In 2012, Sam Brownback, the Republican governor of Kansas, and that state’s Republican-majority Legislature enacted sweeping tax cuts, following the trickle-down theory that if wealthy individuals and large corporations paid almost no taxes at all, Kansas’ economy would magically expand to replace the lost revenue. Fast forward three years to 2015: The economy and the […]

The New York Times published an editorial June 6 announcing the “welcome development” that six large European gas and oil companies are asking for a fee to be placed on carbon emissions. The oil companies want “an efficient and predictable policy to limit greenhouse gas emissions because they realize that something must be done.” A […]

Before the City Council spends one penny of the proposed $3.2 million on making it a nightmare to get from one side of the city to the other, and solving a problem that doesn’t exist, I strongly recommend that it spends money to repave the following streets: • Market from Fore to Middle. • Middle from […]

Cape Elizabeth resident Donald Rudalevige (“Letter to the editor: Two-way traffic plan costly, absurd,” June 13) says that closing Portland’s overflow shelter for the homeless and ending General Assistance payments for asylum seekers would be “unconscionable acts.” I am always amazed at the letter writers who do not live and pay taxes in the city, […]

Even though I disagree with the resulting recommendation of the State and High Streets Public Advisory Committee (“Two-way traffic urged for Portland’s State and High streets,” June 9), I appreciate all the work they have done to ensure that it “would be feasible” to return State and High streets to two-way traffic. The advisory committee […]