Editorials

Published
September 22, 2010

Our View: Court rightto uphold candidate matching funds

U.S. District Court Judge George Singal took a "cautious approach" last week by refusing to grant a motion that would have disrupted this year's gubernatorial election. His decision was the right one. The case would change election law to allow well-funded privately financed candidates to bury publicly funded ones, and Singal should be upheld by the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals.
Published
September 20, 2010

Another View: Columnist wrong on the reason for Maine’s high power costs

It was the loss of a nuclear plant, not deregulation, that made the prices soar.
Published
September 20, 2010

Our View: FEMA maps should reflect only real risks

Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps are an important tool in helping the agency prevent unnecessary damage from natural disasters. They should be based on the most accurate science available so they can be effective. But that doesn't mean that what has been presented by the agency fits that description. The proposed flood maps are up for a 90-day appeal process in which coastal property owners can and should challenge the assumptions on which they are based.
Published
September 19, 2010

Our View:Iowa egg recall shows need for Maine’s rules

Jack Decoster has farms in several states, but so far his Maine eggs have not been recalled.
Published
September 19, 2010

Our View:Obstacles removed from Sears Island development

A judge's ruling upholds a compromise that could give eastern Maine a cargo port.

Published
September 18, 2010

Our View:No good news in Maine’s poverty rate

While it's better than the national average, the state's economic problems are deep.
Published
September 17, 2010

Our View: City should learn, move on from ‘Tracing the Fore’

The controversial installation shows that public art requires more than just a good idea.
Published
September 17, 2010

Our View: Police responding to mental health crisis

With so many holes in the safety net, many mental health crises end up being jobs for the police, which too often turns county jails into de facto mental institutions. It's not only an expensive way to deal with the problem, it's often ineffective. The Portland Police Department continues to be a leader in finding a better way.
Published
September 16, 2010

Our View: Council should say ‘no thanks’ to carrier

We can think of a lot of good reasons why Portland shouldn't bring an aircraft carrier into its harbor to serve as a floating museum and convention center. But we can't think of a better one than was expressed this week by City Councilor Dory Waxman. "It's just too big," she said. With a mast as tall as the top of Munjoy Hill, as long as 10 football fields and enough deck space to build an apartment complex, the decommissioned aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy would dwarf anything in the harbor, blocking views of the city from the water and the water from the land.
Published
September 16, 2010

Our View: Portland’s ‘least sexy’ rating is undeserved

It's bad enough to finish last, but when you look at the field, it gets really embarrassing.