I know many people across Maine are concerned about how the Affordable Care Act (ACA), often called Obamacare, will impact them. I was not in the Senate when the new healthcare law was passed, and I recognize that it is not perfect, but I believe that finding a way to allow more Mainers to access private health insurance is a fundamentally sound goal.
We were traveling through New York and since I had always wanted to eat at Hardee’s Restaurant, we were making a quick stop to sample the famous, well-advertised Hardee’s burger.
This past weekend, the city of Caribou was abuzz with events celebrating the life of one of its most innovative citizens, Olof P. Pierson.
It should come as no surprise that since Congress returned to Washington after the August recess, the situation in Syria, and the use of chemical weapons there, has consumed the vast majority of our time and energy.
Where were you when the lights went out? That was a common discussion in the greater Houlton area Wednesday evening as an intense storm blasted through the area, bringing with it high winds, torrential rain and an impressive display of lightning.
Today’s central political reality is that support from both sides of the aisle is necessary to get anything done on behalf of the American people. It’s simple arithmetic. We have a President who’s a Democrat, a House of Representatives controlled by Republicans, and a Senate with a majority of Democrats but which yields substantial power to the minority party. So the bottom line is that we need bipartisan votes.
It was a textbook September day. Ever-changing, lazy clouds brushed across a brilliant, perfect blue sky that offered no hint of rain. I was driving to Houlton to attend a staff meeting, and listening to a Stephen King book on CD. The day was far too glorious to entertain a dark Stephen King tale, and so, despite my King adoration, I reached down and removed the CD, and the sounds of 96.1 FM radio filled the car.
I think Art Linkletter and Bill Cosby were on to something. Kids do say the darndest things sometimes.
Linkletter created the concept on his radio show, which aired from 1945-69. Cosby introduced the format to an entire new generation with a television show that aired from 1998-2000.
The soaring costs of health care in the United States are not only a heavy burden on millions of American families, they are also the primary drivers of our federal debt and deficit.
We were driving along I-95 in the rain; the road slick and shiny beneath us. We were on our way to Augusta. Each time a car or truck would pass, tiny streams of surface water would splash against the contours of the car; sometimes reaching upward and onto the windshield.
