Listening to Mainers debate health policy, some seem to talk only about finances. They focus on what care costs, whether the state can afford it and the impact of decisions on hospitals’ bottom lines. But others contend that, while medical … Continue reading
Even if a polling organization is trying to do competent work, there are a lot of things that can go wrong with public opinion research. So why do the media add phony polls to the mix? When media sites ask … Continue reading
Did anyone expert Angus King to become a national voice on foreign policy? When King ran for U.S. senator, almost all of what I heard him queried about involved domestic policy. People asked about jobs, the economy, the budget, health … Continue reading
Maine People Before Politics, a group dedicated to supporting Gov. Paul LePage, is out with a poll it says shows Maine people agree with the governor on a number of issues. However, the questions are phrased in a highly biased … Continue reading
This week’s radio address from Gov. LePage included a shocker toward the end — an endorsement of part of Obamacare. LePage’s positive words about this policy element could — just could — open the door to a less common way … Continue reading
After Gov. LePage and his Department of Education released their grades for Maine schools, many looked at the metrics they used. Specific analyses were critical of the measures used. While I wrote a critique and pointed to research on why the … Continue reading
On November 6, 2012, Maine people voted for marriage equality. The same day voters in Maryland and Washington did the same, as Minnesotans rejected a constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as between a woman and a man. Today … Continue reading
Gov. Paul LePage’s grades of Maine public schools remind me of the start and end of the semester. Sometimes when I first meet a class, I tell them, all of you could get A’s. While that’s never happened, it’s possible … Continue reading
In politics, it’s unfortunate that one can find partisans getting oh-so-angry about something and then it turns out their facts are wrong or lack the proper context. A recent example involves transparency in the Maine Legislature, which currently has Democratic … Continue reading
When the news first broke of the Blaine House meeting between Gov. LePage and the Unemployment Insurance hearing officers, I suggested that a federal investigation was a possibility. Why so? Because the federal government expects states to carry out their … Continue reading
