paves Way for Statewide Vote on Downeast Tribal Gaming Facility

Augusta - Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap says the future of a Washington County commercial racetrack and slot machine parlor will be decided by Maine's voters this November. "Today, after passage of LD 805, An Act to Authorize a Tribal Commercial Track and Slot Machines in Washington County in both the House and Senate, has been vetoed by Governor John Baldacci," said Dunlap. "Following the Governor's action, the House of Representatives heeded his advice and sustained his veto. This opens the door for Mainers to make their voices heard," Dunlap remarked. "Since my office verified 51,096 signatures collected by proponents of this effort back in January, the next stop for this issue is a statewide ballot, where the question will be determined by the voters of Maine."

The question "Do you want to allow a Maine Tribe to run a harness racing track with slot machines and high stakes beano games in Washington County?" will appear just as it did on the signature petitions which were circulated by supporters over several months last year. "The interest in this issue is at an all time high," Dunlap says, "and the appearance of this question on November's ballot virtually guarantees strong voter turnout across the state- a situation election officials at both the state and local levels are familiar with given the impressive level of participation Maine usually experiences in each election. Our staff, in coordination with municipal clerks from across the state, will be ready for the anticipated turnout, and we look forward to assisting the people of Maine as they exercise what we view to be perhaps their most valuable constitutional right."

In addition to the racino question, the statewide ballot will also contain bond questions related to funding for higher education in Maine, school renovation projects, research and economic development, land conservation, natural resources and environmental quality investments, and the State's cultural and recreational infrastructure.

AUGUSTA (April 26th, 2007) - Governor John Baldacci today vetoed L.D. 805, a bill that would have allowed the expansion of slot machine gambling into Washington County.

"My opposition to the expansion of gambling in Maine is well documented and unwavering," Governor Baldacci said in his veto statement. "As presented, this bill would authorize doubling the total number of slot machines statewide, and would bring gaming into a part of the State that currently has none."

Supporters of a slot machine and harness race track facility in Washington County gathered enough signatures to place a question on November's ballot seeking voter approval for the project. The Governor's veto ensures that voters will have the final say on the expansion of gambling.

"What is most troubling about this bill, however, is that it would expand gambling without the approval of Maine's citizens," Governor Baldacci said. "Major expansions of gaming have justifiably been brought before the people of Maine through the citizen initiative process."

"Gaming proposals like L.D. 805, and the one approved by the voters in November 2003, so alter the fabric of the State that all of its citizens, not just the elected members of the Legislative and Executive branches, deserve an opportunity to be heard."

The veto was sustained by the House of Representatives, with 92 members voting to sustain and 38 voting to override.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

These proposals for property tax reform will be heard by the Taxation Committee on Friday, May 4th, 1 PM, the Taxation Committee in Room 127 in the Capitol Building. I will be there. Your comments are invited. Jack

Proposals for Property Tax Reform, 123rd Legislature

• LD 527: Expand Property Tax Benefits for Retired Citizens (Richardson of Warren)
  
  This bill creates the retired senior resident homestead property tax exemption to provide a property tax exemption for retired persons of 50% of the just value of that person’s homestead. A person is eligible if that person:
  1. Is a permanent resident of this State and has had that status for the previous 5 years;
  2. Is at least 65 years of age;
  3. Is employed fewer than 20 hours per week; and
  4. Has a Maine adjusted gross income of less than $50,000.
  The State is required to reimburse the municipality 100% of the taxes lost due to the exemption.
  
  A person must apply for the exemption annually, either by applying to the municipality and providing a copy of the person’s income tax form or other suitable verification of income or by using the individual income tax form to obtain a refundable credit.
  
  
• LD 1412: Constitutional Amendment: Protect Senior Property Owners (Edgecomb of Caribou)
  
  This resolution proposes to amend the Constitution of Maine to authorize the Legislature to require municipalities to cap property taxes on property owned and occupied as a person’s primary residence if that person is at least 65 years of age. The tax would be stabilized at the amount assessed on the property on the later of the property tax year in which the person attained 65 years of age or the year the person purchased the property. Upon transfer of the property to someone other than a family member of the owner, the property would assume the just value at the time of transfer. A municipality could choose not to participate by informing the State Tax Assessor of its choice.
  
  
• LD 1557: Constitutional Amendment: Cap Property Taxes on Primary Residences of Persons 65 yrs of age or older (Wheeler of Kittery)
  
  This resolution proposes to amend the Constitution of Maine to authorize the Legislature to require municipalities to cap property taxes on property owned and occupied as a person’s primary residence if that person is at least 65 years of age. The tax would be stabilized at the amount assessed on the property on the later of the date by which the person attained 65 years of age or purchased the property. Upon transfer of the property to someone other than a family member of the owner, the property would assume the just value at the time of transfer.
  
  
• LD 1559: Constitutional Amendment: Freeze Property Taxes for Persons 65 yrs or older (Tuttle of Sanford)
  
  This resolution proposes to amend the Constitution of Maine to authorize the Legislature to prohibit municipalities from increasing the taxes imposed on property owned by a person who is at least 65 years of age who has occupied that property for at least 10 years as that person’s primary residence.
  
  
• LD 1770: Constitutional Amendment: Cap Property Taxes on Primary Residences of Persons 65 yrs or older (MacDonald of Boothbay)
  
  This resolution proposes to amend the Constitution of Maine to authorize the Legislature to require municipalities to cap property taxes on property owned and occupied as a person’s primary residence if that person is at least 65 years of age and the property has an assessed value of no more than 150% of the median assessed value of housing in Maine. The tax would be stabilized at the amount assessed on the property on the later of the date by which the person attained 65 years of age or purchased the property. Upon transfer of the property to someone other than a family member of the owner, the property would assume the just value at the time of transfer. The State would be required to reimburse a municipality for any revenue lost due to the cap on property taxes.
  
  
• LD 1708: Exempts Persons 65 or older whose income is below the poverty level from Property Taxes (Beaudoin of Biddeford)
  
  This bill provides an exemption from residential property taxes for the home of a person who is 65 years of age or older and whose income is below poverty thresholds.
  
  
• LD 1601: Constitutional Amendment: Create Resident Tax Cap (Chase of Wells)
  
  This resolution proposes to amend the Constitution of Maine to authorize the Legislature to create a program, similar to the Maine Tree Growth Tax Law, for real property owned and occupied as a person’s primary residence for at least 10 years. Property would receive a fixed assessment equal to the tax assessment in effect at the time the property was enrolled in the program. If the property was transferred to someone other than the spouse, parent, child or grandchild of the owner or the owner withdrew the property from the program, penalties would apply, including the difference between the taxes actually paid and the taxes that would have been assessed if not for being in the program, interest and a percentage of the most recent tax assessment on that property prior to the date of removal from the program. Upon removal from the program, the property would assume the just value as determined as of the April 1st immediately following withdrawal. The only reason the assessed value of property in the program could be changed would be to reflect additions, subtractions or improvements to the property or the destruction of the property.
  
  
• LD 1433: Optional Deferred Payment Plan (Harlow of Portland)
  
  This bill allows a municipality to establish a municipal property tax deferment program. The program would allow a resident who is at least 65 years of age and whose annual income is not more than 300% of the poverty level to pay property taxes on that person’s homestead at the rate that was in effect on that person’s 65th birthday, the date the person purchased the homestead or April 1, 2007, whichever is later. The assessment remains at that level until the residence is sold or transferred, the person elects to stop participating or the person is no longer eligible to participate in the program. At that time, all property taxes assessed on the property but deferred because of participation in the program must be paid to the municipality. Deferred taxes that are not paid within the required time accrue interest.
  
