Fifty two years ago, on July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Medicare and Medicaid programs, designed to protect the health and well-being of millions of Americans. With the current effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, many older Americans are fearful about our national healthcare system will affect them. Millions of retirees did not […]

Many are on the streets today and they are growing in numbers, but far worse they are being labeled and judged as well (homeless). As sad as that is, they refer to us as drunks, druggies and bums, who don’t work or pay rent. However, this is not the case. For it happened to me […]

Republican congressional leaders have offered health insurance solutions based on phony federalism. In Maine, Gov. LePage and Sen. Collins provide sharply different views about this way of dealing with health insurance. The GOP congressional ploy would shift some tough decision to the states. That might look like an effort to enhance the role of states, […]

“Hot enough for ya?” If you want to chip away a little at my soul, that’s probably the question you want to ask me. There’s small talk, and then there’s miniscule talk. I’ve never been good at it. There are people who can carry on an entire conversation sticking only to topics like weather, kids […]

My children and I took a brief trip to Ottawa, Ontario, last month, and when we returned I thought I’d get on the computer and have a look at the balance in my bank account, just to see how much we enjoyed it. It’s a good thing I checked. In addition to the charges for our hotel […]

The U.S. is deeply divided about public policy and society’s values. The media, the supposedly neutral chronicler of events, is caught in the crossfire and losing public support. In a rapidly changing news world, many people believe that newspapers and electronic media are biased. They have doubts if there is any reliable source. Politicians view […]

Something about me attracts the crazies. Maybe “crazies” is a bit harsh. “Eccentrics” may hit closer to home, but any way you want to define them, they have a way of finding me, perhaps sensing I’m a bit eccentric myself. It reminds me of the way a morsel of food will attract insects even when […]

Last Saturday, I headed to Lisbon for the annual Moxie Festival. This weekend-long celebration is a great Maine tradition. This year’s festival celebrated not only its namesake fizzy drink, but our servicemen and women. During the parade, I ran into Senate Republicans Leader Garrett Mason. Lisbon is his hometown, and I was happy to give […]