Every election cycle we must endure challenges and allegations about fraud (conservatives) and discrimination (liberals) when it comes to voter ID laws. This year is no different. A federal court ruled that the Texas Voter ID law passed in 2011, requiring voters to present official photo identification, discriminated again poor, minority and disabled voters and […]
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Economic slowdown linked to aging
WASHINGTON — An aging America reduces the economy’s growth — big time. That’s the startling conclusion of a new academic study, and if it withstands scholarly scrutiny, it could transform our national political and economic debate. We’ve known for decades, of course, that the retirement of the huge baby-boom generation — coupled with low birthrates […]
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Trump losing ground in Virginia
WINCHESTER, Va. — Political arguments are rarely gentle or polite anymore, so it was a gift to see two Republicans who passionately disagree about what Donald Trump means for our nation hash out their differences with grace. Their exchange helps explain the mess Trump has made of his campaign. My window into the intra-Republican split […]
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Trump and the politics of cultural despair
NEW YORK — For some of us, the puzzle of this election is not why Donald Trump is doing so badly but why he is doing so well. Given his obvious lack of qualifications, his absurd proposals, his hypocrisy, his obnoxious rhetoric, his sheer incompetence as a candidate, why is he not down 10 points […]
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The price of powerlessness
WASHINGTON — This week Russian bombers flew out of Iranian air bases to attack rebel positions in Syria. The State Department pretended not to be surprised. It should be. It should be alarmed. Iran’s intensely nationalistic revolutionary regime had never permitted foreign forces to operate from its soil. Until now. The reordering of the Middle […]
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Cannabis may help stem opioid problem
Thank you to Rep. Bruce Poliquin and other community leaders for the recent Town Hall regarding the opiate and heroin problem and treatment alternatives. As we all well know, the opiate and heroin epidemic in America and especially in Maine is a critical issue. I offer a new opinion on the matter in a white […]
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Robin Hood tax not right way to fund education
Maine’s Citizen Initiative Question 2, which seeks to impose a 3 percent income tax surcharge on the affluent to fund public education, may be the most consequential issue to appear on the Nov. 8 ballot. Maine’s public primary and secondary educational systems could use additional funds. The question is whether it’s good public policy to […]
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Social Security needs fixes to guarantee long-term benefits
While the race for the White House dominates this summer’s news, new findings about Social Security should concern Maine workers who are paying into Social Security today. In their annual update in June, the Social Security Trustees reported that beginning in 2034, Social Security benefits will be cut automatically because of insufficient funds. Over […]
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Trump’s Bannon bomb
WASHINGTON — If you thought the old Donald Trump campaign was wild and crazy, just wait for the new Trump campaign now that Breitbart’s Steve Bannon has taken over as chief executive. The new leadership — with Bannon and pollster Kellyanne Conway displacing Paul Manafort of the Ukrainian Connection at the top of the heap […]
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The robot scare
WASHINGTON — We are such an anxiety-ridden society that we worry about problems that haven’t happened, and, almost certainly, won’t. Robots are an apt example. Even McKinsey and Co., the high-powered management consulting firm, professes to be concerned. We imagine hordes of robots destroying jobs, leaving millions of middle-class families without work and income. Relax. […]