  In order to offset the temporary loss of revenue caused by persons participating in the program, the municipality may, upon approval of its voters, impose an additional assessment of up to 2% of the taxes deferred upon property in the municipality. The revenue from the additional assessment must be kept in a dedicated escrow account and used solely for the administrative costs of the program.
  
  
• LD 1613: Reduce Property Taxes through Municipal Deferral (Giles of Belfast)
  
  This bill creates a municipal homestead property tax deferral program to defer indefinitely property taxes levied on the assessed value of a homestead above a certain amount. The value of property for purposes of assessment is the sum of:
  
  1. The assessed value of the homestead as recorded in the municipality as of the 1996 property tax year or the last date of transfer, whichever occurs later; and
  
  2. The assessed value of any improvements made to the homestead since the last assessed value.
  
  The sum of the assessed value of the homestead and any improvements are multiplied by 50% of the Consumer Price Index to achieve the base value of the property. Taxes that would be assessed on the property above this base value are deferred until the sale or transfer of the property to someone other than a family member or trust. When the property is sold or transferred or is no longer the homestead of the owner or, in the case of a trailer or houseboat, moved out of the State, the amount of the deferred property taxes for the last 3 years or since the last transfer or sale, whichever period is shorter, must be paid.
  
  The program allows a spouse or other family member, such as a parent, sibling, child or grandchild, to continue the deferral as long as the spouse or other family member uses the property as a homestead. During the period of property tax deferral, the municipality holds a lien on the property against the deferred amount of property taxes.
  
  
• LD 1784: Authorizes Municipal Property Tax Deferral Programs
  
  This bill authorizes municipalities to establish property tax deferral programs.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

AUGUSTA - One of the most confusing and controversial of taxes is back before Maine lawmakers. A "snack tax" was on the books for most of the 1990s and confused store owners and Mainers over which foods were taxed and which were exempt. Now members of the Legislature's Taxation Committee are discussing bringing it back.

AUGUSTA - Maine voters probably will get to decide later this year whether the Passamaquoddy Tribe can build a harness-racing track with slot machines in Washington County. Although the proposal for a racino is still before the Legislature and most lawmakers back it, the level of support is not strong enough to override a veto promised by Gov. John Baldacci.

AUGUSTA - A renewed push is on to separate Peaks and three other Casco Bay islands from Portland, but the plan faces legislative scrutiny and a local referendum. A bill before lawmakers would authorize the incorporation of Peaks Island, House Island, Pumpkin Knob and Catnip Island into a Town of Peaks Island pending a vote of approval by the affected islanders

School Censored "Be Happy, Not Gay" T-shirt
(Alliance Defense Fund)
CA Students to Rally in Support of Day of Truth
(Alliance Defense Fund)
Supreme Court Seems Prepared To Review Roe
(OpinionEditorials.com)
Supreme Court Starting to Make Correct Decisions
(OpinionEditorials.com)
N.Y. Judge Guilty Of Taking Bribes
(Judicial Watch)
County Sued For Denying Illegal Marriage License
(Judicial Watch)
Five Most Important Free Speech Cases Part 5
(Family Security Matters)
ADF Attys Send Letter: National Day of Prayer
(Alliance Defense Fund)
MD High School: Day of Truth to Go Forth
(Alliance Defense Fund)
Judicial Activism
(Goldwater Institute)
ADA Lawsuits Cost Businesses $309.1 Million
(National Center for Public Policy Research)
Smelling a Delicious Civil Offense in New York City
(National Center for Public Policy Research)
Duke Rape Case: "Innocent Until Proven Guilty"
(National Center for Public Policy Research)
Nifong, Fitzgerald, and American Justice Defiled
(OpinionEditorials.com)
Federal Raid On Rep. John Doolittle's House
(Judicial Watch)
Fla. Legislature Protects Illegal Immigrants
(Judicial Watch)
Louisiana Protects Convicted Public Officials
(Judicial Watch)
The Gonzales Hunt
(American Civil Rights Union)
What a Difference a Judge Makes
(Culture and Media Institute)

Public Rally and Hearing on Abortion Funding
By Diocese of Portland and Maine Right to Life
Thursday, April 26 - Capitol Building, Augusta
It is important that we demonstrate our insistence that this bill be rejected by the committee and ultimately by the legislature as a whole. We can best do this by turning up large numbers of individuals to give witness to our concerns. Prior to the Hearing we will be gathering at noon at the steps to the Capitol to rally in support of life. This is yet another opportunity to be together in solidarity in opposition to the bill.

Economics expert says gender wage gap not the result of male bias
One News Now
A spokeswoman for the Independent Women's Forum (IWF), a conservative women’s group, says protests against the supposed "wage gap" between men and women are much ado about nothing. Today feminists will be observing "Equal Pay Day" by holding a rally on Capitol Hill. And last month, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) bemoaned the fact that women make "just 77 cents for every dollar that a man makes" and reintroduced the Paycheck Fairness Act. The bill would require employers to prove that wage disparities between men and women are not a result of gender discrimination.

Gay marriage evil, abortion terrorism: Vatican
Reuters
The Vatican's second-highest ranking doctrinal official on Monday forcefully branded homosexual marriage an evil and denounced abortion and euthanasia as forms of "terrorism with a human face". The attack by Archbishop Angelo Amato, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was the latest in a string of speeches made by either Pope Benedict or other Vatican officials as Italy considers giving more rights to gays.

Why are Republican prospects sinking while Democrats are gaining momentum? For a glimpse of what's fueling the Republican's downward spiral look at last week's vote on life-saving stem cell research. This incredibly popular bill was championed by Democrats and won approval in the Senate by a vote of 63 - 34. But Republicans like Norm Coleman and John Sununu - the same Senators facing plummeting poll numbers - opposed the bill and voted against it. How can they hope to win re-election when they are completely out of step with the will of the people?

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

The Privacy Rule requires health plans, most health care providers and health care clearinghouses to comply with its standards. The rule is enforced by the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Fiscal tsunami rolls towards Augusta

By Rep. Bob Crosthwaite and Sen. Richard Rosen

As the Legislature launches into a debate about a bond package, an inconvenient truth has landed like an economic time bomb in the State House. The state controller recently disclosed that Maine faces an unfunded liability of $4.7 billion in the account that pays health insurance for retired teachers, state employees and municipal police and firefighters.

An “unfunded liability” is a term that only an accountant could love. But make no mistake: Maine must either pay off this massive debt or face a revolt by tens of thousands of teachers and state workers who are counting on that medical benefit when they retire. Think of this not as an unfunded liability but as an economic tsunami poised to strike Augusta.

Maine is not the only player in this financial horror story. A new rule issued by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board has forced all states to “come clean” about the magnitude of their unfunded health insurance obligations for retired public employees. The nationwide total is estimated in the $1.5 trillion range. While other states are in even worse shape than Maine, our $4.7 billion shortfall represents a genuine crisis for all concerned – taxpayers, legislators, labor unions, teachers and all other state workers.

