Substance abuse in Maine is estimated to cost the state $1.18 billion per year, but the human cost can’t be tallied.

While we’re still shaking our heads over the news that Maine State Prison Warden Patricia Barnhart bought three state-owned houses in Thomaston for a bargain price and that the public wasn’t notified that the properties were up for sale or offered a chance to bid, we learn this: That kind of transaction is not only common, it’s the norm.

The Maine Association of Nonprofits is feeling steamed after being informed by the governor’s office that it’s entitled only to alternate seating at Gov. Paul LePage’s upcoming job creation summits.

There are a number of ways to view the “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrators whose protests have multiplied in many places across the country and around the world.

It was a heartwarming story — inspirational, in fact, in a “you’ve got to be kidding me” sort of way. If we didn’t know better, we would have to conclude that members of Maine’s Legislature are engaged in a veritable bipartisan lovefest.

So in the Republican sweepstakes for the presidential nomination, Sarah Palin has ended the speculation by declaring she’s not a candidate. Likewise, Chris Christie is going to stay on the job as New Jersey governor. Rick Perry is sinking in the polls, Mitt Romney has yet to catch fire and here comes Herman Cain, don of Godfather’s Pizza and, as it turns out, tough love for his fellow Americans.

Privacy laws in the United States need an upgrade. Rapid advances in cellphones and computers are outstripping the ability of old laws to protect our personal lives.

As the Occupy Wall Street protests spread from Lower Manhattan to Washington and other cities, the chattering classes keep complaining that the marchers lack a clear message and specific policy prescriptions.

Maine needs a comprehensive overhaul of the state’s tax structure. We don’t need piecemeal changes, stopgap fixes or just plain tinkering with tax rates and revenue streams.

It took half a decade, but bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate have finally approved free trade agreements between the United States and three key nations: South Korea, Colombia and Panama. This is cause for celebration — but also for reflection.