On final party-line votes of 19-14 in the Senate and 75-61 in the House, Republicans passed structural changes to MaineCare that will lower costs and seeks to end annual budget shortfalls that have plagued state government for years and threaten funding for other vital state programs.

LD 1746, the Supplemental Budget bill, was modified significantly by Republicans on the Appropriations Committee from the original proposal submitted by Governor LePage, while concurring with his position that structural changes are needed to ensure that MaineCare and core state government programs remain sustainable going forward.

Republican legislators noted that Medicaid enrollment has grown by 78 percent since 2002, while Maine’s population grew only 7 percent.  Maine insures 35 percent more of its population through the MaineCare program than the national average, and MaineCare represents 21 percent of all state funding—in 1998, it represented just 12.4 percent.

In 2009, Maine’s per capita Medicaid cost was $1,895 per person—over $700 more than the national average of $1,187.

One example of how the budget differs from the original proposal is the Drugs for the Elderly and the Medicare savings programs. Under the original proposal, approximately 78,000 people would have had their coverage reduced or eliminated. Under the final proposal, only 1,500 people at the top of the present income guidelines will have their benefit eliminated.

Medicare Part B premiums are now $99.90 per month. Under current law, individuals making under $20,664 per year will have their Part B premiums paid for by MaineCare. Under the proposal that was passed, individuals earning $19,547 per year or less will continue to have their part B premiums paid for by MaineCare, and some lower income individuals will have additional benefits covered.

In order to be part of this program, individuals must be federal Medicare enrollees.

In the budget, Republicans also honored their commitment to the General Assistance agreement reached by both political parties in the Supplemental Budget that was passed last month. When that item was line-item-vetoed by the Governor, Republicans pledged to address the issue upon their return.

“The Republican majority will not repeat mistakes made by past legislatures that used one-time revenues to put a Band-Aid on a broken system, hoping the problem will go away,” said Senate President Kevin Raye. “Rather than avoid difficult decisions and continue an endless string of budget shortfalls, we are setting the priorities required to ensure that MaineCare is sustainable and that our most vulnerable citizens will be protected over the long-term

Senate Majority Leader Jon Courtney stressed the need to act in the face of the $80 million MaineCare shortfall.

“Republicans were elected to solve problems,” said Senator Courtney. “That is what we are doing.  Difficult choices need to be made, and failure to act is not an option. For years the Democrats have not proposed long-term solutions to this problem that threatens all state government functions.”

PL 90, the free-market-based health reform law, was passed last March by a Republican majority in Maine’s legislature. Governor Paul LePage signed the bill in a ceremony at the State House amid cries from Democrats who insisted it would not reduce costs.

“The law takes Maine in the wrong direction,” said Emily Cain, the house Democrat leader at the time the bill was passed.

But, if you’re a Mainer looking for individual health coverage, you’re going to be encouraged by the direction private health care costs are going: down.

Young people are big winners in the rate decreases. A 19- to 24-year-old will be able to purchase a health plan with a $2,000 deductible for about $200 a month, compared to the current rate of $450.

A 19- to 24-year-old with a high deductible of $10,000 could carry a policy for just $100 a month—less than the rate for a typical iPhone plan. This is especially important for those in that age bracket who may no longer qualify for MaineCare if cuts in the supplemental budget are approved this week.

“Since the law took effect this past October, we have primarily seen the law’s impact to Maine’s small group insurance market,” said Joel Allumbaugh, president of National Worksite Benefits Group and health care expert at The Maine Heritage Policy Center. “Now we are seeing significant progress in the individual insurance market, with rate decreases up to 60%. It’s a huge step forward for Maine.”

The rate filing, submitted this week by Anthem, the primary insurer offering individual plans in Maine, is not yet official. The rates would take effect in July, but first must be approved the state Insurance Superintendent.

If the rates do take affect, they will provide relief for those paying for private individual insurance, as well as those who want to purchase a plan.

PL 90, the health reform law that Republicans guided through the legislature despite heated opposition from Democrats, expanded the “rate bands” to allow a wider variation in cost between different-aged applicants.

In the past, insurance companies had to treat a 21-year-old and 55-year-old as basically the same. The new law allows for distinction in age groups.

Democrat Rep. Sharon Treat was one of the strongest advocates against PL 90, also known as LD 1333, during the debate about the health reform law. “Unfortunately, in the rush to pass LD 1333, the Republican majority is creating obstacles to better coverage and reduced costs,” she said at the time.

Now, it’s evident that reducing costs to individuals is exactly what the law has done.

Even the “closed book” plans, which are individual plans that are renewing, rather than brand-new plans, are seeing benefits from the new law. In the past, the policies in the “closed book” category have seen increases well above 10% annually.

In the July Anthem filing, the average rate increase is just 1.7%, good news for those holding the policies.