If this were the only unfunded liability that Maine faced, the outlook would not be as grim. But it’s not. We already confront a shortfall of $3 billion in the Maine State Retirement System (MSRS), which pays pensions to teachers and state workers. In the mid-1990s, voters passed an amendment to the Maine Constitution requiring that the liability be fully funded by 2029.

The original schedule of annual payments to the MSRS called for the $3 billion to be repaid by the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The total cost, including interest, would have come to about $5.5 billion. The payment schedule has since been stretched out until 2028, the constitutional deadline. By adding 10 years to the amortization plan, the total price tag has climbed to $7.93 billion. It was similar to taking a 30-year home mortgage versus a 15-year note. The monthly payments are lower, but the total cost over 30 years is hugely more expensive – in this case $2.4 billion.

This massive new unfunded liability in health insurance has jolted legislators already concerned with Maine’s debt burden. Since 2003, the official size of this obligation has been reported as $1.2 billion – bad, but not disastrous. The fact that the liability has essentially quadrupled in four years shows that, if left unchecked, the size of the problem would likely become unmanageable.

Part of the extraordinary run-up of this debt stems from higher health care costs and lengthening life expectancy. Another part comes from legislative expediency, especially in election years. Last April, the Legislature voted to add municipal police and firefighters to the system. No money was contributed to the fund to pay for the new additions, and the costs for police and firefighters are not even included in the $4.7 billion deficit.

If the Legislature had allocated funds in each budget to cover the actuarially projected cost, this problem would never have happened. Instead, in a kind of reverse version of “Profiles in Courage,” legislators have pretended not to see the train wreck barreling down the tracks. Bills before the Legislature this session, incredibly, would deepen the debt hole.

Now that the train wreck is here, what should we do? Several bills have been rushed into the breach to deal with this unfolding mess, two by Senator Peter Mills and one by Senator Karl Turner. Since they missed the cutoff date for new bills, they will need approval from legislative leadership to proceed this session. Given the gravity of the situation and gathering bipartisan support, we expect them to go forward.

The Mills and Turner bills each call for a constitutional amendment mandating that the debt be retired in the same manner as the retirement system debt. Turner sets the end-date at 2033; Mills at 2028. A related bill by Peter Mills would require another constitutional amendment “to prohibit incurring any new unfunded liabilities for retiree health benefits without paying for them,” in the language of the legislation. In short, the bills would stop the bleeding and prevent the situation from deteriorating even more.

Passing constitutional amendments would be relatively easy compared to figuring out how to meet the payments. For the Maine State Retirement System debt, the state will pay $426 million in the next two-year budget cycle. The payment balloons in the last budget of the schedule – the 2027-2028 budget – to about $1.2 billion. The health insurance debt, being larger, would require more money – maybe $500 million per budget, just for starters, with a similar balloon at the end.

These twin liabilities combined would then cost the state about $1 billion in every budget, and the total would rise dramatically in the “out years.” That is serious money. Governors and legislators will face a Hobson’s Choice as this fiasco plays out. They can raise taxes sharply to pay off these liabilities or they can slash spending. What politician wants to run on that platform?

Rep. Bob Crosthwaite (R-Ellsworth) is assistant leader of the House Republicans. Sen. Richard Rosen (R-Bucksport) is assistant leader of the Senate Republicans

Portland Press Herald

• Saltwater license plan booed, backed
• Maine gets an 'F' from child advocacy group
• Farmers clash over modified crops
• Prescription for saving downtown

Kennebec Journal

• Augusta school board to vote on budget that would increase taxes.
  -- AUGUSTA -- A $28.5 million school budget is up for approval by the Board of Education on Wednesday.
• Farmers take sides in organic-modified battle
• Saltwater anglers may need license
• $23.8M SAD 9 budget gets hearing tonight
  -- FARMINGTON -- School Administrative District 9 directors will begin reviewing sections of the proposed $23.8 million budget for 2007-08 when they meet tonight at Mt. Blue High School.
• Now hear this
  -- MANCHESTER -- Residents can weigh in on housing restrictions for registered sex offenders, cemetery policies and solid waste issues during public hearings on three proposed new ordinances tonight.

Morning Sentinel

• Lawmakers back police nominee
  -- AUGUSTA -- A legislative committee voted 11-1 Monday in support of Lt. Patrick Fleming's nomination to become the next Maine State Police chief.
• Fishing fees net opposition
• Genetically modified seed bill has farmers divided
  -- AUGUSTA -- Organic and conventional farmers find themselves on opposite sides of the fence as the Legislature considers a bill that would make manufacturers of genetically modified seeds liable for damages if their products spread to other crops.
• Board to choose town garage option
  -- CLINTON -- Selectmen are scheduled to decide tonight which of two proposals to bring to the town regarding the proposed construction of a new garage for the Highway Department.
• SAD 9 budget subject of tonight's hearing
  -- FARMINGTON -- School Administrative District 9 directors will begin reviewing sections of the proposed $23.8 million budget for 2007-08 when they meet Tuesday night at Mt. Blue High School.
• Madison budget proposal under limit
  -- MADISON -- During the annual town meeting June 11, voters will consider a $3,339,630 municipal budget proposal.
• Report: Police understaffed
  -- SKOWHEGAN -- The Skowhegan Police Department is understaffed and overburdened, according to a recently completed five-week study of law enforcement needs.
• Water district to rechannel repair funds
  -- WATERVILLE -- Kennebec Water District will divert $100,000 from planned summer projects to replace Silver Street water mains that burst Easter Sunday.
• Board OKs $19.4 million school budget
  -- WATERVILLE -- The Waterville Board of Education on Monday voted 7-0 to approve a first reading of the proposed $19.4 million school budget for 2007-08.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

A Minority View: Exploiting Ignorance
Wanted: A culture of self-defense
Power Deregulation Brought Few Bargains
Pay Attention to Paranoia

Thursday, April 19, 2007

A Christian woman is battling a California university and state social agency for terminating her internship because she shared her faith with co-workers during off-hours.

- Maine Newspapers' Editorial Intentionally Misleading?

Central Maine's daily newspapers, the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel, weighed in with their support for L.D. 375, "An Act To Amend the Family Medical Leave Laws." This pending legislation would extend further special rights to homosexuals and unmarried heterosexual couples, and further burden Maine's employers with yet another unfunded mandate.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Maine Emergency Management Agency - Drinking Water Safety

Contact: Nancy Beardsley, Maine Drinking Water Program, 287-5674

The Patriot's Day Storm has affected some private wells and drinking water systems.

The Maine CDC advises any Mainers whose water source has been affected by the storm, to make sure their water is safe to drink.

Purifying Water

It is always better to obtain drinking water from a source that you know to be pure (public water supply or bottled water, for example). However, if in an emergency you need to use water from another source, there are a number of ways to purify water to make it safe:
* Boiling
* Disinfecting
* Distilling

The Maine CDC and the Maine Emergency Management Agency have published a fact sheet describing these different methods to purify water. You should not use water that has floating material, an odor or a dark color. You should never try to disinfect and drink flood water.

Contaminated Wells

If your private well has been contaminated, you may be able to disinfect it using household bleach. If you believe your well has been contaminated, you may contact the Maine Drinking Water Program 24 hours a day at 557-4214. The Drinking Water program also has detailed detailed instructions on disinfecting your well on their website.

