Contrary to common argument, there is no "best" tax.  Devising an equitable "mix" of taxes is not easy.  However, as Kenneth Nichols discusses in this article, there are five interrelated principles that are helpful for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of taxes on income, consumption, and wealth.

Fragmentation, sprawl, and rapid changes in ownership are leading to a crisis of sustainability in forests and rural communities in Maine and the nation.  Lloyd Irland provides a brief history of U.S. forest ownership patterns and global trends.  He suggests that Mainers need to come up with a new mix of private institutions to sustain and manage large tracts of forest for the long term.

Derek Langhauser provides an inside view on Maine's successful efforts to save two of the three facilities recommended for closure by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission.  Though the ultimate decision to close the Brunswick Naval Air Station was disappointing, as the author conveys, Maine's effective and coordinated response to the closure threat is testament to the capacity of Mainers and their leaders to work together in times of crisis.

Jim McGregor, Governor James B. Longley's executive assistant during his 1975-1979 term of office, reflects on Longley the man and the era in which he won election against all political odds to become Maine's first independent governor.  He sheds new and hitherto private light on the multifaceted Governor Longley, and suggests he may have been a man ideal for the time in which he served.

While Maine and many states have requirements and standards aimed at having "well-qualified" teachers, rigidity in those requirements can sometimes prevent well-qualified - but culturally and linguistically diverse - teachers from becoming certified.  Flynn Ross in this article chronicles the successful efforts by one group to petition the Maine Board of Education to allow greater flexibility in testing standards.

Financial barriers are sometimes cited as an important factor behind Maine's persistently low level of higher education attainment.  In this article, Maine's state economist, Catherine Reilly, examines the pros and cons of two, perhaps underutilized, tools for increasing Maine's higher education attainment - loan forgiveness and loan repayment.