Bear Pond Conservative Chronicles, Ray Cardello, 3/15/24, Volume 1-17

Maine has lost its moral compass. This past year, bills have worked through the legislature and been signed into law by Governor Mills, making Augusta seem like a foreign land. Mainers have conceded Portland, Augusta, and Auburn/Lewiston to the Liberals. Unfortunately, the residents and their reps from these urban areas have become so powerful that they have set the cultural tempo for the entire state, even though rural Maine continues to be more traditional and conservative.

Some of the laws passed since 2019:

• Expanding Child Care in Rural Maine
• Making Absentee Voting More Accessible 
• Create Online Voter Registration 
• Ban Seclusion and Restraints in Maine Schools
• Blocking the “School to Prison” Pipeline
• Reforming Cash Bail System
• Avoid Eviction Through Mediation
• Increasing Racial Equity in Legislation
• Payment for Unused Earned Vacation
• Remove Time Constraints on Abortions
• Establish Maine as a Sanctuary for Transgender Youth

Most of these new laws exhibit an overreach of government, the insertion of government in parental decisions, and easing controls on free and fair elections. At the same time Maine is creating more laws, Cumberland County DA Jacqueline Sartoris announced a policy change that will no longer see illegal aliens charged for specific traffic violations. These offenses encompass driving without a license, driving with a suspended registration, or driving an unregistered vehicle. Sartoris claims that her department does not have the manpower to enforce these laws and should concentrate on problem-solving and genuine public safety issues.

Correct me if I am wrong, but we are talking about people who have committed a crime by entering the country, have not shown the ability to drive a vehicle, and have not registered the vehicle. Are these people not creating public safety issues? I do not want to drive along Route 4 at any time of day with these folks behind the wheel. People will be hurt or killed by this lousy policy decision.

Maine has also gotten the attention of many other states in the union with their lawmaking. A letter spearheaded by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and signed by 15 AGs could face lawsuits from other states if it adopts the proposed statute LD 227. The letter’s signers referred to the bill as an attempt to impose Maine’s views onto the remainder of the country.

LD 227 aims to protect medical professionals who perform “gender affirming” medical care and medical professionals who perform late-term abortions on women from states where such procedures would be illegal. They claim this bill would set up Maine to be a destination for so-called “abortion tourism.” This bill would undoubtedly redefine Maine’s motto of “Vacation Land.” LD 227 also protects people who transport minors to Maine to obtain an abortion, sex-change hormones, or sex-change surgery. This law would make Maine a magnet for young boys and girls from all over the country who want gender-affirming care, possibly without the consent of their parents.

This is the second time Maine has drawn national attention in recent months. The first instance was when Maine attempted to remove Donald Trump from the primary ballot. These far-left progressive proposals do not endear Maine to the rest of the country. Maine is on track to replace California, Oregon, and Washington as the most Progressive state in the country. That is not an honor worthy of celebration.