Articles by David Farmer
DAVID FARMER
Ignore Wall Street’s Tsk-tsking
It is past time that we stop caring about what Moody’s Investment Services and the other credit rating agencies have to say about Maine. Last week, Moody’s put Maine’s credit on a negative watch, which means sometime in the future it might decide to downgrade the state’s credit rating, maybe. ...
DAVID FARMER
Too late for Mother’s Day, but it’s not too late to fight Alzheimer’s disease
On Saturday, I called my mom and wished her a happy Mother’s Day — a little early — and to see if she had received the flowers I had sent her. On Sunday, I called and we had the same conversation, this time with a little bit about the weather ...
DAVID FARMER
GOP pays for politics of division
When you build your political party on fear, division and ideology trumping reason, you can’t be surprised when things go crazy. Republican leaders are now reaping what they have sown and the more extreme and fringe members of their party have taken control. Make no mistake: Ron Paul, the plainspoken ...
DAVID FARMER
Good news could turn sour in next budget fight
State revenues are up. It should be good news. It suggests — even if not definitively — that the economy is beginning to move in the right direction. And the new inflow of cash should solve some of the lingering budget problems created by politically motivated austerity and the lingering ...
DAVID FARMER
Vetoes put Raye and Courtney on the spot
The big losers from last week’s line-item showdown — besides struggling Maine families and towns and cities, all of which have been left in the lurch — were State Senate President Kevin Raye and Senate Majority Leader Jon Courtney. Both men are running for Congress against strong Democratic incumbents and ...
Retirement is just a new beginning for thought leader
Move to Maine. Write a book. Stay here for the rest of your life. I suspect there are a good number of people, especially those who live somewhere else but long for a life in Maine, who dream of moving here, living in a cottage by the sea or a ...
DAVID FARMER
Retirement is just a new beginning for thought leader
Move to Maine. Write a book. Stay here for the rest of your life. I suspect there are a good number of people, especially those who live somewhere else but long for a life in Maine, who dream of moving here, living in a cottage by the sea or a ...
DAVID FARMER
Another shipyard we should defend
For the first time in the 10 years I’ve lived in Portland, I really looked at my water and sewer bill. Normally, the bill comes in. I pay it. The curious case of Shipyard Brewing Company and its ghost 6-inch waterline caught my attention and prompted a closer scrutiny of ...
DAVID FARMER
Stress as Republicans play beat the clock
There’s a fevered pitch to the activity in the Legislature right now — almost desperation — as Gov. Paul LePage and his Republican majorities in the House and Senate try to jam through a number of highly controversial proposals before the legislative session ends and the fall campaign begins. As ...
DAVID FARMER
Democrats turn up the heat on DHHS
For the casual observer, government can get the feel of an ever-lasting partisan slap fight. It’s attack, counter-attack. Rinse, wash and repeat. But not every sharp point is for drama’s sake or intended solely to score political points. That was the case when Rep. Dawn Hill, D-York, smelled something rotten ...
DAVID FARMER
Poliquin puts himself into a pickle
State Treasurer Bruce Poliquin’s political ambition has put him in quite a pickle. It’s time for Poliquin to resign. Poliquin has been on the hot seat for some time. Despite a constitutional prohibition against conducting outside business while serving as treasurer, Poliquin continued to run a business on the side. ...
DAVID FARMER
LePage fails test in Millinocket dispute
With hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars at stake and the economic viability of the Katahdin region in the balance, I am gobsmacked that a deal between Millinocket, East Millinocket and Gov. Paul LePage was sealed with just a handshake. A $250,000, multiyear agreement between the state and two towns ...
DAVID FARMER
Lure of the campaign obscures big policy decisions
While the eyes of the political world have been affixed at the rising and fading moons circling U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe’s unexpected retirement last week, the slow grinding wheels in Augusta have continued to turn. Late last month, Gov. LePage signed a partial budget fix that closed a gap in ...
DAVID FARMER
Big names left scrambling by Snowe’s decision
The next two weeks are going be like nothing we’ve ever seen in Maine politics. Sen. Olympia Snowe, with the announcement that she has decided not to seek re-election, set off a chain reaction of events that will dominate politics in this state from today until November. One thing is ...
DAVID FARMER
A man goes missing, a family struggles with despair
About a month and a half ago, 33-year-old Jason Reil walked out of his father’s Brunswick home and just disappeared. He has been gone ever since, despite an intense effort by his family and the Brunswick Police Department to find him. His story and picture have been featured in media ...
DAVID FARMER
Caucus fracas fractures GOP
When it comes to elections, my faith in GOP Chairman Charlie Webster is limited. Looks like some Republicans might agree. Last year, he and Secretary of State Charlie Summers did their very best to reshape Maine elections by eliminating the 38-year-old practice of same-day voter registration. I worked on the ...
DAVID FARMER
LePage wages war against compromise
On Monday, Gov. Paul LePage held a caustic press conference in his cabinet room. He tried to destroy compromise. He unleashed a tirade attacking the Republicans and Democrats who had been working most of the weekend to find a compromise solution to the mess of a budget the governor presented ...
DAVID FARMER
Politics of MaineCare proposals set a trap for Democrats
Three proposals put forward by Gov. Paul LePage to help balance the state budget are illegal. If adopted, they would either be impossible to implement or they would put at risk roughly $1.5 billion in federal funding that currently comes to Maine to fund health care services. In all three ...
DAVID FARMER
LePage’s nice words hide the truth of his policies
Gov. Paul LePage deserves credit for delivering a State of the State address that avoided the combative tone and harsh partisan pronouncements that have been typical of many of his public appearances. He struck a tone of empathy, particularly when he was talking about the scourge of domestic violence. And ...
DAVID FARMER
Should the state ensure health of employers but not employees?
For all of the talk about getting government out of the way as a means to create jobs, it’s direct government intervention — and the use of taxpayer dollars — that are getting results, even in Maine with tea party Gov. Paul LePage. The idea that government is the problem ...
Glenburn art teacher killed in Friday morning collision in Bangor
Harvard student asked to leave bar for ‘bad behavior,’ not drunkenness
LePage blasts teachers union for endorsing same-sex marriage question
Reporting crime
A people’s revolt in Bar Harbor
Old Town football coach steps down
Perakslis helps UMaine beat Albany; Binghamton next in America East tournament
Orono baseball shuts out archrival Old Town for ninth straight victory
Stony Brook knocks out UMaine to win America East tournament
Aroostook businessman expands company out of home with hit mobile app 7 Little Words
Former CEO of MaineToday Media Richard Connor sued over $250,000 in loans
Small idea launches major project in Hampden
Diversity predicts export success, MIT professor tells Maine audience
New, old methods combine to deter scrap metal thefts in Aroostook
Gary Allan talks with the BDN leading up to Bangor concert
Out of the ashes, Central Street’s garden grows
Mid Coast Actor’s Studio provides new forum for classic plays
Signs lead artist to opportunity
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