Townhall.com

David Strom: Progressive Taxes Aimed Squarely at the Middle Class

Every time a tax cut is proposed, liberals go apoplectic about the supposed injustice of it all. It's as if conservatives were suggesting sending out the Sheriff of Nottingham to shake down the peasants to subsidize the lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous. Well, I have news for you: it's the liberals who are shaking down the peasants, and their "socially just" policy of progressive income taxation is aimed squarely at middle-class people working their way up the economic ladder, not at the "rich" who supposedly pay the most under this system.

Paul Greenberg: Kill this monster

Ronald Reagan said it back in 1983: "Our federal tax system is, in short, utterly impossible, utterly unjust and completely counterproductive [it] reeks with injustice and is fundamentally un-American it has earned a rebellion and it's time we rebelled."

Bill Murchison: The Awfulness Of The Income Tax

So here we are as usual this time of year, fuming and fretting and rummaging for choice epithets about income tax and the urgent, the unquestionable, the unimpeachable need for tax reform. We always talk this way in April. And it never comes to anything but talk.

Congressman Jim McCrery: Democrats all wet on Tax Day

The differences between America's two major political parties are never clearer than they are on Tax Day. As the deadline passes for completing the complicated forms required to turn over your hard-earned money to the federal government, it is worth examining those differences, and what they mean for our nation's future.

The Recorder - Calif. Justices Give Employees a Break on Wage Claims

Employers got a rude surprise Monday when California's high court gave overworked employees more time to seek compensation for missed meal and rest breaks. The ruling, which management-side lawyers called shocking, allows employees who have been denied the state-mandated breaks up to three years to file suit. Employers had argued there was a one-year statute of limitations. The attorney who represented defendant Kenneth Cole Productions said the ruling could "easily" cost companies millions of dollars.

New York Law Journal - N.Y. Judicial Conduct Commission Throws the Book at Chairman-Author

The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct has voted "no confidence" in its chairman, high-profile matrimonial lawyer Raoul Felder, because of the inflammatory nature of a book -- entitled "Schmucks!" -- that he wrote with comedian Jackie Mason. In a statement issued Friday, the commission said "we are exploring our options in terms of removing [Felder] as chair." The vote of no confidence was the first in the commission's 29-year history.

Legal Times - Hollywood Entrepreneur Accuses Judicial Watch of Misconduct

The Associated Press - Procter & Gamble Says Damages for Devil-Worshipping Rumors Were Justified

New York Law Journal - Suit Over N.Y. Rules on Lawyer Advertising Goes to Trial

A federal judge on Friday declined to dismiss a challenge to New York state's new rules on attorney advertising and set a date for a trial on the guidelines' constitutionality. The rules are being challenged by Alexander & Catalano, the firm's co-founder and the advocacy group Public Citizen. The complaint argues the rules focus too heavily on ads' content rather than their accuracy and are "solely motivated by a general distaste for certain forms of lawyer advertising," especially by personal injury firms.

The Associated Press - High Court Wrangles With Overtime Pay

The Supreme Court on Monday appeared caught between the low wages of the nation's 1 million home care workers and the huge cost of paying them overtime. At issue in the case is a 1975 Labor Department rule that exempts home care workers from the "time and a half" overtime requirement of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The business sector and the Bush administration argue that a decision in favor of retired home care worker Evelyn Coke would trigger a flood of suits and cost industry and government billions.

The Associated Press - Lobbyist Linked to Abramoff Case Resigns From Barnes & Thornburg

Maine Emergency Management Agency - Statewide Closure of Shellfish Harvesting Areas

Darcy Couture, DMR, 633-9500, State EOC/624-4400

AUGUSTA, MAINE - The Department of Marine Resources reiterates that a statewide flood closure of shellfish harvesting areas, from the Maine/New Hampshire border to the Canadian border, was put into effect at 2:00 am on Monday, April 16, 2007 and remains in effect until further notice.

This closure is due to excessive rainfall and tidal surges.

For updates call the Department of Marine Resources Red Tide and Shellfish Sanitation Hotline at 1-800-232-4733

Boston.com: Collins raises $832,075 in latest federal filing

PORTLAND, Maine --Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, raised $832,075 in the first quarter of the year, raising the amount of cash available to her re-election campaign to $1.2 million, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Collins, who's seeking a third term, reported expenditures of $64,000 during the period.

Kennebec Journal: Legislative workload heavy

AUGUSTA -- With 100 days down since the start of the legislative session, and 60 or so to go, legislative leaders say there's more work ahead of them than behind them.

But like college students who wait until the last possible minute to write a paper, they aren't worried.

The work will get done.

The House and Senate aren't meeting this week in observance of school vacation. Many committees are meeting to work on bills, but not all.

Portland Press Herald: Consolidating state prisons, county jails piques legislators' interest

Overcrowding at state prisons has officials considering a radical proposal to take over all 15 county jails and operate just a single corrections system for the state.

The plan, now under consideration by the Legislature's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, would alleviate overcrowding in state prisons while saving money overall through economies of scale and consolidation, say state officials.

The plan also could cut county tax bills in half in some areas of the state, providing much-sought-after property tax relief.

Kennebec Journal: Bond package information available to the voters

It has been widely reported that a bond package has been approved totaling $295 million. One slight difference from other bond requests is in this proposal there will be three opportunities to vote on portions of the total bond package.

The first vote this June will be on $131 million in bonds directed at our transportation infrastructure and water projects.

Friday, April 13, 2007

thebollard.com
Bollard Bulletin No. 65

News:
THE LEAST FUN DOUBLE FEATURE YOU'LL EVER SEE: "Footloose" in Portland and "Footloose 2: Extra Bacon"

Gossip: Shipyard to set sail?; Cops bust city-owned bar

Briefs: Library inks deal to buy market; District 3 school board race is no contest

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heartland.org
Global Warming - On Mars?

Now we've done it! So much greenhouse gas here on Earth that it's spilling over onto Mars. Right? Ya, right. And snow is yellow.

The planet Mars is undergoing significant global warming, new data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) show, lending support to many climatologists' claims that the Earth's modest warming during the past century is due primarily to a recent upsurge in solar energy.

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townhall.com

ACLU legal assault on free speech
(Alliance Defense Fund)

ADF attorneys representing Iowa legislators
(Alliance Defense Fund)

ADF to 9th Circuit: Mojave land transfer was legal
(Alliance Defense Fund)

High School to Allow "Day of Truth" Activities
(Alliance Defense Fund)

White House Uses Clinton Defense
(Judicial Watch)

5 Free Speech Cases Facing America (Part III)
(Family Security Matters)

L.A. Must Allow First Amendment Rights at Park
(Alliance Defense Fund)

Boy Scout Jamboree OK with Court
(American Civil Rights Union)

Ended Ban on Handing Pro-Life Leaflets at School
(Alliance Defense Fund)

Judicial Activism and Emissions Regulation
(Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council)

More on Parker vs. District of Columbia
(Claremont Institute)

Judge Sides with ADF in Free Speech Case
(Alliance Defense Fund)

Security Guard Hits Union with Federal Charges
(National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation)

Foreign Workers Sue U.S Companies
(National Center for Policy Analysis)

New Mexico Gov. Gets More Tainted Money
(Judicial Watch)

Keeping Politics Out of the Administration of Justice
(Center for a Just Society)

This was a Trial?
(Liberty Coalition)

Texas Deputy Gets Sued By Illegal Aliens
(Judicial Watch)

Transpartisan Coalition Rejects Mueller Testimony
(Liberty Coalition)

Women's "Right-to-Know" Abortion Law
(Alliance Defense Fund)

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Thursday, April 12, 2007

Peaks Island Neighborhood Association
Presentation on the Risk of Wildfire on Peaks Island
Saturday, April 21 at 9am in the Community Center

On behalf of the Peaks Island Land Preserve, I’d like to invite you to join us for a presentation about the risk of wildfire on Peaks Island.

