I was alarmed and extraordinarily disappointed to have learned about the large-scale mural that is slated to go up on Fort Andross in Brunswick. I certainly have nothing against murals. We have great ones in Maine. The South Solon Meeting House is a high point of American fresco. The Portland Museum of Art and the […]
Times Record Opinion
Columns and opinion news from the Times Record.
Posted inTimes Record Opinion
Phil Kerpen: More debt without spending reform is dirty
Before Republicans agreed to elect Kevin McCarthy Speaker House, a handful of his colleagues demanded the implementation of a fiscal framework to rein in federal spending. The threat of spending reduction has launched a full debt ceiling “default” panic. The spending interests are trying to cast conservatives as unreasonable and spendthrift Democrats as saviors of […]
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Posted inTimes Record Opinion
The Maine Idea: ‘Relief’ provided, now we can get down to business
A month after it was put on the docket, the Legislature swiftly passed and Gov. Janet Mills signed a “Winter Energy Relief” bill on its regular opening day, Jan. 4. The $474 million spending proposal, LD 3, was a curious production, about which more in a moment. It was also curious how it became law. […]
Posted inTimes Record Opinion
Tom Purcell: Laughing your way to happiness
What makes us happy and fulfilled? According to the directors of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest scientific study of happiness ever conducted, the answer is very simple: our relationships. “The stronger our relationships, the more likely we are to live happy, satisfying and overall healthier lives,” according to the book “The Good […]
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Gordon Weil: House in chaos, but not collapse
Ever heard of Henny-Penny? She’s back! The children’s tale character was hit on the head by an acorn, concluded “the sky is falling” and set out to warn the king. Along the way she panicked her friends, who followed her, only to be tricked and killed by Foxy-Woxy. Just in time, Henny-Penny heard Coxy-Loxy crow, […]
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Elwood Watson: Amid McCarthy drama, Republicans try the race card
The drama surrounding Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s speakership bid remains nothing short of surreal. It took 15 bids to secure the votes required to become speaker of the House. In his fatalistic desire to become speaker, McCarthy made numerous concessions to his opponents that have all but promised to nullify any real power or influence he […]
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Jase Graves: Escape from New York — and Southwest Airlines
In the 1980s, I repeatedly watched a recorded copy of the film “Escape from New York” on my family’s Panasonic VCR – complete with tuning knobs the size of hubcaps. Little did I know that I would star in my own version of the movie (as a domesticated, tattoo-less and slightly flabby version of Snake […]
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The Conversation: Democracy under attack in Brazil: 5 questions about the storming of Congress and the role of the military
THE CONVERSATION — Thousands of far-right supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country’s Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace on Jan. 8, 2023. In images similar to those from the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, demonstrators were seen overwhelming and beating police while breaching the security perimeter of the buildings. It […]
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The Conversation: Our centuries-long quest for ‘a quiet place’
THE CONVERSATION — The 2018 film “A Quiet Place” is an edge-of-your-seat tale about a family struggling to avoid being heard by monsters with hypersensitive ears. Conditioned by fear, they know the slightest noise will provoke a violent response – and almost certain death. Audiences came out in droves to dip their toes into its […]
Posted inTimes Record Opinion
Tom Purcell: The shameful return of earmarks
Earmarks are back and they’re costing American taxpayers a bundle. In case you’ve forgotten, earmarks, says FactCheck.org, “are government funds that are allocated by a legislator for a particular pet project, often without proper review.” Often attached to the 12 large appropriation bills that Congress by law is supposed to pass each year to fund […]