Augusta politicians have decided that they know better than the voters. As the Maine Public headline says, “All Voter-Approved Initiatives From 2016 Ballot in Flux in the Legislature.” Since the Legislature – and particularly Republican leaders – and the governor so comfortably ignore the outcome of elections, I’d like to suggest a few others that […]
The gym at Schenck High School in East Millinocket was full. There were two tables for participants. A moderator from the Bangor Daily News. TV cameras. Reporters. Signs and stickers. And a big crowd. It was two years ago this month on June 18, and it was just one of literally hundreds of events – […]
Everyone should have enough food to eat. Period. Everyone. Every single person. Every child. Every mother. Every father. Every grandmother. Every worker. Every person who doesn’t work. Every person with a disability. Every person fighting addiction. The convicted criminal. The saint. The loving. The mean. The forgiving. The spiteful. The thoughtful. The vindictive. Everyone. During […]
The kids are all right. Honest. Despite the moaning and groaning of old people like me when they talk about “kids these days,” I think the future is in good hands. Certainly better hands than we’re in today. There’s this notion that kids today have been ruined and that they’ve been made soft by over […]
Voters are getting pummeled in the Legislature. Last year, the stalemate on important issues caused by a hothead of a governor and a divided Legislature led voters to take matters into their own hands. In a crowded November ballot, they passed four of five citizens’ initiatives. Voters said yes to legalizing marijuana, raising the minimum […]
Maine lawmakers face a conundrum of their own making. And the only real way out is to trust the voters. A well-financed – and extremely troubling – campaign to build a new casino in southern Maine has collected enough signatures to force a ballot initiative this fall. The backers of the casino question have skirted campaign […]
Birds of a feather, it seems. US Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price is in Maine this week, ostensibly to hold a press conference with Gov. Paul LePage about the state’s opioid crisis. The visit, which was announced with less than 24 hours notice, puts LePage and Price on the same stage in Augusta […]
WASHINGTON – Gov. Paul LePage is racking up the frequent flyer miles with his recent spate of visits to Washington, D.C. I hope he earns a free upgrade or a ticket someplace nice because he’s certainly not doing himself – or our state – any favors with his recent travels. On Tuesday, LePage testified before the […]
Not content with taking food away from hungry kids or health care away from the sick and the elderly, Gov. Paul LePage has now set his sights on taking public lands away from everyone. LePage will travel next week to Washington, D.C., to testify at a kangaroo court of a hearing before the US House […]
We have allowed public health to fade into the shadows, undermined to the point of limited effectiveness.
David Farmer is a political and media consultant in Portland, where he lives with his wife and two children. He was senior adviser to Democrat Mike Michaud’s campaign for governor and a longtime journalist. You can reach him at dfarmer14@hotmail.com.
