Robert Pelletier: City overspending has been long ignored

I’m writing in response to Robert Reed’s letter (“Reject Lewiston school budget, overspending,” May 7). As a former city councilor, he knows the kind of overspending going on in all of the city departments. Overspending has been an ignored subject for years. Public Works does not need over $1 million worth of vehicles and equipment […]

Kathy Jacques: LD 1622 a ‘common sense solution’ for workers

More than 230,000 Maine workers have no access to a retirement savings program through their employer, and working households in Maine average only $3,000 in retirement savings, according to information compiled by Maine’s Senate Majority Leader Eloise Vitelli. One in three Mainers age 65 and older rely on Social Security as their only source of […]

Froma Harrop: Biden’s economic agenda may be more Truman than FDR

Biden seems to be summoning his inner Harry Truman and bringing back the third player. In assuring a stable and happy middle class, the market has a job to do, but so does government.

Jennifer Hogan: Mainers don’t need 160% APR loans

These loans extract wealth and cause lasting damage to household financial security and on communities.

Nora Schwarz: Support for corporate contribution ban

Will Maine join the 22 states which prohibit corporate contributions to political campaigns, including those in federal election campaigns? Maine’s motto, “Dirigo,” translates from the Latin meaning “I direct” or “I lead.” Maine has and continues to lead the United States: its ranked-choice voting bill received 52% of the vote in 2016, the first naval […]

Cartoon for Tuesday, May 11

Eileen Kreutz: Support for national popular vote plan

The Maine State Legislature has set the first public hearings on the national popular vote bills (LD 1330 and LD 1384) for Tuesday, May 11. Now is the time to submit testimony, which can be done online, with no need for driving to Augusta. The details of how this interstate compact would work are found […]

Leonard Pitts Jr.: We keep hitting new lows

The barbarians are not at the gate; they’re in the living room with their feet up on the furniture. The Republican Party is an unsalvageable mess, manifestly unfit to govern and a clear and present danger to this country. So our only hope is to hold it at bay until a new — sane — center-right party can be erected in its place.

James Parakilas: Collins should fight systemic racism in Congress by voting for DC statehood, voting rights

In her years in the Senate she has worked tirelessly to produce benefits in the lives and livelihoods of Mainers, but she has never shown courage in the defense of America’s ideals. Now is her chance.

Rich Lowry: Facebook’s speech policies are absurd

If Facebook just wanted to say that Trump is often noxious and dishonest in his social media postings, that’d be understandable. But this would put it in the inherently subjective and highly contentious business of deciding which politicians are worthy and truthful, and which are not.