Maine is the greatest place on earth to live and raise kids. There is a connection to mother nature here that is not like anywhere else in the world…even if she knocks down our powerlines down from time to time. There is a neighbor loyalty among Mainers – even those who can be a little annoying from time to time. There is a special kind of work ethic – flexible and creative – from so many changing seasons and changes to our economy.
But there’s no doubt that Maine is in real trouble right now.
The Problem
Whether it’s the needle-infested streets of Portland, Bangor, and Lewiston, or the shuttered mills in Jay and Millinocket, the signs of Maine’s struggle are plain to see. We’re at the top of every list for bad cultural and economic indicators, and the bottom of every list of positive ones:
Maine is:
- 46th in overall business climate
- 39th in Reading and Math
- 45th in economic outlook
- 49th in infrastructure (thank GOD for Alaska)
On the flip side, we are…
- 4th highest in Property Tax burden
- 4th highest in health insurance burden
- 5th highest corporate tax rate
- 10th highest in cost of doing business
- #1 increase in residential energy costs in the last year
- #1 in drug overdose deaths in the north east (number 8 nationally)
We need bold action to stop this downward spiral in its tracks.
The Plan
Over the next few months, I will lay out a ton of details and I look forward to sharing them and hearing your thoughts.
But let’s start with the basics.
My first act as governor will be to declare an economic growth emergency.
- We’ll start with an immediate tax cut that will reduce Maine’s tax burden by a billion dollars. That will put a billion dollars back into the pockets of working Mainers to provide much-needed relief and to jump-start our economy. No more mincing around the edges.
- We will dive into a thorough and far-reaching audit of state government, to weed out waste, fraud, and abuse, and to make sure every penny is accounted for. Right now, 95% of state spending receives no regular review, and is simply on auto pilot each budget cycle. This will end on day one.
- We will make Maine the easiest place in America to start and run a company. Whether you are a mom wanting to start your own business at home or a company trying to decide where to make drone ships, every state employee should view their job as helping you succeed.
- We will make Maine the easiest place in America to build more homes by creating a master plan for every town to adopt that will allow families and builders to jump right in. No more costly permitting delays, no more red tape. The way you solve a housing crisis is with hammers, not lawyers. We will make it simple.
- We will reduce Maine’s energy costs by doubling the availability of natural gas. We will pursue every legal action available to end the pipeline blockade that’s been set up by the phony environmentalists running New York and Massachusetts, the blockade that prevents us from accessing affordable and plentiful natural gas from Pennsylvania.
And…we’re going to clean up Portland. Portland is our largest city, the economic heart of Maine, but it is collapsing under the weight of childish social experiments implemented by outside extremist groups who have no business making policy in our state. On day one, we will stop the needle-distributing madness that encourages drug addiction and brings people here from out of state to shoot up. Did you know that Maine gives out more than 3 million needles every year? That ends immediately. We will also end the ridiculous policy that keeps police from making legitimate arrests if the perpetrators identify as homeless, and we will end the policies that allow jails to turn away people who have been arrested. Portland will be safe, livable, and it will thrive once again.
Together, we can restore the American Dream to Maine – to make Maine prosperous and safe – and make sure our kids are no longer forced to leave the state to find success.