Free Republic

In recent surveys on economic and personal freedom, conservative states such as Texas, Kansas and so on have scored high marks while liberal states such as California, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York has scored low. New Hampshire scored big on both economic and personal liberty proving once again the power of private sector and low taxes against socialist oppression. California, that socialist paradise that liberals love ranked rock bottom on nearly all the surveys. Where does Maine stand? Not surprisingly Maine scored very low on economic liberty. Maine as you all remember is the worst state to set up a...

At last, there's a place in America where tax cutting to promote growth and attract jobs is back in fashion. Who would have thought it would be Maine? ... One question is how Democrats in Augusta were able to withstand the cries by interest groups of "tax cuts for the rich?" Mr. Baldacci's snappy reply: "Without employers, you don't have employees." He adds: "The best social services program is a job." Wise and timely advice for both Democrats and Republicans as the recession rolls on and budgets get squeezed. Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A13

"BOSTON (Reuters) - The lower house of the Maine state legislature passed a bill on Tuesday that takes the northeasternmost U.S. state a step closer to being the fifth in the nation to allow same-sex marriage." "The bill now returns to the state Senate, which has previously approved it. If it passes there it will be brought to the governor for his signature." "Governor John Baldacci once opposed gay marriage but in April said he is keeping an open mind on the issue."

The governor of Maine on Wednesday signed a law making the northeastern US state the fifth to allow gays to marry. Governor John Baldacci, a Democrat, signed the law after the upper chamber in the state legislature voted 21 to 13 in favour. "In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions," Baldacci said in a statement on his website. "I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage." Maine joined its fellow New...

Democratic Gov. John Baldacci today signed into law a bill allowing gay marriage, making Maine the fifth state to allow same-sex marriage. The governor's signature came barely an hour after the measure won final approval in the state Legislature, with a final 31-8 vote in favor in the Maine Senate. Baldacci said in a statement that while he has opposed gay marriage in the past, "I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and ofequal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage. "This new law does not force...

Enough with Obama's stealth taxing! Enough with bigger government! Enough with elite politicians who were voted by the people but behave like royalty! Enough with our Constitution being treated like toilet paper! Enough of the Media being in bed with Socialist! If you live in Maine and have had enough show up at a Maine Tax Day Tea Party. Time: April 15, 2009 from 2pm to 7pm Where: Capital Park City/Town: Augusta Time:2pm to 7pm If you want a rally closer to your home just organize one. If you wait until someone else does it for you , you could...

AUGUSTA, Maine — Lower than projected February tax collections show the negative effects of economic recession in Maine are accelerating, the state’s top tax agency analyst said Friday. The revenue slowdown, while still relatively modest, is expected to get worse and complicate state officials’ efforts to enact a two-year budget and keep it in balance, said Michael Allen, the director of econometric research at Maine Revenue Services.

Gov. John Baldacci wants to use $15 million made available through the federal stimulus package to help an estimated 8,000 unemployed Mainers maintain health care insurance. Under the proposal, eligible laid-off workers would receive vouchers to help pay for continued employer-based coverage through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, known as COBRA. A subsidy would be made available to laid-off workers whose employers were too small – fewer than 20 employees – to fall under COBRA requirements. The assistance would be limited to nine months.

AUGUSTA, Maine — Lawmakers will begin hearings this week on more than $1.3 billion worth of bond proposals to fund everything from land conservation and home weatherization to repairs of college buildings and historic meetinghouses. But with the country in the grips of a major recession and Mainers cutting their own budgets, legislators will have to carefully weigh how much debt voters will be willing to stomach when the bond proposals appear on the ballot. “These are not normal times and we can’t treat this as just another bond package,” said Sen. Kevin Raye from Perry, who is the Senate...