On Saturday, April 21 at 9am in the Community Center, Forest Rangers from the Maine Forest Service will present the results of a wildfire risk assessment they conducted on Peaks, as well as suggest measures we can take as individuals and as a community to protect ourselves and our homes from wildfire.

If you are you concerned about the risk of wildfire on Peaks Island, and would like to learn about preventative measures you can take to protect your home in case of wildfire, please join us for this important discussion.

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E2 TECH APRIL FORUM
April 26, 2007 - Time: 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Place: Maine Audubon, Gilsland Farm Center, Falmouth, ME

Steve Ward will discuss his role as Maine's Department of Environmental Protection point person for a legislative effort to support the state's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
Email forum@e2tech.org or visit e2tech.org for more information or to register.

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Portland Press Herald Parents, teachers unite on Porland school budget

Motivated by frustration and fear, a group of Portland parents and teachers has formed to defend the proposed school budget before the City Council and work to improve the budget review process in the future.

Several members of Kids Before Cuts spoke at Wednesday's school budget hearing, after which the School Committee approved an $86.4 million spending plan for the coming year.

YORK COUNTY'S GROWING PAINS
Small towns struggle to keep a rural feel amid the fastest growth in the state.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/york/070412growth.html

SET TO FLEE ENDLESS WINTER? GOOD LUCK GETTING AWAY
Yet another messy snowstorm is expected to make travel difficult on a very busy weekend.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/070412travel.html

LOBSTERMEN FEAR WHALE RULES
Maine fishermen want their voices heard in a fight over regulations to protect right whales.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/070412lobster.html

Set to flee endless winter? Good luck getting away
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/070412travel.html

Couple rescued from burning house
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/070412sopofire.html

Parents, teachers unite on budget
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/070412pschools.html

Seniors' life stories are kids' life support
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/070412oralhistory.html

Lobstermen fear whale rules
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/070412lobster.html

Portland diocese complying
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/070412audit.html

Topsham manager leaving for job in Brunswick
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/coast/070412masshealth.html

York County's growing pains
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/york/070412growth.html

Foes of MERC contract force special meeting
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/york/070412biddeford.html

Taking toughness out of Bacon Street
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/york/070412baconstreet.html

Senate vote a boost for racino supporters
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/statehouse/070412racino.html

UMF music professors get  people to toot their horns
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/070412trafficjammi.html

Housing plan gives old waterworks new life
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/070412mewaterworks.html

In Hampden, gas from waste   set to become 'green power'
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/070412landfillpowe.html

This old house salvager
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/business/shoptalk/0704120412_shoptal.html

You can find the complete stories online at <http://www.pressherald.com/news/>

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Tuesday, April 10, 2007

~I Owe, I Owe, In Debt We All Will Go~
AUGUSTA - Governor John Baldacci was joined today by members of the House and Senate as he signed a $295 million bond package that will go to voters this June and November and in June 2008.

"As we transition our economy to the future, we need to provide more opportunities in our state," the Governor said. "And we need to be able to preserve and protect our natural resources and make sure that our air is clean and our water is safe."

Praising the Legislature for its collaboration and bipartisanship, he said "The members of leadership, with the Appropriations Committee and the committees in the Legislature have worked in an overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion to address issues that are important to the state's future." The bill required a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate in order to pass.

The package includes funding for a number of programs, including Land for Maine's Future, the New Century Community Program, the School Revolving Renovation Fund, the Municipal Investment Trust Fund and the establishment of a Riverside Community Development Program.

This June's vote will include a proposed $113 million for roads, bridges, transit facilities and recreational trails as well as another $18 million for grants supporting the construction of wastewater treatment facilities and improvement of Maine's public water systems.

This fall, $43 million in funding for school renovations and cultural initiatives will be on the ballot. Also in November will be a $50 million bond for research and development and another $5 million in loan and grant funds for economic development. A $35 million bond issue to be matched by at least $21 million in private and public contributions would go toward conservation efforts with $3 million of that going to the improvement of Maine's quality places, including among other things working waterfront initiatives, agricultural water-source grants and improvements to state parks and historic sites.

The June 2008 referendum includes a bond issue of nearly $30 million for natural resource and environmental quality investments and additional funding for the State's transit infrastructure.

"It's a great effort and you should all be proud," the Governor said in closing. "Most importantly, the citizens will have a chance to vote on this in June and November, and we should recognize that our future is much more solid and secure because of your efforts."

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Flip a Coin - Get Into Debt - It's That EASY!
Maine's Secretary of State plans coin toss to choose how questions are numbered.

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced today a coin toss will determine the order in which two bond questions will appear on ballots in a June 12 election. "The coin toss assures neither bond question gets preference with regard to its position on the ballot," Dunlap said. "Each question has an equal chance to be number one on Election Day. As the state's top elections official, I am certain the voters of Maine will recognize the importance of their participation in the June election with the fate of over 131,000,000 dollars to be decided."

The June 12, 2007 ballot is set to contain the following two questions:

"Do you favor a $112,975,000 bond issue for improvements to highways and bridges, airports, public transit facilities, ferry and port facilities including port and harbor structures and bicycle and pedestrian trails that makes the State eligible for over $260,525,000 in federal and other matching funds?"

and

"Do you favor an $18,300,000 bond issue to support drinking water programs and to support the construction of wastewater treatment facilities that will leverage $49,500,000 in other funds?"

The coin toss to determine the ballot order of these two questions will be held promptly at 1:00 pm, Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at the Office of the Secretary of State. The office is located in the Nash School Building on the Corner of Sewall and Capitol Streets in Augusta.

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Lobster Prices Hit $15 a Pound
A combination of weather, water temperature and the timing of fishing seasons has pushed retail lobster prices to about $15 a pound, probably the highest ever.....

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PIER Program receiving $12.4 million grant

PORTLAND - The Portland Identification and Early Referral (PIER) Program today announced it will be receiving a $12.4 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, citing it as another example that Maine leads the way in health care.

"By systematically engaging the community to identify early symptoms of psychotic illness, and by involving families of at-risk youth, they can help stem the progression of these symptoms," Governor Baldacci said. "While the PIER program's reach only extends to Cumberland County now, Maine values innovative, research-based programs that can help reduce the cost of mental health care in the long-term. We are invested in the success of these programs, not only in Cumberland County, but across the state."

The grant will be used to continue the work at PIER, as well as to train up to four other sites throughout the country to replicate the work being done by PIER.

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Portland Buy Local - April 11th, doors open 6:30

Please join Citizen Salon for a discussion about the future of Maine’s independent businesses on April 11th at Zero Station in Portland.

How does local ownership of business affect the state’s economic health, oil dependence, and civic vitality? What can we do to build a more robust local business economy?

This will be an informal panel discussion with Portland Buy Local co-founders, including Bill Duggan, owner of Videoport; Chris Busby, publisher of The Bollard; Stuart Gersen, co-owner of Longfellow Books; Stacy Mitchell, author of Big-Box Swindle; and Susan Tran, co-owner of Tsunami Tattoo.

