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PublishedApril 1, 2012
This state seems ready to fall on its face
Where is the state of Maine headed? First, it was a mural hanging in the Department of Labor. That wasted some money. And what were we thinking by passing a law allowing everyone to go out and buy fireworks any time of the year? I cannot wait to see how that turns out. People in […]
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PublishedApril 1, 2012
Gardiner library serves folks in several towns
It is my privilege each year to attend the town meetings of our partner towns to discuss the services offered by the Gardiner Public Library. This library is a truly regional library that serves the municipalities of Gardiner, Pittston, West Gardiner, Randolph and Litchfield. Many people who use the library consider it to be an […]
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PublishedMarch 31, 2012
Are we heading toward fascism?
The American Heritage Dictionary defines fascism as: “A system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with a belligerent nationalism.” We do have a growing number of right-wing extremists, and our governments, federal, state and local, are forming partnerships with business leaders, […]
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PublishedMarch 31, 2012
Consumers create demand, jobs and profit
Despite what we have been told by our “business friendly,” anti-union politicians lately, businesses, large or small, do not create jobs. Businesses exist to make money. They sell a product or service to make a profit. Employee wages cut into that profit, therefore businesses pay the lowest wages and hire the fewest workers possible. Only […]
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PublishedMarch 31, 2012
Streamline business, government operations
In difficult economic times, it makes sense to streamline the operations of our businesses and our government. Maine has a system that does just that, reducing spending, boosting productivity and creating customer satisfaction. The system is a process called Lean production. From 2004-06, the Maine Department of Labor initiated a Lean-based improvement program. In that […]
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PublishedMarch 30, 2012
Proposal could be rock that drowns a struggler
In response to Gov. Paul LePage’s proposal for individual cites and towns to opt out of providing general assistance for those in need, let me be one of many who ask: Is he out of his mind? For a person who overcame such odds as LePage did (abusive childhood and being on his own since […]
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PublishedMarch 30, 2012
What’s all the fuss about same-sex marriage?
What is all the fuss about same-sex marriage? I should think, in view of the fact that most people these days prefer casual, “sort of like family” relationships, clergy and those concerned would focus on encouraging marriage under any reasonable circumstances. I thought that wedlock was primarily a public affirmation in which two people express […]
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PublishedMarch 30, 2012
PBS one of few independent media left after takeovers
Extremists groups have tried to gut funding for PBS for decades at the national level and now they have moved into the states via Republican governors and “heritage-based” thinking. (Whose heritage?) They refer to PBS as “elitist.” Who uses a word like that to describe PBS? The old cartel hoped for the failure of PBS […]
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PublishedMarch 29, 2012
Two men separately exhibit goodness in people
I have experienced two incidents that confirm to me that many people care. Last Thanksgiving, after returning from the Turkey Farm in Mercer with a load of turkeys, I stopped at the Sunset Grill in Belgrade Lakes. The daily special was roast turkey, which was appropriate for the season. I started eating and quickly was […]
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PublishedMarch 29, 2012
Republican pols make bad critics of art, culture
Say, who is this guy who wants to eliminate all state funds to the Maine Public Broadcasting Network? Oh yeah, it’s the same cultural philistine who took down the mural from the Labor Department office. For some reason I’m reminded of former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, who had drapes put on the statue of […]
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