The number of political moderates in the U.S. Senate is dwindling, and the departure of Senator Olympia Snowe, who is not seeking reelection, could further reduce their ranks. Senate moderates, those who do not follow a strict party line, have declined from 46 in 1977 to only six in 2009, according to one study. InMore

The Maine Public Utilities Commission recently issued a decision in a hotly contested case allowing Emera, the Nova Scotia company that owns Bangor Hydro and Maine Public Service, to create a new company with First Wind, a major wind power developer. The three-member regulatory body decided that the economic development benefits of the project hadMore

The Supreme Court hearings on the Affordable Care Act and Gov. Paul LePage’s proposals to narrow MaineCare eligibility and services are both part of a national debate over a much bigger issue – the appropriate role of government. The underlying question is what limits should be placed on government action.  And mixed with that issueMore

Independent Angus King, running for the U.S. Senate, could benefit from the special circumstances that sometimes work for non-party candidates in Maine. In recent decades, the state has elected two independent governors and almost did so again in 2010.  The state seems to be unusually favorable to candidates running without a major party label. WhatMore

Last week, Sen. Olympia Snowe said, “We are becoming more like a parliamentary system, where everyone simply votes with their party and those in charge employ every possible tactic to block the other side.” The essence of the parliamentary system, as it is practiced in Canada, Great Britain and most other major democracies, is partyMore

Just a few months ago, almost nobody talked about the Strait of Hormuz, much less worried about its effect on our lives.  Now, Iran threatens to close that narrow stretch of water in the Middle East. It’s the latest move in a growing international conflict over Iran’s possible development of a nuclear weapon. If theMore

The next big splash in the Republican presidential season will come on March 6, called “Super Tuesday,” when more GOP convention delegates will be selected than on any other single day.   In the meantime, the action turns from high-cost primaries to state caucuses, which are a relative bargain.  In February, there will be aMore

Correction appended below   The sales tax is one of the touchiest political issues.  Unlike the income or property tax, just about everybody pays it: rich and poor, resident and visitor — even the teenager who eats at McDonald’s. Almost every time a change to it is proposed, it sets off controversy. Recently, Gov. PaulMore

Maine is the oldest state in the Union. That simple statement may send an important message about efforts to keep or bring young people to the state. It could be a tough task, and it could be one doomed to fail. When the standard is median age – the age at which half the populationMore

The end of the year is a good time to correct some myths recently in the news. 1. Unemployment has never been so high for this long: For one thing, unemployment has been much higher – about 25 percent during the Great Depression of the 1930s. And back then it was above the current levels ofMore