Bring your questions and ideas. This is a Citizen Salon event and will be held at Zero Station, 222 Anderson Street. Snacks at 6:30, event at 7:00. Click here for directions.

More information also available at portlandbuylocal

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NEWSWEEK - MIT Professor on Global Warming Myth

The conclusion of the late climate scientist Roger Revelle—Al Gore's supposed mentor—is worth pondering: the evidence for global warming thus far doesn't warrant any action unless it is justifiable on grounds that have nothing to do with climate.

Lindzen is the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research has always been funded exclusively by the U.S. government. He receives no funding from any energy companies.

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Morning Sentinel - Waterville city manager proposes tax rate decrease

WATERVILLE — City Manager Michael J. Roy said Monday that he proposes to decrease the city’s tax rate by $1 per $1,000 worth of valuation.

The current tax rate of $25.90 per $1,000 valuation would decrease to $24.90.

City councilors and the Board of Education will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the budget. The meeting will be held in the council chambers at The Center downtown.

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mainetoday.com - Appropriations gets school report

A subcommittee of state Legislators formed to make recommendations for school administration consolidation wants to see Maine’s 290 school districts reduced to 80 by July 1, 2008.

The subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee reported its recommendations to the full Appropriations Committee today.

The subcommittee said the state should have a maximum of 80 school districts, with at least 2,500 students in each district.

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Monday, April 9, 2007

Mainetoday.com: Peaks bill seeks new secession process
By KELLEY BOUCHARD, Portland Press Herald Staff Writer

Peaks Island could secede from Portland without the approval of city officials or a citywide vote under a bill awaiting review by the Maine Legislature's State and Local Government Committee.

Drafted by the Peaks Island Independence Committee, the bill asks the Legislature to approve a process for Peaks to become a separate town on July 1, 2009.

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Kennebec Journal: Death of legislator a blow to town

Abigail Holman was one of an estimated 100 skiers taking turns racing down the short slalom course Saturday as part of the McKay Waddle Memorial Race.

Holman hit a tree and died during Saturday's event, which raised money for scholarships for the junior racing programs at Sugarloaf.

There were no age or ability requirements to enter, just a desire to help others and maybe cut through the powdery snow dumped earlier in the week.

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Mainetoday.com: Bills aim to help state dairy farmers

AUGUSTA - Sidney dairy farmer Dale Cole points to two recent food scares as evidence that local food is best.

Think tainted spinach. Think poisoned dog food.

"It's important to have food come from local sources," he said.

Cole, a second-generation farmer who milks 100 cows, said his industry is doing better than it was four years ago, when dairy farmers showed up at the State House in droves -- with cows in tow -- to plead for help.

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Portland Press Herald: Students put ideas into bills, present them to Legislature

AUGUSTA - Kristie Cruz swapped her comfortable flats for a pair of dressier heels, took a seat inside the hearing room and quietly read over her testimony.

Cruz, 17, wasn't nervous yet, but expected she would be when she faced members of the Legislature's Education and Cultural Affairs Committee. It was her first trip to the State House and her first try at public speaking.

Regardless of jitters, Cruz had something to say. She and her classmates in Portland West's Youth Building Alternatives program were there last week to advocate a bill that would make resources on parenting more available to high school students.

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Kennebec Journal: Bond negotiations ended in triumph; budget not so easy

Leadership manifests itself in many ways, but it's the actions of our leaders that best define them. And the actions of legislative leaders in recent weeks make me proud to work with them as we address many of our state's long-term issues.

Our governor, our Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and Senate, and our Appropriations Committee leaders demonstrated diplomacy and flexibility as they worked with the Appropriations Committee and the Legislature to consider more than 70 different bond proposals to meet the long-term needs of our state. In the end, they negotiated and guided the development of bond proposals for highway and sewer infrastructure, research and development, higher education, natural resources and environmental protection to be sent to our state's voters in June, November, and again in June 2008. Make no mistake in thinking that this was a love fest.

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Wall Street Journal: Illegal Diplomacy Did Nancy Pelosi commit a felony when she went to Syria?

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may well have committed a felony in traveling to Damascus this week, against the wishes of the president, to communicate on foreign-policy issues with Syrian President Bashar Assad. The administration isn't going to want to touch this political hot potato, nor should it become a partisan issue. Maybe special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, whose aggressive prosecution of Lewis Libby establishes his independence from White House influence, should be called back.

The Logan Act makes it a felony and provides for a prison sentence of up to three years for any American, "without authority of the United States," to communicate with a foreign government in an effort to influence that government's behavior on any "disputes or controversies with the United States." Some background on this statute helps to understand why Ms. Pelosi may be in serious trouble.

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Monday, April 9, 2007

The Portland Republican City Committee will celebrate mud season with our monthly Happy Hour on Tuesday April 10, 2007 at DiMillo's Floating Restaurant, Long Wharf at 184 Commercial Street at 5:30 pm. All are welcome to get in out of the cold and talk hot politics! There will be no snow date! Steven Scharf Secretary, Portland Republican City Committee 207-774-9393 SCSMedia@aol.com

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Friday, April 06, 2007

The Legislature is Heating Up
By Joe Bruno, Chairman, Maine Republican Party, April 6, 2007

By early April the Legislature is usually starting to go at a frenzied pace as legislators start to feel spring in the air. Typically, there should only be two months left to the first session of the legislature and major policy discussions should have been introduced months ago.

Not in this legislature. After passing a $295 million bond package, the legislature is now going to start discussing the budget again. As I stated last week, I don't understand how you can vote for bonding debt before you know what your budget is; but it's over and now it's time to move on to the budget and other policy issues.

Going into the budget debate, there seems to be more and more evidence surfacing that proves that Maine is in a state of fiscal crisis. The Department of Human Services announced this week that they have a $21.5 million shortfall for the fiscal year ending on June 30th, 2007. This comes on top of a shortfall in the corporate income tax line of $75 million; and for those of you that love national statistics, Maine and Maryland are the only two states in America to experience an actual decline in their corporate income tax line in 2007. There is very little support for the Governor's cigarette tax increase proposal, and the projected savings in the Governor's original school consolidation plan have evaporated. This deadly combination of debt is leaving the Legislature with an over $100 million dollar budget gap to fill; and the two options available to legislators are to reduce wasteful spending or raise taxes on the backs of Maine's working families.

From my perspective I believe that the Democrats are going to try and force Republicans to go along with some kind of tax increase to balance the budget. Is there anyone out there that believes the Democrats are actually going to cut spending to achieve the savings required? With three months to go in the fiscal year I guarantee that no matter what they do, they will need to raise revenues. The cynic in me says that Majority Democrats have known this to be the case right along, but kept delaying a solution so they could paint Republicans in a corner to go along with a tax increase. There had to be a reason to not pass a majority budget and this is why.

The Democrat strategy is simple: they are looking for political cover as they attempt to raise taxes again, after promising to provide tax relief to Maine's citizens during the 2006 campaigns. I say it a lot, but the truth is if they could point to one or two Republicans that go along then they could claim a bipartisan budget, with tax increases included, and the Democrats win. Republicans must hold firm and say no to any additional revenue, whether it is a tax increase or new fees. The people of Maine are looking for some fiscal sanity and it is up to the Republicans to provide that by reducing wasteful spending in State Government.