Some of the new plans being offered in the individual market include mental health services at no extra cost. In the past, the plans required a “rider,” which raised rates by as much as 30%. Not only do the new plans cover mental health, they cost significantly less.

A current plan for a 45- to 49-year-old with a $2,250 deductible, without covering mental health, would cost $601 per month for just one person.

The new plan, which covers mental health, would have a $2,000 deductible and cost the individual just $362 per month, a 40% rate decrease, according to the Bureau of Insurance.

For those 60 and over, the current plan would cost $859 per month. As a result of the health reform law, the new plan would cost $645, a 28% decrease per month.

This is before new competition enters the health care market in Maine. Allumbaugh said he anticipates that additional insurers will enter the market, but are not prepared to offer products as early as July.

When such competition does enter the market, it would drive rates even lower, Allumbaugh said.

Getting more young people into the market is major plus for all Mainers and a main goal of the law, Allumbaugh notes. “As this happens, the claims experience tends to improve and it can lower the rates even further for all age groups,” Allumbaugh said.

“This is precisely the impact the health reform law aimed for: lowering rates generally, but in a way that helps our insurance markets reverse the death spiral and begin to grow,” he said.

This article is published in TCT with permission from TheMaineWire.com.

Mayor of Lewiston

Rome was not built in a day, yet many living in Lewiston and Auburn expect that we should be flourishing on par with Boston or, at least, Portland.

They complain there is nothing to do. To avoid boredom, Portland or Boston is the place to be. They long for a past Lewiston that was alive and filled with nightlife on the weekends.

Many of the men and women I used to work with vividly remember the nightly activity on Lisbon Street—but not in the nostalgic manner that seems to permeate the memories of older citizens and their grandchildren longing for the return of bygone days.

No, my colleagues weren’t sitting in cars on lower Lisbon Street munching on snacks and drinking sodas. We were providing the entertainment for those in their cars, battling with intoxicated millworkers who needed a place to blow off steam after slaving all week in conditions that are unacceptable today.

Today this type of behavior would cause avoidance, not attraction, to our downtown area.

Many remember and yearn for the hustle and bustle of the upper end of Lisbon Street. The street was alive with people seeking the goods and services of the businesses located in this once-teeming retail district. But times changed. The malls came, causing a great many businesses to go the way of the dinosaur.

For those who complain we should be more like Portland, perhaps you might contemplate the following:

If you find that driving on Lisbon Street, Main Street, Sabattus Street, Court Street and Minot Avenue causes you to break into daily road rage—do you really think Portland is the place for you?

If you loathe using a parking garage—is Portland the place for you?

If you refuse to patronize a business that you can’t park directly in front of—is Portland for you?

If you don’t like being accosted by homeless people—is Portland for you?

If you’re not willing to pay $1,500 a month for an apartment—is Portland really for you?

In five years, if you suddenly wish you were back in Lewiston—leave. Portland is definitely for you.

The Twin Cities will not be like Portland; we’ll be better. We are now beginning the process of developing our riverfronts. This is going to take several years. It won’t happen overnight. Each square foot of land must be carefully and thoughtfully developed. Once the product is complete, the Twin Cities of Lewiston-Auburn will be the crown jewels of Maine.

Over the last few years, many residents have returned, investing their money and their sweat into making the Twin Cities come alive. At this point, their efforts are producing results. The areas encompassing Bates Street, Middle Street, Lisbon Street, Lincoln Street and Main Streets in Lewiston have once again become alive during both day and night. Main Street and Court Street in Auburn are also experiencing a rebirth.

Restaurants, pubs, retail businesses, the Franco-American Heritage Center and The Public Theatre draw people to our downtown area. We are also blessed to be the home of prestigious Bates College. They provide many services to our community, such as continual music concerts, dance performances, art exhibits and public lectures open free to the public.

This public entertainment helped us to be selected by AARP as one of the Top 10 places to retire.  We also have a good many well-run bingo games throughout the Twin Cities.

L-A is a great place to live, work and be part of. In five years, those of you who leave now because of boredom will be running over each other to return home.

My time is growing short, so I’ll bring this week’s column to an end. I now have to find my little Orphan Annie decoder kit, lock myself in the bathroom and await my secret orders from Governor Paul LePage.

Too many lobbyists influence too many legislators who create too many taxes. Taxes are inflicted upon blueberries, potatoes, quahogs, pet food and even milk.

Every product, every activity, is a possible tax candidate. They’ve even considered dairy sperm. They are voracious and, unless controlled, neither we nor our dairy cattle are safe.

Our politicians, like choirboys, have memorized the words and music to the popular refrain: “Let’s reduce taxes.” But they are angelic and rosy-cheeked only when singing. Out of sight, they are mischievously creating or increasing taxes.

