MHPC Launches TheMaineWire.com

Most of his links don't work.

Editor's Note: Thanks, Bob. All the links are in fine working order now.

I got www.ourstory by L. Doughty w/ LD's announcement ? After a search for TMW.com.

The site looks great! Very impressive for a 'cold start.'

"The Maine Wire will also provide up-to-date news on breaking policy stories, like the clean elections debacle that got Rep. David Burns in trouble...."

If it turns out as has been reported, Rep. David Burns got his own bad self in trouble. Is this a "he didn't do it defense" or a "the program made him do it" defense? Maybe I'm just not cut out to buy the idea that the existence of the program is what gets people in trouble if in fact they file false documents. I don't care what the BS program is, it doesn't justify filing of false documents. Does it? Is it like an Occupy Government Programs defense? If the government has it, I can lie to get it? That kind of thinking would also require me to think that the existence of EBT cards is what gets people in trouble when they trade them for drugs. Where does this end? If Al Gore hadn't invented the internet then perps wouldn't have been required to download child porn?

The site looks great! Very impressive for a 'cold start.'

Whoa: http://www.themainewire.com/2011/12/editorial-basic-economics-and-welfar...

Excellent article on the welfare state in Maine and how it creates an enourmous drag on the economy. The thing to remember is that the money taken and redistributed through DHHS produces absolutely nothing. It creates no product that enhances life for the citizens of Maine. No maple syrup is made, no lumber is produced, no sea food is gathered, no produce or meat is made available. Absolutely nothing is created.

Ah - but don't forget the solar water heaters ($7,500 each) and the wind turbines planted behind trees ($15K+?). And, hey, how would we survive without all those $150K+ non-profit CEO salaries?

Meanwhile, the Maine Wire is a welcome media institution - with great writers and information.

Conservative advocacy group sacks reporter after blog uncovers support for white supremacy
By Steve Mistler, Staff Writer
Published on Wednesday, Jan 4, 2012 at 10:10 am

... Maine Heritage Policy Center... fired ... political reporter for its fledgling news organization after his online comments showed support for white supremacist causes.

Lance Dutson... CEO of MHPC...(said)... reporter Leif Parsell ..no longer working for The Maine Wire, an online news organization that MHPC launched last month. An anonymous blog, The State of Maine, posted an item Tuesday containing links to several comments Parsell had made on various online forums prior to his employment by MHPC.

Source

***********

Kudos to Dutson and the MHPC, for taking swift and decisive action in firing Parsell. The last thing Maine needs is even the perception of a racist in conservative clothing, in that position.

"All Men Are Created Equal."

Link to "The State of Maine," the anonymous blog which led MHPC to fire Parsell.

Here's their "About":

by admin on November 15, 2011 · 0 comments

The State of Maine is a non-partisan, independent blog about Maine politics, culture, and society. We provide breaking news, analysis and inside information about issues important to Maine’s political community.

The State of Maine was founded in November 2011.

http://www.thestateofmaine.org/about/

***************

"Non-partisan and independent."
Read through the stories posted, and let us know what you think.

Naran,

To be fair, which would you say is more nonpartisan, the "nonpartisan" The State of Maine Blog, or the "nonpartisan" MHPC?

Here is the MPHC's statement about their purpose. Clearly they take a political position and say as much.

The Maine Heritage Policy Center is a research and educational organization whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise; limited, constitutional government; individual freedom; and traditional American values–all for the purpose of providing public policy solutions that benefit the people of Maine.

Naran Watcher,

Keep reading:

" . . . The Maine Heritage Policy Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization."

No No , it is what MHPC needs, that is all ! Is the ability to vet someone before employment a lost skill?

Virgil, you are correct but, what it means is they are neither Democratic nor Republican or Libertarian for that matter. The are, however, Conservative which tends to align - loosely - with Republicans. If a Democrat came out with a Conservative agenda, they would support him. No so with so-called non-partisan Liberals who hate all things Conservative...even when they bend over to accommodate Liberals as Bush did.

Anyway, I stand corrected.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but there are common understandings of what 'non-partisan' and 'non-profit' mean, and there are legal definitions.

501(c)3 and 501(c)4 are legal terms, distinct in that sense from other less formal definitions.

PS: i am as disappointed big time by this turn of events. I give credit to MHPC leadership for swift attention to the matter.

Hopefully, this is a learning moment.

Watcher,

Understood. By the way, I'm a fan of MHPC. I've seen, first hand, that organization work with non-Republican policy makers where there was common ground, and I know they will dicuss and present their policy ideas with anyone that will listen.
More than anything, I was just trying to give Naran a little playful ribbing over what I saw as a bit of irony that she would call into question The State of Maine Blog's "nonpartisan" status in the context of a thread about the "nonpartisan" MHPC.

Mel,
Agreed. This is an unfortunate development. Granted, MHPC did the right thing-- but, really, what else could they do? Still, it's better that it happend sooner rather than later, before what's-his-name became synonymous with The Maine Wire.
And it looks like their handling of this was much, much better than Ron Paul's handling of his newsletter, and he's still doing alright, so I trust MHPC will weather this little setback, too.

I know you are right Melvin but, I have begun taking my cue from URKLE the POTUS and will ignore or circumvent laws or legal definitions with which I disagree.

Virgil -- I can take a joke. Really.

(now, just TRY logging in again.... really).

lol

Once again the pain in the arse Nemitz is diffulcult to not agree with in his column today.

Yes , I have been critcal of MHPC in past ! So that will be considered reason enough to ignore this post and not put more significance on the absolute absurdity of the nature of this experience so nicely thought of as a learning experience !
"on there own face book page" !
Of course the right thing was done , for MHPC, for the credibility of the Maine Wire an open question.
Amatuer hour at best .

I didn't bother to read the latest "poison-pen letter" from Nemitz, so I'll take your word for it, Bruce.

Here's the most important point, with regard to MHPC -- unlike the MTA and DHHS and MSHA, none of the MHPC's funding comes from public tax dollars or public toll dollars.

If the MHPC makes a mistake, it's their own, both to bear, and to get past. They're a private organization.

I don't see the Parsell hiring issue as being in any way comparable to the plain malfeasance we're seeing from some other Maine entities, which use public money.

Actually I wish you had bothered to read it.
Sorry but that is a bad analogy , funding sources have nothing to do w/ this. This is about competancy to do something.
I hope they continue doing their good work,I really do , but I have a healthy reluctance to give them a pass just becaue they are who they are. I am not sure being a news organization is fully compatable w/ being a a policy group,but we will see ,at least they will have an outlet for news they create.

One should really read the column , because he nailed it IMHO,if this was a public official there would be screams for the leaders head, if I was a contributor to MHPC I would be wondering about the event.

But one can choose to ignore it , rest assured the opposition will not !
In the zeal to put the service in place something very significant was lost and is possibly apt to reoccur in future.
Zealotry can effect all sides and have intersting impacts.

You do realize you're preaching to the choir.

Right?

Whatever that means?

What has happened to Maine Wire? I can't post comments any more nor even see them.