The biennial budget that begins on July 1st is also in shambles. There is a tax increase proposed by the Governor and the shortfalls I addressed earlier will need to be considered. Remember that message that supposedly every legislator heard about tax relief in January? There are only two months left in this session and I have not seen or heard a proposal that has any tax relief for the citizens of Maine. How clearly did the message get sent? Tax relief must begin with spending reductions. It has been clearly demonstrated that will not happen in a bipartisan manner. Republicans can stand out by standing firm and continuing to resist overtures of new taxes. It is happening all over this state. Many municipal budgets are remaining flat because the towns have heard the message. Too bad it has fallen on deaf ears in the dome.

To make matters worse, Majority Democrats continue to insult Maine's taxpayers by supporting legislation to pad their own wallets. It was bad enough that Rep. Burns (D-Berwick) thought legislators should have taxpayers pick up the cost of his housing and recreation cost (LD 226). Now we have Rep. Tuttle (D-Sanford) propose another huge pay increase with LD 1814. The sad part is that he was able to get Democrat leadership, including the Speaker of the House, to go along and cosponsor his bill for pay increases. Do they really understand what Maine taxpayers are going through? As we struggle to pay property taxes and health insurance they want a raise. How many of you can say you deserve a raise, but because of the economic climate in this state the business you work for can't afford to give it to you? That business is struggling to meet all the other expenses so that it can survive.

This week the Governor came out with his health care reform proposal. He is proposing that businesses be forced to provide health insurance even if they can't afford to. Additionally, by January of 2009, many individual citizens will be forced to purchase health insurance as well under the threat of a tax penalty in what the Governor calls a "Pay or Play" system. That is on top of having the honor of paying more taxes for his Dirigo health plan that is an abysmal failure. I would be interested to hear from you how that makes health care more affordable. The Governor is also proposing that Dirigo gets set up as its own entity to market and run itself. This is from an administration that has spent $60 million on a computer system that doesn't work and sent out over $500 million in payments to providers and now can't recoup the overpayments. Doesn't that give you a lot of confidence?

The Governor is also proposing what he calls reinsurance. Can someone tell me why any reinsurance company would want to take on the risk of the sickest individuals in the state and if they did how high would those premiums be? Maybe the Governor really meant to say high-risk pool which is different than reinsurance, but didn't want to get his Democrats all in a tizzy over the use of the term.

Finally, Maine made the national news again this week in a report showing that our tax burden has actually increased again! We went from 13.5% to 14%, the highest tax burden Maine has ever had. I can't wait to get some more of that "historic" tax relief the Governor mentioned two years ago. The only thing historic about it is the new record of the highest level ever for tax burden. Just as a side note, New Hampshire's tax burden ranking is #2 at about 7%, just behind Alaska.

There is so much more to write about. I'll wait till next week as I watch the legislature implode because things are starting to come to a boil. If I spot any tax relief I'll let you know. Don't hold your breath.

As always feel free to share your comments with Joe and give Joe feedback on anything he wrote. He can be reached by email at joe@mainegop.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOTE: After listening to the legislature's Taxation and Appropriations Committees this past week, WatchDog Maine must agree with much of the assessment above by Mr. Bruno. The next two weeks will be very telling.

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Bangor Daily News: $21.5M state shortfall predicted
AUGUSTA - The bad news continues on the state budget. Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Brenda Harvey confirmed to lawmakers Thursday that if collections of interim payments paid to Medicaid providers continue at the current level, the state will be short $21.5 million by the end of this budget year.

"We are continuing to work on ways to collect what is owed," Harvey told a joint meeting of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee and Health and Human Services Committee. "We are working very hard on this."

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Bangor Daily News: Bill to ban fire retardant debated by lawmakers
State lawmakers heard hours of testimony Thursday on a measure to ban a common chemical flame retardant that critics describe as a potential neurotoxin increasingly found in toddlers and in mothers' breast milk.

Manufacturers defend the flame retardant as a proven lifesaver.

Parents, health professionals, firefighters and representatives of environmental organizations rallied behind a bill that would phase out the use of "deca," a chemical added to the plastic casings around televisions and other household products.

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Lewiston Sun Journal: Bond package deals region piece of the pie
AUGUSTA - Keeping up the state of Maine is like keeping up a house.

If some things aren't fixed now, they'll cost twice as much to fix later, said state Sen. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston.

Officials in one room of the "house," Androscoggin County, are excited about some repairs and renovations they might be able to tackle, thanks to a $295 million bond package the Legislature approved this week with little opposition. In addition, the state would have to pay $85 million in interest.

Voters will decide on the bond issues in the next two elections, one in June and another in November.

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Washington Post: Pratfall in Damascus
HOUSE SPEAKER Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered an excellent demonstration yesterday of why members of Congress should not attempt to supplant the secretary of state when traveling abroad. After a meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Ms. Pelosi announced that she had delivered a message from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that "Israel was ready to engage in peace talks" with Syria. What's more, she added, Mr. Assad was ready to "resume the peace process" as well. Having announced this seeming diplomatic breakthrough, Ms. Pelosi suggested that her Kissingerian shuttle diplomacy was just getting started. "We expressed our interest in using our good offices in promoting peace between Israel and Syria," she said.

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Thursday, April 05, 2007

Portland Press Herald

TRIBE TIES RACINO TO COLLEGE FUNDING
State House: As a vote nears, Passamaquoddys offer a bigger share of profits for scholarships.

SUIT COULD ALTER PLAN FOR THEATER
A South Portland board is accused of violating its rules by allowing the loss of 200 mall parking spots.

WARY SCIENTISTS SEEK CLUES ABOUT RECENT RISE IN RED TIDE
Experts are monitoring clams and mussels and testing a new data buoy in Harpswell Sound.

SCHOOL BUDGET RIDES SPENDING ROLLER COASTER
A revised Portland plan rises by $500,000, then is trimmed by $759,000.

WITH ITS CELLS OVERFLOWING, STATE NEEDS LONG-TERM VIEW
Demanding longer sentences is fine, but the consequences weren't fully anticipated.

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MaineToday.com
Former IRS employee charged in Home Depot fraud
BOSTON — Federal prosecutors say Robert Dooley had an unusual way of persuading Home Depot clerks that he could be trusted when returning stolen merchandise for store credit cards: he flashed his Internal Revenue Service identification badge.

Over the course of three years, Dooley allegedly stole more than $330,000 from the home improvement chain by returning stolen goods for the credit cards, then selling those cards at a discount, court documents said. He was charged Thursday with 12 counts of wire fraud in connection with the scam.

MaineToday.com
Council kills Old Port Seat Tax
The Portland City Council tossed out its controversial seat tax on Old Port bars Wednesday night, replacing it with a plan to increase alcohol license fees citywide starting July 1.

MaineToday.com
Hiring freeze bill axed
AUGUSTA — A legislative committee voted late Wednesday against a bill that sought to place a modified hiring freeze in state government.

The State and Local Government Committee voted unanimously in opposition to the bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Sawin Millett, R-Waterford.

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Kennebec Journal: Baldacci plan could lead to mandatory coverage
AUGUSTA -- Gov. John Baldacci proposed overhauling the state's DirigoChoice health insurance program Wednesday by forcing some employers and employees to subsidize the plan, relieving insurance companies of the responsibility.

