Preserving The American Political Philosophy

One of the first things a member of the Maine Legislature does is to take an oath to uphold the Maine Constitution. After that the Maine Constitution is out of sight, out of mind until it is needed to beat down an opposition policy. Some unconstitutional policies are not opposed by any side, Democrat, Republican or Independent. One such unconstitutional policy is the right of the Maine Legislature to charter corporations by special act of legislation, prohibited by the Maine Constitution in Article Iv, Part Third, Section 14 . Ever since Governor Longley and the 1976 Maine Legislature deemed the centrally managed economy and the public-private government into existence, every administration and Maine Legislature has been chartering corporations by special act of legislation, willy nilly. This is what I mean when I use the term Maine State Inc- specifically the network of corporations chartered by special act of legislation, which are in most cases public-private relationships.

The Great Seal" by Hammer51012 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0  As of late, I have been wondering whatever became of the cultural narrative which used to be a mainstay of American literature and media. I am talking about the storyline where in the protagonist wrestles with the choice between pursuing a career he or she loves or prioritizing  money and job security, with the latter usually advocated by a parent and institutions. As societies across the globe move toward centrally managed economies, the individual loses ground to the collective good, The individual must be corralled by central management to serve the purpose of central management. Passion is a wild card which might lead the individual to create his own path, offering one explanation why the "Follow your Passion" narrative is receding into the dustbin of cultural history as economies, and thus culture, falls under the sway of central management. My search for the narrative, brought up a slew of ar

The season for electing town selectmen is underway locally. I live in Boothbay but since a public private economic development group (JECD) has been implemented on the peninsula which finances itself by taxing both municipalities, it is fair game to ask questions of candidates for Boothbay Harbor selectmen announcing their candidacy in letters to the editor of the Boothbay Register. I started writing this blog back around 2007 because I observed that in the Maine media, economic development policy is reported propaganda style, one point of view presented, almost exclusively of all others. This media policy extends to major politically transformational economic development acts of legislation, or better said, the failure to publish stories and information before and after such acts are passed. The Industrial Partnerships Act of 2013 , is an arguably totalitarian measure which threatens to solidify the central management of everything in Maine by the public-private state. Shortly aft

Beauty matters because it expresses love. The job of the craftsmen, when completely emerged in the process is to find and create beauty. I took a break from writing this blog to focus on writing a proposal for a much larger company than our own which had requested that we present a luxury line. In the end, I will not present the proposal to the company because the company has refused to sign a simple non-disclosure agreement, a necessary preliminary step, from a designer's perspective. Andersen Design is a design company and cannot ignore the fact that we live in the cyber age wherein large companies eat small ones. The non-disclosure agreement is a basic and minimal  protection, comparable to the terms of agreement one must sign in order to use the services of a website. The spokesperson for the company framed the relationship as about "their platform" but, it is also about our designs and ability to produce them. In our view, a partnership is a two way street, one in

For many centuries China produced ceramics which were inspirational throughout the world. In recent times, "made in China" evokes appropriation, commercialism, worker exploitation, and low costs for consumers in the western world. In response, in contemporary times. there is an emerging " Designed in China " movement,in China, complementing the " Made in America " mission in the USA. The transformation of the China brand typifies the transformation of popular conception of hand crafted products. I recently over heard a young woman tell her friend of the same age that it is so cool that a popular store really does sell crafts made in the third world. I have visited the store not too long ago and was taken aback by the commercial character of the work on display. It felt cold and inauthentic, reflecting the globalized corporate management of the hand craft industry. A comparison of the hand made market presented on the website for the non-profit o

PART TWO  in a series in which I  place Andersen Design's vision of economic development in the economic development environment in Maine Go to PART One Patron and collaborator, Bob Rose standing among some of Maine;s "underutilized resources"  A special request It is the legacy of the second generation of Andersen Design, including yours truly, to preserve the Andersen Design tradition and meld it into the 21st century. Today more than ever, it teeters on the brink of extinction. To secure it's physical headquarters, and work space, which is also where we live on a rental basis, we need to raise $2000.00 in funds available by Friday.  You can make a donation to our ready cash fund to cure the most immediate need here: This is a donation to this research and opinion blog, which I have been individually maintaining since 2007. If Andersen Design makes it through this existential crisis, we will be willing to make good on your donation, on