Opinions
Richard Jagels: When lawn and order collide Wednesday, May 14, 2008 The front-page story in Friday's Bangor Daily News, "Pest infests Bangor lawns," provided a cogent testimonial to our ever-growing disconnect with the natural world - a hubris that continues to lead us toward destructive consequences. |
Francine Stark: Help stop domestic violence Tuesday, May 13, 2008 Since 1985, Maine people have suffered the loss of family, friends and neighbors in about 12 domestic homicides each year. Just four months into 2008, there were already 11 domestic homicides: four women, four men and three children |
Claude Berube: Chamberlain's ghost in Salem's Lot Monday, May 12, 2008 I doubt that when David Bowie released the single "Changes" in 1972 that he'd thought about the military in those lyrics. But the subtle paternalistic elitism suggested by Stephen King's recent comments at the Library of Congress inferred that the military was the refuge of illiterates. |
Beth Henderson: Chellie Pingree for Congress Monday, May 12, 2008 It is with certainty that I stand in support of Chellie Pingree for Congress. Several years ago, as a fledgling superintendent-principal of North Haven Community School, my mettle was immediately tested by a host of district issues. |
Joe Perry : Business associations ignoring Maine's promise Saturday, May 10, 2008 The recent editorial 'Doom, Gloom and Taxes' (BDN, April 26) puts Maine's economic challenges and opportunities in the right light. It also rightly described how Maine's hurdles are made more difficult because prominent business lobbyists constantly brand our state as a bad place to do business. |
CarolAnne Dube: AmeriCorps a part of your community Saturday, May 10, 2008 Everywhere you go across the state there is evidence of AmeriCorps' effect on our communities. From Wiscasset to Bangor, AmeriCorps members have rehabbed, repaired and constructed handicapped-accessible housing. |
Jessica Bickford: An opportunity to invest in child care for Mainers Friday, May 09, 2008 Young children in Maine, especially from birth to age 5, deserve the best care we can give them to succeed in this world. Yet, as a child care provider I see on a daily basis the struggles working families face. There is a tremendous need for affordable, quality child care and early education. |
Jane Clayton: We court problems by limiting access to justice Friday, May 09, 2008 I would like to expand on a point made by Brett Baber in OpEd, "Recognizing the rule of American law," (BDN, April 30) regarding access to justice for all citizens. |
Charles Krauthammer: Hillary finds her stride, but too late Friday, May 09, 2008 By the time Hillary Clinton figured out how to beat Barack Obama, it was too late. When she began the race in 2007 thinking she was in for a coronation, she claimed the center in order to position herself for the real fight, the general election. |
Laurie Dobson: Sen. Collins in need of fresh ideas Thursday, May 08, 2008 It has been a week since the acquittal of the Bangor Six, who were found 'not guilty' after their criminal charges were heard in Penobscot County Superior Court. |
George McGovern and Bob Dole: Letting children go hungry Thursday, May 08, 2008 How can the world's hungriest schoolchildren be denied meals while the farm bill being debated in a House-Senate conference provides millions in subsidies for wealthy farmers? |
Hayes Gahagan: The unifying principles of Republicans Wednesday, May 07, 2008 This past weekend I had the privilege of being a member of the Aroostook County delegation at the Republican state convention in Augusta. |
Brenda Commander: One government shouldn't dictate terms of tribal-state panel Tuesday, May 06, 2008 I was shocked when the state unilaterally cut its financial support of the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission. Perhaps even more startling was the failure to consult with my tribe and other Wabanaki tribes that belong to the MITSC. |
Michael S. Heath: Penobscot, state divorce another gambling casualty Monday, May 05, 2008 There is an old-fashioned look to Old Town. Main Street is flanked by a canoe factory, an Indian crafts store, and a small shop which sells mostly maps and compasses. |
Dianne Tilton: Funding formula the real threat to rural education Monday, May 05, 2008 The Legislature is out of session, and there is great sadness in rural Maine, sadness because although our legislators fought like gladiators, they were not able to slay the political forces that kept the education administrative reorganization law intact. |
David Broder: Can winning Clinton heal party rift? Monday, May 05, 2008 On the day last week when Hillary Clinton suffered the first of two costly defections by Indiana superdelegates, I went to see an old friend working in her national campaign. |
Bob Walker: Two sides to story of legislature Saturday, May 03, 2008 It will take a few weeks to shake off the mental fogginess created by spending almost four months in Augusta in the just-completed 'short session' of the 123rd Legislature. |
Valerie J. Carter, Ph.D and William C. Murphy: Perspectives on Maine's tax burden Saturday, May 03, 2008 Three cheers to the Bangor Daily News for the courageous April 26 editorial, "Doom, Gloom and Taxes," questioning the constant refrain promoted by many business-oriented groups on Maine's supposed 'tax burden' and the state's business climate. |
Gloom or no gloom, new levies bad for business Saturday, May 3, 2008 The April 26 editorial, "Doom, Gloom and Taxes," regarding the business and tax climate in Maine, lacks important information about the business and tax climate in Maine. |
Sandy George and Diana George Chapin: Counter-revolutionaries in Montville Friday, May 2, 2008 On March 29, a distant echo of the American Revolution's idealism and independence reverberated through the rolling, wooded hills of Montville. |