Still, we hope they will surprise us and turn out well. We hold a similar hope for our governor, who wants to reduce and eventually eliminate the state income tax.

I hesitate to discourage a possibly sincere politician, but eliminating the income tax is unwise. In the interest of disclosure and to reveal my own sincerity, the governor’s additional intention to not tax retirement income would definitely benefit me. That said, I remain opposed; the income tax is too marvelously efficient.

When we pay this tax, we have only to compute a percentage of our Federal taxes and write a check. Further, the state income tax is adjustable; it can and should assess us based upon our ability to pay.

It should not punish the unemployed, impoverished widows, small children or fatally discourage marginal earners who stubbornly continue to work instead of surrendering to welfare.

The governor objects to Maine’s high fuel tax—I don’t! Fuel-tax revenue intended for the repair of roads and bridges is insufficient. We should cautiously increase this tax until we no longer have to endure potholes or authorize bond packages. Road maintenance is unavoidable, and so is paying the bill.

The fuel tax is a wonderful choice: it is paid, not by individual service stations, but by less than a dozen fuel distributers who periodically write checks to the state treasury.

Except for the income tax and the fuel tax, other taxes are each expensive to collect, manage and enforce. They are slam-dunk candidates for elimination. The sales tax is the worst offender.

It employs a host of state workers and requires many businesses to collect, document and submit money and forms to a state bureaucracy. It places Maine in unfair competition with New Hampshire and the Internet. Our businesspersons are coerced into becoming unpaid tax collectors, whose labor would be better spent in stocking shelves, increasing business or enjoying a few additional hours with their families.

Those legislators—so desperate they considered taxing dairy sperm and who may have been thwarted only by their inability to devise a straight-faced method of enforcement—easily extract revenue through stealth taxation such as licenses.

State issued licenses serve two purposes; their intent is to protect the public and, less nobly, to raise revenue. Similar to ordinary taxes, each one requires a burdensome bureaucracy and most are unnecessary.

We should eliminate the fee for hunting and fishing licenses. This, if nothing else, will encourage and annually remind us of the possibility of government improvement.

Maine residents should be entitled to hunt and fish and require no more than valid state identification. Nothing is accomplished with a paper license that couldn’t be improved with computers.

Almost every occupation, except idle whittling on the porch of the general store, requires an annual license. We should begin reducing this wasteful burden by eliminating an obviously unnecessary license: the one required to dig blood worms.

When I called the state, they explained the license fee was needed for research. When I asked what the state now knows about blood worms it didn’t know 50 years ago, there was a long silence.

Valid identification could ensure only Maine residents dig blood worms. But, if some fool is so desperate that they will drive from Massachusetts to Wiscasset to work harder than at any other occupation, well, I say let them. The state collects $40,000 for these licenses; if we employ additional bureaucrats, how much is gained?

When we decide which occupations must be licensed to protect the public, there is an innovative solution: charge nothing for licenses. If a license is necessary to protect our citizens, the state should bear its cost.

This will immediately invest state bureaucrats and legislators with marvelous insight and, accordingly, both unnecessary licensure and too frequent renewals will be eliminated.

Dick Sabine

Lewiston

A member of the distinguished Quebecois band La Bottine Souriante (a multi-time winner of the Juno Award, Canada’s version of the Emmy), Bourque has plied his skills as a singer, instrumentalist and step dancer with many other popular Canadian ensembles over the past 30-plus years, most recently with Le Vent du Nord and Matapat.

Bourque, who has been lauded widely in the press for his “contagious” energy, charisma and versatility, switches effortlessly from accordion to guitar to bones as he regales his audiences with chansons à repondre and other songs derived from Quebec’s rich archive of traditional ballads both humorous and heart-rending.

He punctuates his performances with spirited bouts of jigging, demonstrating what one journalist described as “a remarkable light-footedness, which belies his imposing physique: a 6-foot-5-inch frame which sports size-13 shoes at one end and a never-ending smile on the other.”

Making his first U.S. appearance with his dad is Benoit’s son, Antoine, age 22, who is pursuing his bachelors degree in music at the University of Montreal. Although he played piano for many years, his major instrument is now accordion. Along with the collection of traditional dance tunes and folk songs which he has learned from his father and other “roots” musicians in his native Quebec, Antoine is also studying the classical music repertoire for piano-accordion with accordion master Georges Camitsis at the university.

On Friday, May 18 at 8 p.m. at Bates’ Olin Arts Center Concert Hall (75 Russell Street), Benoit and Antoine will share the stage with Frank Ferrel and Ed Pearlman, two of America’s leading practitioners of Irish and Scottish music in a program titled “Franco-Celtic Connections.”

