Articles by Amy Fried
AMY FRIED
What sort of governor would say this?
“In ____, we understand that high-tech companies don’t just happen overnight but are a product of forethought, sound vision and planning, and strategic investments by both the public and private sectors. Through our Emerging Technology Fund, we are bringing the best scientists and researchers to ____, attracting high-tech jobs and ...
AMY FRIED
Costly cuts
Cuts can be costly. As the saying goes, one can be pennywise and pound foolish. Whether maintaining a home or managing a business, sometimes frugality backfires, leading to more spending and costs down the road. Maine’s supplementary budget and a new approach on taxes will be quite costly. At the ...
AMY FRIED
Maine GOP a house divided
The Maine Republican party, having won a sweeping victory in 2010, is a house divided. Last weekend the party was taken over by Ron Paul supporters. February had featured a very messy caucus process; party leaders said Romney won, even though it was not clear if all towns would have ...
AMY FRIED
We Shall Overcome
On the voyages that are our lives, the poet Tennyson wrote, “I am a part of all that I have met.” And, indeed, each of us, whether a private citizen or elected official, takes lessons from our pasts. In one of the greatest speeches of the twentieth century, by the ...
AMY FRIED
What does a woman want?
Sigmund Freud, who claimed women “oppose change, receive passively, and add nothing of their own,” famously asked, “What does a woman want?” Freud’s overt bias isn’t voiced very often today, but variants of his question continue to be posed. Just last week, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus offered his ...
AMY FRIED
Politics aside, Obamacare should survive
A stab of sadness hits me when I see them, those posters advertising a supper or some other fundraiser for a sick child needing a bone marrow transplant, or a parent who needs surgery. My religion teaches that to save one life is to save the entire world. Each of ...
AMY FRIED
Better health, better budgets
Now is the time for pragmatism and policy creativity. Maine faces a difficult budgetary environment, made worse by cutting tax revenues, the bulk of which had come from the most well-off. Proposed and passed cuts undermine health clinics, causing patients to lose access to ongoing care and screening and so ...
AMY FRIED
From the bedroom to the ballot box
Perhaps a certain state legislator now wishes he had studied the classics. In the 2,400 year old play Lysistrata, the women of Athens tried to affect men’s political decisions by refusing to sleep with them. With parallels to that ancient Greek drama, a Virginia state legislator, Republican Delegate Dave Albo, ...
As Iowa goes, so goes Maine?
Maine may become the next Iowa. No, Maine’s not going to trade the pine for Iowa’s state tree, the oak. Nor will the Pine Tree State lose its seafood and bean suppahs. But in presidential nomination politics, we may say “As Iowa goes, so goes Maine.” At the conclusion of ...
AMY FRIED
The outrage of fodder creators
Outrage is in, with appeals to emotion and sharply drawn characters. While our new, wonderful range of media deliver so much content, some content creators would be better termed fodder creators. Fodder creators are resolutely not interested in traditional journalism. Old-school reporting, in its best incarnation, delivers facts and gives ...
AMY FRIED
Voter photo ID — another bad, and costly, idea
With Maine’s strong, accessible system of voting, why mess with success? And, given all our urgent budgetary needs, why ask Maine’s taxpayers to pay for all the U.S. Supreme Court requires for a system of photo identification for voters? Maine’s legislators voted twice on voting last session. The Legislature passed ...
AMY FRIED
Why health security matters
By Amy Fried on Jan. 03, 2012, at 3:02 p.m.
My dad used to say, “Without health, you have nothing.” Maybe he exaggerated a bit, but it’s certain that poor health and lack of health care coverage undermine people’s opportunities and our economic vitality. Babies born to mothers with poor prenatal care start out behind. No matter how motivated one ...
CONTRIBUTORS
Government out of balance
While sometimes only pie will do — pumpkin, blueberry or even chocolate peanut butter — very rarely does it make sense to, as Governor’s Restaurant urges, have dessert first. In this season of celebration (and overeating), it may seem cantankerous to say so, but balance is best for our health. ...
AMY FRIED
Occupation and opportunity
Our nation has changed as the distribution of wealth has become rather skewed. Inflation-adjusted incomes of the very rich have exploded as middle incomes have stagnated and the middle class’ share of the nation’s wealth has decreased. Between 1979 and 2006, the average after-tax income of the top 1 percent ...
AMY FRIED
Poliquin mixes apples, oranges and real estate
If you’ve ever purchased property or thought of doing so, you’ve probably heard about the three things most related to price: location, location, location. Where a property is — whether a home or commercial space — is hugely important for its value. Thus it was odd to hear State Treasurer ...
AMY FRIED
Five steps toward better elections
Unlike you, I don’t know how the Nov. 8 election turned out — my deadline doesn’t allow that — but, whatever happened, some reflection and action are in order. Maine politics have been extraordinary. For a small state, Maine has produced an exemplary set of political leaders — thoughtful, productive ...
AMY FRIED
Message: Make Mainers’ lives more difficult
Imagine a political campaign with this message: “We want to make Mainers’ lives more difficult. The system that’s been around for decades is remarkably effective and we’ve documented no actual problems. But it should go.” That’s the message from supporters of No on Question 1, those who think the 38-year ...
AMY FRIED
Integrity of law at question in voting debate
With the newest twist in Maine politics involving voting, the specters of selective enforcement and administrative activism have come to the fore. Some questions are even troublesome to ask. Is there one law for all? Or are some people’s lives, but not others, going to be checked over by government ...
AMY FRIED
Census and Constitution protect student voting
In Maine’s 38 years of Election Day registration, all sorts of folks have benefited. Yet Maine Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster has repeatedly questioned students’ ability to vote where they live while going to school. But students have every right to vote there and this right is rooted in a ...
CONTRIBUTORS
Sifting the emotional truth of 9/11
As the 10 year anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks approached, two images recurrently came to my mind. In one, a woman, holding high heels, ran as a tower fell and dust and debris followed her path, ready to overtake her. And the other, a painting from decades before, ...
Orono man enters not guilty pleas in Cable kidnapping, murder
Maine House deals final blow to Medicaid expansion
A vote against the budget is a vote for a state shutdown
Susan Collins: Why Congress should reform federal court
LePage fails to surprise on Medicaid expansion
The cost of requiring more renewable power
Maine Sports Hall of Fame revokes Dana Wilson’s 2012 induction
Report: Patriots’ Aaron Hernandez not ruled out as homicide suspect
American Lung Association retires number of cyclist killed in Trek Across Maine
Retiring Hermon High School athletic administrator Soucy maintains love of sports
Midcoast multibajillionaire knows what her husband is doing before he does it
‘Sopranos’ star James Gandolfini dead at 51
The Esther II: A father’s boat, a son’s heart