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One Penny More
As the Legislature agonizes over how to balance the budget, faced with one unwise proposal after another, here's a number to keep in mind.For each penny on the dollar paid by Maine's wealthiest 1%,...
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LD 849: Robbing the Middle to Give to the Top
A bill only Prince John could loveThe new Augusta fails to recognize that shared prosperity depends on a strong middle class. Partly as a result, Maine's economic growth dropped from average in 2010...
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LD 849 Forced Through; Next Stop November Elections
Have you ever charged into battle thinking you had an army behind you, only to find that you were alone and hopelessly outnumbered? It seems that in November, those who supported LD 849 are going to...
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Tax Day Roundup: TABOR III v. Buffett Rule
Paid your taxes today? If so, thanks - you're helping drive good news for the national recovery, and even some good news in Maine despite a worst-in-the-nation 2011. And if you're like most working...
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Taxes, Income Taxes, and Rope-a-Dope Elephants
Wall, spear, snake, tree, fan, rope - or elephant? Now and then I am asked a version of this question: "Seth, do you know if this is true - it sounds to me like something from ALEC: "Currently, the...
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Slashing the Safety Net, Smashing the Ladder
Earlier this week, Republican members of the Appropriations Committee announced that they intended to draft a majority budget proposal for the FY 13 DHHS budget. While Democratic members of the...
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Budget Cuts Morally, Economically Misguided
Maine people believe in taking care of our neighbors, and in everyone pulling their weight. When polled, we overwhelmingly oppose measures which hurt the elderly, the disabled, or young children, or...
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GOP Turns Deaf Ear on Major Credit Agencies and Governor's Finance Chief
Fiscal Impact of Unfunded Tax Cuts Ignored As TABOR-like Bill Finally Enacted (updated 5/17)In finally passing LD 849 at about 3 am on Thursday, Maine Republicans again put ideology before common...
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I Hate to Say We Told Them So...
It's just no fun to be right sometimes.A few weeks ago, I went on radio to warn that Maine's credit rating was at risk due to unfunded, future tax cuts for the wealthy. At 3 am Thursday morning, in...
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Why Equality Matters in Schools
Dear Governor LePage:This open letter is to invite you to spend a day with me in a public school classroom here in MSAD 75. I'm hoping the experience might make you reconsider your harsh criticism of...
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Heritage Foundation Warning: The Sky is Falling!
It's bad enough that the Heritage Foundation refers to the expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy as "Taxmageddon." After all, will the sky REALLY fall and the world end if we return to...
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Calculate your Savings from Obama's Tax Cut Proposal
Thanks to Citizens for Tax Justice, a new online calculator shows you just how superior Obama's proposal for the Bush tax cuts are for working families and the middle class.For a working family of four...
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Time to End Maine and U.S. Aid to Offshoring Businesses
Mainers and Americans strongly believe our tax dollars should create jobs here, not ship them overseas. Yet just yesterday, 42 U.S. Senate Republicans chose to protect corporate profits over U.S....
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Truth Testing the Truth Test
If today's Press Herald "Truth Test" had all its own facts right, it would rate Democrats' first ad regarding Senate Republican voting records as 100% correct, not just "mostly correct."With respect to...
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It's Still the Inequality Economy
Amid the firestorm of criticism against Mitt Romney for choosing a running mate who says he wants to "end Medicare as we know it," it is tempting to think Medicare will be the issue of the 2012...
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‘Largest Tax Shift in Maine History’ Robs Middle, Gives to Top
Serious economists agree that fair, affordable tax policies are needed to produce jobs, surpluses, and a strong middle class. Yet like the Bush cuts of 2001, the LePage tax shifts of the last two...
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Playing Twister with the Truth
As majority Republicans in Augusta play Twister with their trickle-down tax policies, impressive new contortions have surfaced. To the cynical these may be daring feats of fiction, but sadly there are...
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Which Senate Candidate Stands with the Middle Class? Part 1 of 4
As promised a few weeks ago, today I am launching a four-part series to help Maine voters decide which candidate (or candidates) for U.S. Senate stand firmly with the middle class with respect to tax...
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Which Senate Candidate Stands with Maine’s Middle Class? Part Two
Today I am sharing Part Two of my four-part U.S. Senate series, intended to help Maine voters decide which candidate (or candidates) stand most firmly with the middle class on tax issues. Candidates...
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Tax Foundation Ranking is No Surprise
By and large, the Tax Foundation is a center-right organization that promotes trickle-down tax policy. Just one week ago, for instance, they published an analysis suggesting that Presidential...
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Which Costs More: Jobs at $20 million, or Tax Cuts at $400 million?
Once again, the Governor has demonstrated his credit card mentality. In the Lewiston Sun Journal today, he is described as opposed to the four bipartisan job-creation bonds on November's ballot. The...
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Which Senate Candidate Stands with Maine’s Middle Class? Part Three
Today and tomorrow I am sharing Parts Three and Four of my four-part series on economic justice, tax fairness, and the race for Maine’s open U.S. Senate seat. While the latest polls show a strong...
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Lisandro Berry Age 6: Re-elect My Dad
In this silly season of negative ads, here's a positive 30-second spot for today from my son at age six.
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Which Senate Candidate Stands with Maine’s Middle Class? Part Four
Tonight I share the fourth and final installment of my series on economic justice, tax fairness, and the race for Maine’s open U.S. Senate seat. More than in the previous three installments, the two...
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Acceptance Speech for Nomination as Majority Leader
Yesterday afternoon, I was honored to be elected Majority Leader for the next two years by my newly elected and re-elected House Democratic colleagues. Following is my speech prior to the vote. I...
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