President Barack Obama hasn’t even begun his second term, yet already he has been ensnared by scandal.

The magic word, compromise, has been missing from the Republican vocabulary since President Bill Clinton took office. Clinton’s 1993 economic plan, which set the stage for not only a balanced budget but also large surpluses, passed with nary a Republican vote.

“This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility.”

A Georgia mother of twins told her children not to answer a knock at the door last Friday because she thought it was a solicitor.

The federal government already has borrowed all the money it’s allowed to borrow under current law, a total of $16.4 trillion. That limit is the so-called “debt ceiling,” and our country reached it on Dec. 31.

The curtailment order issued by Gov. Paul LePage that cuts state spending by $35.5 million over the next seven months in order to balance the budget has been in the news a lot lately.

The legislative process is fascinating, frustrating and finicky. None of this is covered in the brochures “A Citizen’s Guide to Participating in the Legislative Public Hearing Process” and “How a Bill Becomes a Law.”

An inappropriate, unnecessary word can spoil what begins as a promising thought.

Gov. Paul LePage hasn’t held a press conference in six months and almost always refuses interview requests with reporters. But don’t worry; he still has a way to get his message across.