Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile
Ben Sprague

@bensprague

Commercial Lender at Maine-based First National Bank. Bangor School Committee member. Writer of the SMP Newsletter: bensprague.substack.com

ID: 139821790

linkhttps://bensprague.substack.com calendar_today03-05-2010 19:53:14

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Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

The outlook for Biden in November is....not great. Wrote out some thoughts about it this weekend. bensprague.substack.com/p/joe-bidens-e…

John Wake (@johnwake) 's Twitter Profile Photo

I hadn't read about this part of Biden's rent control proposal anywhere else. "Noting that the Federal Government is the largest landowner in the United States, President Biden proposes to repurpose portions of federal land large and small for the construction of rental units

Michael Socolow (@michaelsocolow) 's Twitter Profile Photo

"AI Comes to the Olympics" from Ben Sprague. The quadrennial (? - used to be every 4 years, now every 2) festival always offers a glimpse of tomorrow's telecom tech. Haven't seen much on AI Al Michaels, though? Will all sportscasting be robotic in future? bensprague.substack.com/p/ai-comes-to-…

Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Incredible: although property damage is expected to be at least $15B from Helene, actual insurance payouts will be closer to $5B. Why? Most people don't have flood insurance, and insurance policies now often have carve outs/exceptions for wind. wsj.com/finance/homeow…

Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Shout out to my two fellow candidates for Bangor School Committee, Sara Luciano & Dawson Nevells. I’ve enjoyed working with Sara very much for the past three years, and I admire Dawson’s willingness to step up and serve. I had a great time tonight with them at the candidate forum

Shout out to my two fellow candidates for Bangor School Committee, Sara Luciano & Dawson Nevells. I’ve enjoyed working with Sara very much for the past three years, and I admire Dawson’s willingness to step up and serve. I had a great time tonight with them at the candidate forum
Michael Socolow (@michaelsocolow) 's Twitter Profile Photo

A trend we're all seeing, but not much discussion: “In many ways, a lot of restaurants never actually recovered from the pandemic.” Excellent Ben Sprague econ analysis on why so many restaurants in Maine [& across U.S.A.] are closing now. bensprague.substack.com/p/why-its-so-h…

Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

I've seen a lot of criticism lately on social media of some of our local restaurants for high prices and limited staff. But in reality, it's the hardest time to own a restaurant in recent history. There's a perfect storm of variables hitting the industry. bensprague.substack.com/p/why-its-so-h…

Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

There is a perfect storm of variables right now impacting the restaurant industry, leading to closures and heartache. Thank you to Bangor Daily News for picking up my piece on the variables at play, and what it says about the overall economy. bangordailynews.com/2024/10/23/pol…

Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

I know the local races were not necessarily what was on people's mind this year, but I would like to thank the voters of Bangor for re-electing me to the Bangor School Committee. Grateful for the chance to serve for another three years. Thank you.

Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Congratulations to the Bangor Girls Soccer team! State champions with a 3-1 win over Scarborough today! The Gold Ball is coming north! Fight, fight for victory today!!

Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

The bear case and the bull case under Trump 2.0 - what we can expect in the economy going forward. My latest article. thesundaymorningpost.com/p/what-to-expe…

Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

An extremely niche political what-if is what would have happened if Democrats had nominated this guy in '16 in an alternative universe where Hillary and Bernie hadn't run. O'Malley would have defeated Trump in '16 and who knows if Trump comes back from that. O'Malley!

Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

“We agree to disagree” has shifted to “I can’t associate with someone who thinks like that” and, in some cases, to “That person wants to destroy everything I value.” thesundaymorningpost.com/p/the-insular-…

Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

I recently published a holiday gift guide for the well-meaning parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles out there. Experiences and memories are the way to go. I've got some ideas for you! thesundaymorningpost.com/p/bens-holiday…

Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

So cool that this kid is from Newport, Maine. In theory he should be part way through his senior season at Nokomis. Really fun to watch his story unfold.

Michael Socolow (@michaelsocolow) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Typically excellent Ben Sprague article in his Sunday Morning Post on rent inflation. The data explains much... about the 2024 presidential election. [*I kept waiting for the Jimmy McWilliams "Rent is Too Damn High" reference, but, alas...] thesundaymorningpost.com/p/rental-marke…

Typically excellent <a href="/bensprague/">Ben Sprague</a> article in his Sunday Morning Post on rent inflation.
The data explains much... about the 2024 presidential election.

[*I kept waiting for the Jimmy McWilliams "Rent is Too Damn High" reference, but, alas...]

thesundaymorningpost.com/p/rental-marke…
Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

There is relief on the horizon for renters out there - rents are actually starting to fall. In November, rents dropped in 88 of the 100 largest U.S. cities. In Austin, they are down more than 12% thanks to huge swaths of new supply. I dig into it here. thesundaymorningpost.com/p/rental-marke…

Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Tonight I gave my colleagues on the Bangor School Committee this book by Jonathan Haidt. Excessive screen time, social media, and overprotective parenting have created a generation that is unprepared for adulthood. It's time to ban cell phones in schools and help kids reset.

Tonight I gave my colleagues on the Bangor School Committee this book by <a href="/JonHaidt/">Jonathan Haidt</a>.  Excessive screen time, social media, and overprotective parenting have created a generation that is unprepared for adulthood. It's time to ban cell phones in schools and help kids reset.
Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

I applaud this thoughtful and urgent Op Ed by one of our local teachers describing how challenging the educational environment is inside the classroom due to student dependency on cell phones and cell phone use. A call to action! bangordailynews.com/2025/03/20/opi…

Ben Sprague (@bensprague) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Contrary to pop culture stereotypes, today's dads are more active than ever. We should lift up the engaged and loving dads of the world. Most dads I know love being dads, and they love their children. thesundaymorningpost.com/p/young-dads-a…