POLITICS IN MAINE: THE GRAND TO THE GRANDIOSE

Politics in Maine has its own flavor. Whether it expresses the grand or the grandiose, it is Maine. It may not be unique, but it does have that flav-ah.

We can decide, as Maine's Congressional delegation has unanimously decided, that promises are not for sale.
We can take action in the community when we are not satisfied that our leaders are telling us the whole story.
We can get deeply involved in the issue of Atlantic Salmon ( check the Bangor Daily News archives).
We can also be guilty of incredible boondoggles like fingerprinting all school employees to prevent child molestation which occurs so rarely in the schools compared to other places that each case makes the front page news. It's kind of like shooting the dog when a family of foxes moves into the neighborhood of the hen house. What would Chicken Little say?
Our governor can propose using a non-existent surplus to buy laptop computers for seventh-graders when many thoughtful observers believe that over 90% of that money will be wasted ( again check the Bangor Daily News archives). Seventh graders being seventh graders, most computers will be lost, broken, sold, or used only as very high priced Game Boys. Anyway, there's a surplus only because the state hasn't paid its bills -- to the schools. See also letter to the President, Vice-president, and Maine's congressional delegation
Special privileges or constitutional guarantees? The ups and down of human rights in Maine.
Musing on the 2002 Superbowl and Angus King
As goes the nation in 2000, so goes Maine in 2002 -- to our shame.
No more Toys for Trillionaires! Letter to Senator Snowe copied to Senator Collins. Thank you, Senator Snowe, for standing up to the special interests who demanded tax cuts for the rich and bills for the rest of us. Where were you, Senator Collins?
The 'Patriot' Act? Hiding under the bed American style. Letter to Senators Snowe and Collins.
Olympia Snowe co-sponsored a bill to restore benefits for low-income families that had been removed from the tax package in order to cut divident taxes for the wealthy. Thanks, Senator, for fighting back against greed.
Collins demands accountability from FCC. Thanks Senator.
Snake oil and big oil. A message to Maine's Senators about the Bush energy bill.
...Directly into the vein Random notes on people and politics.

We do things our own way. If you have favorite stories you'd like to see included e-mail dtarb1@prexar.com, and I'll take a look and maybe include them.