Clearly, the GOP constitutes a dire threat to this democracy. That’s why more than 160 professors from Duke, Yale, Stanford, Georgia State and elsewhere, scholars who study how democracies rise and fall, have signed a letter that declares that several states are being transformed “into political systems that no longer meet the minimum conditions for free and fair elections. Hence, our entire democracy is now at risk.” It is something many far less-credentialed observers have been saying for months.

A couple of months from now, it could be obvious that the highly touted Biden revolution is sputtering to a stop before it even gets started.

If so, the fault won’t be Manchin’s or Sinema’s, or in our stars, but in the simple fact that Biden doesn’t have enough votes in Congress — never did and never will.

As the Maine Legislature continues its consideration of extended producer responsibility proposals, it must stay mindful that revenue should support solutions, not be the solution. Let’s work together to build an EPR system that sets the standard for other states, and begins to fix recycling now and for future generations.

The narrative should be: This is how we became successful, and this is how you can be successful too. Changing the narrative offers potentially better outcomes than the one presently being promoted by liberal politicians.

I’m glad the Biden administration delivered on its promise to reopen our doors to new refugees. Now that they are here, I hope we can welcome them into our communities. The more they integrate, the more they can contribute to our economic, civic and population growth. The future of our state depends on it.

Pandemic disruptions made Americans question whether this is truly the Land of Plenty.