Flynn Ross, University of Southern Maine Maine people value education. In 2003, more than 72 percent of voters said yes to the state funding 55 percent of the cost of public education. But since 2008, the state share has declined to 46.6 percent. This matters because state funding of schools is a more equitable way […]

Michael Rocque, Bates College Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on August 16, 2016 Fifty years ago this month, 25-year-old Charles Whitman, after killing his wife and mother, climbed the University of Texas, Austin, bell tower and began to pick off passers-by one by one with the arsenal of guns he brought along. In […]

Robert W. Glover, University of Maine Representative Larry Lockman’s recent opinion piece in the Bangor Daily News was a racially-charged collection of misinformation and half-truths. Seriously, I would encourage anyone who thinks the United States has a policy of “open borders” to have coffee with someone who has navigated the labyrinth that is the American […]

Theda Skopol, Harvard University Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on August 2, 2016 From the lips of an authoritarian, blustery contender for the highest executive office in the land come a steady stream of threats, insults and big lies. At huge rallies, he eggs on violence and stokes popular hatred and divisions. He […]

Robert W. Glover, University of Maine Originally posted in the Bangor Daily News on July 19, 2016   The Republican Convention is in full swing in Cleveland, Ohio. Amid all the reporting over splits within the Republican Party and the possibility of maneuvering to deny the divisive Donald Trump the nomination, there has been little […]

Christy Roix Daggett Originally published in Bangor Daily News on July 5, 2016 One bright spot in this unending campaign season is that American manufacturing has been brought to the front and center of the political debate. This only means that politicians are catching up to the concerns of their constituents; protecting American manufacturing jobs […]

Grace Kiffney and Robert Glover, University of Maine Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on June 21 2016. This year, the U.S. immigration court backlog soared to 474,322 cases. In Maine, this backlog means our comparatively small number of asylum seekers — about 1,000 — may wait up to five years for their asylum […]

Many economists and climate scientists see a steady rise in the price of carbon as the key to reducing CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions, and averting catastrophic climate change. The most obvious way to raise the price of carbon, and so make renewable energy more competitive in the market, is to impose a carbon […]

Sarah Mullis, University of Maine Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on June 7, 2016. As Maine’s population ages, understanding and addressing the needs of older adults becomes increasingly imperative. Seniors face a number of challenges, including obtaining enough food to be considered food secure. In 2013, 5.4 million seniors in America over the […]

Sandy Butler and Holly Schreiber, University of Maine Originally published in the Bangor Daily News on May 24, 2016. In the U.S., we have a history of closely examining and judging the behaviors of low-income individuals and families. While all of us benefit from government-funded programs — whether by visiting libraries, driving on highways, attending […]