Puritanism was (somewhat unfairly) described many decades ago by H.L. Mencken, the cynical “sage of Baltimore,” as “the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.”

The nation has moved on, but Ted Cruz has pulled his fellow Republicans in Washington right back into 2010.

We can’t understand the history of 20th century Maine without appreciating the story of the French Canadians who immigrated here seeking a better life, overcame decades of discrimination and eventually ascended to their rightful place in the American dream.

President Barack Obama’s recent meetings with members of Congress have raised hopes that a major fiscal deal will replace the “sequester” and put the federal debt on a healthier long-term path.

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., is a real-life Murray Blum.

When I was first elected to the Legislature, someone gave me some good advice: Look at every issue on its own merits. That is advice I have always followed.

In May 2011, the Republican majority, along with a single Democrat, rejected a bill to increase the minimum wage from $7.50 to $8 per hour.

Sequestration is not the best time to be doling out foreign aid, surely the most unpopular item in the federal budget. Especially when the recipient is President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt.

I recently hired a student to help me get wired into what I’m told is the minimum needed to survive in today’s digital world. So now in addition to Facebook, I am able to link in, tweet, Google Plus and other things I can’t remember because I haven’t used them yet.