Preserving The American Political Philosophy

Tweet This !http://goo.gl/EUeVwa  F or the last six years  Mackenzie Andersen  has been independently researching the history of Maine's economic development statutes. Public Private Relationships and The New Owners of the Means of Production takes all the research she accumulated since 2009 and hones it down into a snap shot. The result is an new perspective on the history of Maine focusing on the years since 1979 when under the Longley Administration, the State of Maine began its transformation into the corporation of Maine. In 1979 Governor Longley invited the heads of Maine Industry to take the leadership role in writing new statutes which would over ride the Maine Constitution's prohibition against corporations chartered by special acts of legislation. Two corporations were chartered. The Maine Capital Corporation, a private investment corporation subsidized with tax credits and the Maine Development Foundation,which would design and function as activists for c

TWEET THIS ! http://goo.gl/bRCfF9 At this moment I am reading a report I received from the Maine Law Library- a report which was used to create The Maine Economic Development Corporation  and T he Maine Capital Corporation - a private investment corporation chartered by the Maine legislature which offered tax credits for stock. It was chartered contingent to The Maine Development Foundation Corporation. The Maine Constitution , prohibits the legislature from chartering of corporations by special acts of legislation with an exception for municipal purposes and if the objects of the corporation cannot be otherwise achieved. (Article Iv Part Third Sections 13 & 14) Article X. Additional Provisions. Section 3.  Laws now in force continue until repealed.   All laws now in force in this State, and not repugnant to this Constitution, shall remain, and be in force, until altered or repealed by the Legislature, or shall expire by their own limitation. When originally chartere

Chales S Colgan is Associate Director, Maine Center for Business and Economic Research , Economic Development Administration ,  University Center, Chair, CPD Program and Professor of Public Policy & Management, Muskie School of Public Service In an email exchange   Mr Colgan had this to say: "Incidentally, the constitutional provision you mention was enacted in the wake of the railroad failures in the 1830s and was intended to prohibit the state from creating for profit corporations.  The state has chartered a large number of non-profit corporations and there is no problem with those.  I worked on the creation of MDF in the 1970s so I am pretty sure of this." MDF is The Maine Development Foundation. The "constitutional provision" I mentioned is  Article IV Part Third section 14 of the Maine State Constitution: Section 14.  Corporations, formed under general laws.   Corporations shall be formed under general laws, and shall not be created b

A Guest Op Ed By Roger Ek , Republican Town Chairman for the Town of Lee LURK LEGISLATION UNDER DISCUSSION                                                 Paintings by Michael Blaze Petan Bigger Stronger Meaner Over 40 years ago, the Maine legislature decided that the residents of the Unorganized Territories should not be allowed to govern themselves. They would be better off if they were controlled by seven appointed members of a commission. At the time, a legislator from Aroostook County said that such a bill would cause poverty throughout Northern Maine. He was right. The bill creating LURC passed by one vote.  Two years ago during a television interview of the seven Republican candidate for governor, the moderator asked if the candidate were to significantly cut back or eliminate a state agency which one it would be. Paul LePage answered, "LURC." Last year Rep. Jeff Gifford introduced legislation to do just that. The legislature did what it us