This is a response to David Webster’s letter of March 10, which took issue with my letter of March 3. I indicated Republicans are better in managing state government. The Constitution of Maine, Article IX, section 18-A, says that as of July 1, 1997, retirement funds must be funded annually on an actuarially sound basis. […]
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Posted inLetters
D. Webster: No confusion about mismanagement
In his letter (March 3), former State Rep. Thomas Shields makes several points about the Maine state budget. Having served on the budget vetting Appropriations Committee, I hope to clarify a few things. Shields claims confusion about the cause of “shortfalls” in the budget, then goes on to outline several reasonable explanations for shortfalls, including […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
GOP leadership offers alternatives to expanding Medicaid in Maine
AUGUSTA — Republicans who oppose a proposal to expand Medicaid under the federal health care say many Mainers have an alternative: Buying cheap private plans on the exchange with tax credits. But critics say those making less than roughly $12,000 a year won’t receive help to pay for plans on the exchange. According to the […]
Posted inLetters
T. Shields: State budget woes
I wonder why several multi-million-dollar “shortfalls” have occurred in the Maine state budget. Those deficits must be covered, according to the Maine Constitution’s balanced budget requirement. To comply, are certain programs shortchanged, or new taxes added, or a state expense passed on to the communities? As I understand it, Maine’s spending for a two-year biennium […]
Posted inMaine
Maine budget committee eases forward with fix ideas for 2014 and 2015
AUGUSTA — State lawmakers on the budget-writing Appropriations Committee are gaining steady ground as they work to create a supplemental budget that will balance spending and revenues for 2014 and 2015. The Maine Constitution requires a balanced budget, and without a supplemental budget offering from Republican Gov. Paul LePage, the committee has been left largely […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Cal Thomas: Bashing Hillary Clinton won’t win the election for Republicans
Kathleen Willey is back. For people who have forgotten, she is the former volunteer aide to President Bill Clinton who claims he sexually harassed her 20 years ago. She wrote a book about it called “Target: Caught in the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton.” What, you say you didn’t read it? Neither, it seems, […]
Posted inFranklin, The Franklin Journal
New Vineyard GOP to caucus Saturday
NEW VINEYARD — The New Vineyard Republicans will caucus on Saturday, Feb. 8, at Smith Hall on New Vineyard Road. The morning will begin with refreshments at 9 a.m., with the caucus scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. The purpose of the caucus is to elect delegates and alternates to the Maine Republican State Convention […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Froma Harrop: Republicans try to dodge immigration reform
Republicans are again at war with themselves over immigration reform. Ideally, they would agree on the need to legalize millions of illegal immigrants now here and to better control the number of future unskilled foreigners competing with our struggling working class. Unfortunately, neither the Republican Party’s leadership nor its conservative opposition is entirely with the […]
Posted inLetters
N. Smith: A two-party system
Thomas Shields commented on Jan. 16 that the Democrats at the state and federal level are, once again, the reason for all the failures that plague this great nation. Every letter he writes to the Sun Journal has the same theme and, as I have suggested in the past, he must believe in a one-party […]
Posted inMaine
Analysis: Not all Republicans oppose Medicaid expansion for Maine
AUGUSTA — A handful of Republican lawmakers, if they haven’t already, are about to become the most popular — or, depending on your perspective — among the most reviled legislators in the weeks ahead. “There is a fair amount of pressure coming from both sides,” Rep. Corey Wilson, R-Augusta, said. Wilson, a first-term legislator, is […]