The plan would not raise or impose taxes on cigarettes, beer, wine, snacks, soft drinks or syrups to finance DirigoChoice, as a task force appointed by Baldacci recommended in a report it issued last December.

But it would tax the premiums of health maintenance organizations, more commonly known as HMOs, initially as a source of money for DirigoChoice. And it would effectively require some Mainers to get health insurance, by taxing employers who fail to provide insurance for their workers and individuals who are not insured. That requirement would take effect in July 2008 for employers and in January 2009 for individuals.
Read on...

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Lewiston Sun Journal: Drive revives casino effort
AUGUSTA - Las Vegas: Northeast.
That's what a group of legislators, by request of a group of residents, want to bring to Oxford County.

Touting jobs and economic advancement, Rep. John Patrick, D-Rumford, has put a bill before the Legislature to allow a casino and resort to be built in Western Maine.

Unlike Hollywood Slots in Bangor, with 450 slot machines, Patrick's bill calls approval of a full-fledged casino, with 4,500 slot machines, card games and table games.

Of the casino's profits, 39 percent would go to the state.

Patrick introduced the bill by request of Rumford resident Seth Carey of Evergreen Mountain Enterprises, LLC. Carey is spearheading a drive to bring a casino to the Rumford area.
Read on...

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Kennebec Journal: Paid sick-time law urged
AUGUSTA -- Groups representing nurses, teachers, social workers, Catholics, senior citizens, and the poor told a legislative committee Wednesday that it's time for all businesses with 25 or more employees to offer paid sick days.

Rep. Jackie Norton, D-Bangor, is sponsoring a bill that would require an estimated 8 percent of businesses in Maine to provide the benefit to all full-time and part-time employees.

"Too many families in our state are trying to cobble together support for their family with several part-time jobs," Norton said.

Read on...

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Portland Press Herald: Legislators put $295 million debt on ballot
AUGUSTA - A $295 million state borrowing package representing a bipartisan deal between majority Democrats and minority Republicans won overwhelming approval in the Legislature on Wednesday night.

Needing two-thirds majorities in both chambers to pass, the bond package was backed on final votes of 138-6 in the House of Representatives and 33-0 in the Senate.

Its provisions call for the $295 million to be divided for three separate statewide referendum votes this June and November and in June 2008.
Read on...

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Kennebec Journal: Spring slips on snowfall
AUGUSTA -- A persistent snowfall intensified Wednesday evening, forcing the cancellation of many planned events as the National Weather Service extended a winter storm warning through 10 a.m. today. County sheriff's deputies and local and state police responded to numerous accidents late Wednesday afternoon evening as cars slid off state highways, Interstate 95 and the Maine Turnpike, where the advisory speed limit was lowered to 45 mph.
Read on...

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Governor Baldacci Unveils Plan to Expand Health Coverage

AUGUSTA - Governor John Baldacci released his plans today to continue Maine along the path toward universal health care.

The Governor's plan will build upon Dirigo Health Reform, Maine's groundbreaking program to provide affordable, comprehensive insurance to the state's uninsured and underinsured population.

"I am proud of what Dirigo has accomplished. We have helped small businesses provide insurance to their employees, we've given individuals a place to turn when the insurance market failed them, and we've saved lives," Governor Baldacci said. "We've helped to contain costs and we've focused on preventative care, which saves money and improves quality of life. But now is the time to take the next step."

"What we're fighting for here is to make sure that quality, affordable health care is available to every family in Maine," Governor Baldacci said. "Health care security is about real people, with real lives and real families. They work hard and play by the rules, yet too many of them are left out of the system. We will make sure quality health care is available for everyone."

Under the Governor's plan:

• New cost containments will be placed on MaineCare, the state's version of Medicaid.
• Improvements will be made in the delivery of MaineCare services to improve patient health and case management.
• Dirigo will be able to self-insure and will grow moderately.
• Dirigo will be made more affordable for small businesses and will refocus on the uninsured and underinsured.
• New rate regulations will be placed on the insurance industry.
• Market reforms, including a reinsurance plan, will be instituted to increase competition and provide consumers with more choices.
• Transparency will be increased in the rate-setting process.
• Insurers will be required to provide discounts for nonsmokers and worksite wellness programs.
• Once steps have begun to increase competition and make insurance more affordable, a play-or-pay system will be implemented. It will provide incentives for employers to provide insurance and will require individuals to have coverage.

"Health care reform is about more than just making sure everyone has insurance," Governor Baldacci said. "It's about encouraging people to be healthier and improving their quality of life. That's better for people, better for the state and better for the economy."

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Bangor Daily News: Legislative pay hike proposed in Augusta

AUGUSTA - Under a bill that is raising bipartisan concerns at the State House, lawmakers taking office in 2008 would get a raise of $5,131 over their two-year terms and future Legislatures would have pay determined by an independent commission.

"When I talk with people they can't believe what they pay up here at the Legislature and confuse it with what people get paid in Washington," said Rep. John Tuttle, D-Sanford, the bill's sponsor. "We need to get it to a point where people are able to survive. Right now we are making less money than we were in 1986 because we took a pay cut in 1991."

Read on...

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Portland Press Herald: Tribe ties racino to college funding

AUGUSTA Supporters of a plan to build a harness racing track with slot machines in Washington County hope to bolster legislative support for the racino proposal by earmarking a portion of the revenue for college scholarships.

The Passamaquoddy Tribe plans to announce today that it would set aside 3.5 percent of its take from the racino for scholarships at Washington County Community College, said Donald Soctomah, the tribe's representative to the Legislature. Soctomah said that could amount to about $1 million per year.

Read on...

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Kennebec Journal: Health care skirmish heating up

AUGUSTA -- Rising health care costs remain a hot issue at the Statehouse, with Democrats and Republicans offering differing proposals Tuesday for lowering the cost of coverage, and an announcement expected today from Gov. John Baldacci.

Democrats want to create a commission to investigate why costs in Maine are so high.

Between 1999 and 2004, health expenditures in Maine grew by 60 percent, said Hilary Schneider, director of programs and policy at Consumers for Affordable Health Care. In the rest of New England and the U.S., the rate was 45 percent, she said.

Read on...

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Lewiston Sun Journal: School reform taking shape

AUGUSTA - The working version of the school consolidation plan will mandate most school systems with less than 2,500 students merge with neighboring systems.

The plan, developed by a subcommittee of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee, is based on models offered by the Legislature's Education Committee and Gov. John Baldacci. It is a middle ground between the two proposals.

Read on...

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Bangor Daily News: State program seeks funds to educate blind children

BANGOR - Nine-year-old C-Jay Martin bends over the keyboard as he prepares to copy his spelling words from a sheet of yellow paper to a computer file. He reads the word at the top of the list, first silently and then aloud - a-b-l-e, able - then types it on the keyboard.

Next word - f-a-b-l-e, fable.

C-Jay's teacher, Gayle Flegel, has written the list in ink today for the benefit of visitors, but C-Jay can't see the marks on the paper. Totally blind since birth - he was born without eyes - he reads in the subtle, raised-dot patterns of the Braille alphabet. The words are embossed on the page beneath the handwritten versions. His small fingers deftly scan each group of letters before positioning themselves on the home keys - a-s-d-f, j-k-l-; - and, somewhat tentatively, he taps the words onto the monitor screen.

Read on...

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