As I consider the state of our nation, I am reminded of W.C. Fields’s pithy quote: “There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation.” We are at that point with the Republican party. This week many media reported on Maggie Habberman’s […]

Like the birds, who breathe poisoned air, too many people die each year worldwide, from bad air. The World Health Organization estimates that over 7 million die from bad air. And over 4 million die from the air outside their homes, from air that is not under their control. Conditions are improving in the U.S., […]

There are a number of big-budget items mentioned on your front-page coverage of Gov. Mills’ financial plans (“Governor unveils $20 million plan for free community college tuition,” Feb. 11). You can argue over much government spending (and indeed we do), but one item that is guaranteed to pay for itself – and then some – […]

There is no way to please everyone when it comes to COVID. There is no precedent for managing this epidemic, but following expert, scientific advice is the best policy. The recall group has changed their reasons for wanting to fire our superintendent multiple times. The latest reason is criticism of Regional School Unit 21 COVID […]

Who will admit that they agree with Rep. MaryAnne Kinney’s rationale for voting against the Equal Rights Amendment to the Maine Constitution? After all, according to Kinney, things aren’t that bad for women in Maine. She argues, in Staff Writer Penelope Overton’s paraphrase, that “Maine has one of the smallest wage gaps in the nation.” […]

We all want to feel safe and secure, whether it’s in our own neighborhood, going shopping or eating out in a restaurant. There’s a level of trust that the public has toward government to provide adequate law and order. In recent years, that trust is quickly eroding. Movements to defund the police and lax prosecutorial […]

As I aged, I held on to a hope or belief that our world was improving over time. But now I’m having second thoughts. Has it always been a mess? Most likely. Because of media, technology, the internet and new ways to communicate, are we now hearing, reading, seeing or learning more of how life […]

Efficient allocation of products in a market economy requires that their prices reflect their full costs of production. Regrettably, that’s not true for those intensive in carbon. The atmosphere is an unpriced resource, free to pollute. So, carbon-intensive products are too cheap, consumption is too high and environmental damage is too great. To correct this, […]