Do you enjoy fruits and vegetables? Assuming the answer is yes, come next year who do you think will harvest the oranges, almonds, lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes and the other 300-plus crops grown in California? Who will work in the state’s dairies, meat plants, and food processing factories, most located in the Central Valley? Republican President-elect […]
Ben Bragdon
Staff Writer
Ben Bragdon is managing editor of the Sun Journal. Prior to that, he was deputy managing editor for news at the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. Ben was previously editorial page editor for those newspapers and Central Maine Sunday for more than 10 years. Before that, he was managing editor for weekly newspapers at Current Publishing in Westbrook. He began his career as a reporter at the Piscataquis Observer in Dover-Foxcroft and editor at the Moosehead Messenger in Greenville. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from Boston University.
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Biden still has time to nudge the federal budget closer to sanity
The U.S. fiscal outlook has dramatically deteriorated since the last time we ran a surplus in 2001, and President Joe Biden — like Democratic and Republican presidents before him — shares some responsibility for our high and rising debt. But it’s not too late to start turning things around. During his time in office, Biden […]
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Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Evangelical Christians’ long road to Donald Trump
We don’t yet know the precise numbers, but it appears once again that four out of five white evangelicals voted for Donald Trump in the presidential election. Evangelical support was by no means decisive; a similar percentage voted for Trump when he lost in 2020. But when a supermajority of a group that comprises approximately […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Trump’s worst Cabinet picks aren’t just unqualified, they’re part of a bigger power grab
At first glance, President-elect Donald Trump ‘s most controversial Cabinet nominees — Matt Gaetz, Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — are an odd list of ideologues and eccentrics chosen for political loyalty more than any substantive qualifications. But there’s a more important and potentially more dangerous factor that ties their nominations […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Trump’s staggering win isn’t a landslide. Democrats, learn the lessons and move on
After months of obsessing over the presidential contest, it was jarring to tune in to the annual Veterans Day commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery and see President Joe Biden center stage. The all-but-forgotten president is too literally a lame duck; his stride has given way to a shuffle. He looks lost. He tried to project […]
Posted inEditorials, Opinion
View from Away: Statehood for Puerto Rico deserves our respect
Once again, the people of Puerto Rico have voted in favor of becoming the nation’s 51st state. Last week’s vote was the fourth time in the past 12 years that the island’s voters have endorsed statehood, and the victory margin was a clear and convincing 56%. On the same ballot, Puerto Ricans elected a new […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Voters want a president who takes care of their most basic needs
This election was not about our national identity or a reflection of who we are as a collection of people. Rather, it centered on whether our most essential requirements as citizens were being served by our government. A resounding number of voters told Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party that the answer to […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: The fall of the Berlin Wall showed us how quickly transformative change can happen
In 1987, celebrating the 750th anniversary of its founding, the two sides of Berlin — the capitalist West and the socialist East — spent the year competing to see who could showcase the best cultural, historical and political events. On a hot summer day in June, I was among the U.S. Army and Air Force […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Don’t fail our children by abolishing the Department of Education
Imagine a school where a child grappling with anxiety or depression walks the halls without access to vital mental health support — no counselors, no programs, just in silence. This unsettling scenario could become a reality if Republican proposals to abolish the Department of Education gain traction, jeopardizing not only educational standards but the emotional […]
Posted inOp-Eds, Opinion
Commentary: Turning election anxiety into positive action
The 2024 election has come and gone, leaving a nation still reeling from the aftershocks of a deeply divisive campaign season. Regardless of party affiliation, Americans from all walks of life are grappling with the weight of uncertainty. Anxiety, fear and a sense of unease linger in the air, a potent mix of emotions that […]