Charles Krauthammer : Race and Barack Obama: revised, extended, untrue Friday, May 2, 2008 Guess it's time to disown Granny, if Obama's famous Philadelphia 'race' speech is to be believed. Of course, the speech was not just believed. It was hailed, celebrated, canonized as the greatest pronouncement on race in America since Lincoln at Cooper Union. A New York Times columnist said it 'should be required reading in classrooms across the country.' |
Nathaniel Richie: Allow weapons on campus to save lives Thursday, May 01, 2008 One year after Virginia Tech, the recent shootings at Northern Illinois University serve as a reminder that no meaningful progress has been made to increase safety on college campuses. To date, the "solutions" presented by school officials have been nothing but a rehash of the same failed policies that were in place before the shootings. |
Dale E. Earle: Calais-Brewer rail line needed for economic growth Thursday, May 01, 2008 What will railroading look like 27 years from now? Will yards be jammed, main lines clogged, and trains backed up from terminals for 30 miles or more. |
George Will: Rev. Wright a window to Obama Thursday, May 01, 2008 Because John McCain and other legislators worry that they are easily corrupted, there are legal limits to the monetary contributions that anyone can make to political candidates. There are, however, no limits to the rhetorical contributions that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright can make to McCain’s campaign. |
Brett D. Baber: Recognizing the rule of American law Wednesday, April 30, 2008 On May 1 we celebrate the 50th anniversary of National Law Day, created in 1958 by President Dwight Eisenhower as a 'day of national dedication to the principle of government under law.' |
Kathleen Parker: It's hard to woo people you don't love Wednesday, April 30, 2008 In the days leading up to Pennsylvania's primary, white males — those knuckle-dragging, chaw-chompin', beer-swillin', bitter troglodytes - were suddenly the debutante's delight. |
Sandra Pyne and Janet Winchester: School choice must be preserved Tuesday, April 29, 2008 Maine has a long history of school choice, but there has been a steady erosion of families’ ability to choose the school that best suits their child. The current round of school consolidation may be the final chapter for school choice. |
Katrina Bisheimer: Don't shift the cost of war to Iraqis Monday, April 28, 2008 Sen. Susan Collins has endorsed legislation that would restrict future reconstruction dollars to loans instead of grants in an effort to make Baghdad pay for more of the costs of the U.S. combat mission and reconstruction in Iraq. |
Matthew Arnett: It's time to reform medical insurance Monday, April 28, 2008 About a month ago BDN columnist Dr. Erik Steele said it was about time we find ways to cut medical costs. Then a couple weeks later he made two suggestions, stop unnecessary blood transfusions and find a way to get the best medical practice information to physicians a lot faster. |
Oleg Mityayev: Hunger threats loom over world Monday, April 28, 2008 Just recently the crisis of the world's financial markets seemed the worst headache of the world economy. But now the threat of the food crisis is mounting with every passing day. |
Ann O'Leary: Hillary can help Maine Saturday, April 26, 2008 On Feb. 10, Barack Obama won the Democratic caucuses in Maine. But this win was hardly a resounding indication of who Mainers believe would be the best person to lead our country. |
Dan Petersen: Data vital to tax fairness opinions Saturday, April 26, 2008 The March 20 editorial "Tax Winners, Losers" and John Buell’s April 1 column "Current tax system unfair to working class" offered strong opinions on tax fairness and properly identified the core issues as: 1) who picks up what portion of the tax burden? and 2) what average tax rates are paid by people in different income classes? |
Donald A. Grant: Opening up Alaska's energy resources Saturday, April 26, 2008 Not since the energy crisis in the 1970s has interest in the oil and natural gas on Alaska’s North Slope been so strong. High energy prices, OPEC’s revival and rapid depletion of the world’s easy-to-produce petroleum have coincided with rising global demand for oil and natural gas. |
<b>Will Rice:</b> Job security through solidarity Friday, April 25, 2008 May Day, the international day of labor solidarity, is coming up and it’s a good time for workers in eastern Maine to reflect on their employment. |
Nita Farahany: A crime to think? Security may go there Friday, April 25, 2008 Imagine a world of streets lined with video cameras that alert authorities to any suspicious activity. A world where police officers can read the minds of potential criminals and arrest them before they commit any crimes. |
Doug Merrill: Faith and reason astride a growing Mount Everest Thursday, April 24, 2008 Last weekend, 'Expelled — No Intelligence Allowed,' a movie directed and co-written by Ben Stein, was released to theaters across the country. |
Don't blame NAFTA: Consumers and workers gain Thursday, April 24, 2008 Has NAFTA - the North American Free Trade Agreement - been a disaster for working Americans? |
Pamela Sweetser: North-south highway costs outweigh benefits Wednesday, April 23, 2008 The North-South Highway Project calls for a 100-mile, four-lane highway, complete with new bridges, from Houlton to Madawaska. Long in the works, this project is overdue for a full reckoning. |
Kathleen Parker: Firm pope snubs moral relativity Wednesday, April 23, 2008 Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the U.S. has afforded the American media and others an opportunity to remind us that the Catholic Church is "out of step" with modern times. |