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s share of the federal economic stimulus package will be about $900 million, but the figure is preliminary, state Finance Commissioner Ryan Low told lawmakers Friday. Low called the $900 million figure a “ballpark estimate” of Maine’s share of the $787 billion economic stimulus package as he addressed the Appropriations Committee. Low said the federal government has already determined how a large share of the funding will be used, with chunks allocated to areas such as tax cuts, added unemployment benefits and education. “The vast majority of these funds are going for very specific purposes,” said the...

AUGUSTA -- Gov. John Baldacci has launched a new Web page to help Mainers track the developing federal economic stimulus package.

AUGUSTA, Maine — Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved an emergency measure Tuesday to bring the state budget out of the red for the fiscal year that ends June 30. The $166 million supplemental budget was enacted by votes of 120-22 in the House and 31-3 in the Senate. “I want to congratulate the Legislature and the committees for their work on this,” Gov. John Baldacci said in an interview. “This was a difficult budget and now we have to work on the biennial budget, which will also be difficult.”

AUGUSTA, Maine - Gov. John Baldacci said Monday he would propose lowering Maine's personal income taxes in the January session of the Maine Legislature, but how much depends on the state budget now being developed. "We are going to be doing more budget cutting, more budget restructuring, more efficiencies," he said Monday in an interview. "We have only just begun that process with jails and school administrative districts. More needs to be done, and we are going to do more of that and reduce the income tax on earned income."

Bikers escorting a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial this weekend don't think they should have to pay a toll. But the Maine Turnpike Authority says it is legally bound to collect the money, which could total $5,000 to $10,000, depending on the number of riders who participate in the event. Between 1,500 and 2,000 motorcyclists are expected to accompany the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall on Sunday as it travels up the Maine Turnpike from York to Lewiston. The 240-foot-long wall will go on display Friday at Veterans Park and will remain up through Sunday. Steve Page, commander of American...

Looking for a photo that appeared in Vanity Fair magazine showing now Governor, then Congressman, John Baldacci having a good ol' time with some D.C. interns shortly after 9-11.

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine --Former President Bill Clinton joined prominent state Democrats in praising Gov. John Baldacci's record of achievement at a fundraiser that netted more than $100,000 for Baldacci's re-election campaign on Monday. Clinton praised Baldacci for eliminating a $1 billion budget shortfall that confronted him in his first year in office, for stimulating the economy and for bringing health insurance to more Mainers, as well as reversing a trend of outward migration from the state.

AUGUSTA - Expected several months ago, the Baldacci administration on Monday released the first biennial state health plan under the Dirigo Health system that calls for creation of a culture of health and urges Mainers to enter into "Be Fit for Maine" contracts. "This doesn't have to mean a major commitment to, say, losing 50 pounds, or running five miles a day," the report said. "What we all need to do, though, is to start somewhere - identify one thing we can do that will improve our health and take it from there." Officials said the release of the...

March 6, 2006--Democratic Governor John Baldacci continues to tread water when voters compare him to possible Republican opponents. But no Republican candidate is a political powerhouse either in this Democrat-leaning state. Former Congressman Dave Emery leads the governor 39% to 37%. In the January Rasmussen Reports Election Poll in Maine, Emery led 42% to 39%. Governor Baldacci now attracts greatest support when pitted against State Senator Chandler Woodcock. He leads Woodcock 40% to 35%, a ten-point surge for the governor since our last poll. But State Senator Peter Mills has also surged, so that he is now neck-and-neck with the...

Democratic Governor John Baldacci earns no more than 39% support at most for his reelection bid when matched against any of three possible Republican opponents. Baldacci earns the highest support from when matched against former Congressman Dave Emery. But he still trails slightly in that match-up, with Emery leading 42% to 39%. Fourteen percent (14%) are unsure, 5% would pick another candidate. Baldacci comes out ahead only when pitted against State Senator Peter Mills, leading 37% to 31%. In this scenario, 18% of Maine voters are unsure which they'd pick, and 13% would vote for somebody else. When the proposed...

-Democratic Governor John Baldacci earns no more than 39% support at most for his reelection bid when matched against any of three possible Republican opponents.