Tag Archives: Taxes

The fantasy of unlimited money

It never ends. Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled her vision for the next round of congressional action to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is a vision of mountains of cash. Pelosi’s plan would spent $3 trillion, which would make it far and away the largest coronavirus relief spending package to date from […]

Beware of more new taxes when the Legislature returns to Augusta

Lawmakers want your money, and they never stop wanting your money. At any given opportunity, they will dream up new ways of identifying it, taking it from you, and then using it. When they can’t get it, they just take it from you anyway by spending money they don’t have and covering it with debt. […]

If Gov. Mills signs a local option sales tax, she will have broken a promise to Maine

Remember when Gov. Janet Mills told you that she would not, if elected, support increased taxes? Pay close attention to what happens in Augusta in the next couple weeks, because she may very well have to choose whether she meant that promise or not. Tuesday, the Maine House narrowly voted — 73 in favor to […]

Elections have consequences

In this column, I’ve been writing an awful lot about what the new administration of Gov. Janet Mills and her allies in the Legislature have been doing. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the foolish financial decisions being made in Augusta, highlighting the fact that those decisions will likely cause tax increases, and at the […]

How do we lower Maine’s tax burden?

Taxes are a complicated thing. You are taxed in many ways, not just on your income, and not just by one government. Indeed, American federalism guarantees that you are in fact taxed by your national government, you state government, your county government and your town government, to say nothing of the “fees” you pay to […]

No, I don’t want to live in Massachusetts

In addition to running a public policy think tank and writing this column every week, I have also been blessed for the last three years to host the morning drive time radio program on WGAN, southern Maine’s biggest news and talk radio station. A couple weeks ago, we decided to host a conversation with lawmakers […]

Resentment in sports, and politics

The day before the Super Bowl this year, my oldest son — who is going to be 12 this month — and I were in the car, talking about the upcoming game. After I stopped to get some gas, he mentioned to me that “nobody wanted the Patriots to win.” Living in New England in […]

A pox on both political parties

So, I’ve been a bit hard on the new liberal regime in Augusta recently. I’ve been giving Gov. Janet Mills and her allies in the Legislature unsolicited advice, telling them to do things that I am well aware they will never have any intention of doing. Things like controlling spending, lowering taxes, and continuing to […]

In Congress, what is old is new again

I am constantly told that the ancient fossils in Congress need to be thrown out in favor of younger generations, because they will provide a “breath of fresh air” and offer “new ideas” about this country’s future. Now, I will say that seeing older, career politicians forcibly ejected from Washington, D.C. causes me no sadness. […]