Want healthy people, healthy communities and a healthy economy? With Medicaid expansion, more people will get care that keeps them healthier and saves lives. Expanding Medicaid will also help Maine’s economy.

Hillary Clinton is out with a new book. Haven't you heard?

During my time in Maine this summer, I visited all of the 16 counties in our state, hearing feedback from Maine people about the issues important to them, their families and their communities. My stops throughout the state once again reminded me that Maine is a big small town with very long streets – we care about each other and our friends and neighbors.

After the devastation from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the families who have to rebuild their lives need affordably priced lumber. Unfortunately, corporate greed from a coalition of big lumber companies has already sent those prices skyrocketing. Making a profit is the goal of any company -- and it should be.

Now is the time to be careful walking in the woods. They’re out there! The would-be hunters, that is.

Because of the work I do, I have the opportunity to meet with many Maine businesses, particularly small businesses, and ask them what is necessary for them to survive, thrive and grow. I also often ask them what stands in their way of achieving those things. I ask these questions because I care about the answers. The only way we can keep young people in the state, provide jobs, grow our economy and achieve real prosperity is for Maine businesses to prosper.

Fall is here, summer isn’t over. Huh! It feels like fall today, cloudy, cold, and a great day to stay indoors by the computer. Did you know computers keep you warm? I didn’t either, but it’s definitely warmer in here by the computer than it is out there in the great (cold) outdoors.

It is so refreshing to have a president in the White House who truly understands what it takes to create jobs and grow the economy.

Earlier this week, the Bangor City Council decided that Columbus Day, a federally recognized holiday, should in fact be Indigenous Peoples' Day. Despite protestations from the council that it wasn't trying to "replace" Columbus Day (which they can't do anyway, it being a federal holiday), the choice to recognize and celebrate the newly designated Indigenous Peoples' Day on the day we recognize Christopher Columbus is a pretty clear signal of what the city council's intentions are.

Are you interested in knowing how AARP and local leaders are working together to create a more age-friendly culture, making Dover-Foxcroft, Milo, Dexter, Guilford, and Greenville more livable for people of all ages? Want to share your ideas? Would you like to know more about how AARP is advocating for older adults statewide? If so, come to the AARP Coffee Talk at Elaine’s Bakery in Milo on Thursday, September 21 from 10 – 11:30 a.m. or join us at The Mill Café in Dover-Foxcroft on Tuesday, September 26, from 10 – 11:30 a.m.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Those words, rather famously, come from Martin Luther King Jr., first spoken in a sermon he gave in 1957, and then printed in his 1963 book “Strength to Love.”

The lowest form of journalism is analyzing the sufficiency of condemnations. That said, as hyperbolic and unhinged as the media's reaction to Donald Trump's statements in the wake of Charlottesville may be, they do still have a point. President Trump did not, in my opinion, say the right thing, and I wanted to hear things out of his mouth that I did not hear.

The Washington Post boldly declared that it said women were “genetically unsuited for tech jobs." CNN said that it claimed "women are not biologically fit for tech roles." Time Magazine said it was an "anti-diversity tirade. Gizmodo called it a "screed," as did The Atlantic. Vanity Fare went with "anti-diversity manifesto." “It” was the controversial memo drafted by a Google employee, criticizing the company’s internal policies on bias and diversity. A memo that got him fired.

If Washington insiders were forced to use the failing ObamaCare system, they would think twice about the gridlock they are causing right now. U.S. Senators like Senators Susan Collins and Angus King are enjoying Cadillac health insurance plans while they are mandating Americans ride a moped. They are so busy seeking the national limelight, they are ignoring the people in their own state.

Recently the Senate voted late into the night on a Thursday and into the early hours of Friday morning, ultimately voting down a bill that would have rolled back many parts of the Affordable Care Act. It was the right choice given the rushed nature of the process and the uncertainty of the impact the bill would have on one sixth of the American economy and on millions of people across the country, including tens of thousands in Maine.

With its magnificent buildings, monuments, and memorials, Washington is a city of inspiring sights. Just as inspiring was the sea of blue shirts worn by the more than 160 young delegates who participated in a recent hearing that I chaired on how diabetes affects people of all ages and their families.

Now that the legislative session is over, it is time for all of us to turn our attention to the latest attempt by special interest groups to go around the legislative process to pass a major law with far-reaching implications by placing a vaguely worded question on the ballot, supported by millions of dollars in special-interest money with little organized opposition. I'm speaking, of course, of the upcoming referendum on Medicaid expansion.

After years of fixing Maine’s balance sheet, now is the time to make investments in our economy. During this past session, I supported three initiatives that focused on using bonds to invest in Maine families and our future: transportation; commercialization; and education.