letter to the editor

Maine: Fighting to remain last

Mon, 09/11/2017 - 3:30pm

Dear Editor:

For years Maine has been at or near last place on the “business friendly” list. We have been successful in claiming the top of the oldest population list. The two go hand in hand. It is not that we are aging faster than the rest of the country, it’s because our young people must leave the state to find good jobs and then raise our grandchildren there. We take this for granted but in other states families can choose both – having good jobs and being close to family.

Our young people are economic refugees much like the refugees fleeing their failed socialistic systems (see Venezuela) to find jobs. Fortunately, we still have states with good jobs and they can pick a “good state” and be successful.

Recently we came very close to retaking the title of “highest taxed state” due to the proposed 3 percent tax on high income earners. We now have another opportunity to redo a Governor King program that failed miserably just a few years ago – Medicaid for young healthy adults. Before that effort was terminated it cost over a billion dollars, cost jobs, and was not successful at reducing Maine’s uninsured. We have spent years undoing the damage it did and restoring the state’s business reputation. Other states that have used Medicaid as an answer to the Affordable Care Act are experiencing the same negative consequences. We are making good progress on health care in Maine and are improving the business climate.

Vote no on the Medicaid question in November – it did not work before and is unlikely to work now. Let our legislature do their job and find a solution that does works.

Joe Grant

Wiscasset