Ferrel will be joined for this event by pianist Rob Choiniere of Madison. Accompanying Ed Pearlman will be his son Neil Pearlman. Ed and Neil also perform with their family band, the Highland Soles, whose other members—renowned Highland and Cape Breton step dancer Laura Scott, fiddler Lilly Pearlman, and pennywhistler and dancer Jesse Pearlman—have been invited to lend their talents as well to the May 18 program.

Following the concert, there will be an opportunity for the audience to ask questions while the musicians share their perspectives on the “Franco-Celtic connection.”

On Sunday, May 20 at 3 p.m. at Bates College’s Schaeffer Theatre (300 College Street), Benoit and Antoine will be the headliners in a program inspired by the old-time kitchen parties which were a common occurrence among Franco-American families in Lewiston until a couple of generations ago.

Comprising the rest of the “family” for this event will be a number of local Franco-American singers, dancers and instrumentalists of all ages, including well known fiddlers Greg and Jessie Boardman, as well as some of Greg’s fiddle students. Popular Maine storyteller Michael Parent, a Lewiston native, will act as host.

Admission to either of the above events is $10, with a reduced price of $5 for children/students. The concerts are sponsored by the Bates Department of French and Francophone Studies, Department of Theater and Dance, and Freewill Folk Society.

These events are part of a three-day community residency organized by the Maine Folque Co-op with additional support from the Franco-American Collection at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College, the Lewiston Public Library, the Lewiston chapter of the Association Canado-Amèricaine/Royal Arcanum, and the Farwell School PTA.

Other activities—all with a French-Canadian theme—include a song workshop, a family dance, a step dance workshop and dance party for teens and young adults, and a day of folk dance workshops for schoolchildren. (See highlighted listings below.)

More information on all of these events as well as advance reservations for the two concerts are available via the website www.mainefolqueco-op.com or by calling 782-0386.

Schedule for Benoit Bourque

Friday, May 18. In Concert: Benoit Bourque & Son with Frank Ferrel and Ed Pearlman. Award-winning French Canadian multi-instrumentalist/singer/stepdancer Benoit Bourque and his accordionist/singer son Antoine are joined by Maine master fiddlers Frank Ferrel and Ed Pearlman in a “Franco-Celtic Connections” concert. 8 p.m. at the Olin Arts Center Concert Hall at Bates College (75 Russell Street in Lewiston). Admission: $10, $5 for children/students. FMI: 782-0386 or www.mainefolqueco-op.com.

Saturday, May 19. French-Canadian song workshop with French-Canadian folk musician and singer Benoit Bourque joined by his son Antoine on accordion. 10-11:30 a.m. in Rm. 170 at Lewiston-Auburn College (51 Westminster Street in Lewiston). Lyrics will be provided. Admission: $1. FMI: 782-0386 or www.mainefolqueco-op.com.

Saturday, May 19. Family Dance with Benoit Bourque & Son and Friends. Montreal dance master Benoit Bourque will lead kids (age 6+), parents and grandparents in a Quebecois-Style “Barn Dance” with music provided by his 22-year-old accordionist son Antoine and an affable assortment of Maine musicians. 2-3:30 p.m. in Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library (200 Lisbon Street, Lewiston). Admission: $1. FMI: 782-0386 or www.mainefolqueco-op.com.

Saturday, May 19. Quebecois step dance workshop with Montreal dance master Benoit Bourque, for dancers age 13-29 with some prior tap, clogging or other percussive dance experience. 7 p.m. at Chase Hall, Bates College (56 Campus Ave., Lewiston). Admission: $1. FMI: 782-0386 or www.mainefolqueco-op.com.

Saturday, May 19. Quadrilles and other French Canadian social dances, led by Montreal dance master Benoit Bourque with accordionist Antoine Pigeon-Bourque and others; for those in their teens and 20′s, no prior dance experience required. 8 p.m. at Chase Hall, Bates College (56 Campus Ave., Lewiston). Admission: $1. FMI: 782-0386 or www.mainefolqueco-op.com.

Sunday, May 20. In Concert: Benoit Bourque & Son and Friends. French Canadian multi-instrumentalist/singer/stepdancer Benoit Bourque and his accordionist/singer son Antoine are joined by fiddlers Greg & Jessie Boardman and others in an old-time “Franco Kitchen Party” concert. 3 p.m. at the Schaeffer Theatre, Bates College (300 College Street in Lewiston). Admission: $10, $5 for children/students. FMI: 782-0386 or www.mainefolqueco-op.com.

Androscoggin County Superior Court Justice Mary Gay Kennedy sentenced Stain to one year in jail, all but 60 days suspended, and one year of probation with the requirement that he pay restitution.

Stain admitted that during a two-year period he obtained $9,407 in public assistance from the City of Lewiston by failing to disclose that his wife, who also receives public benefits, was living in his household.

Stain also admitted stealing $1,600 in benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) by selling his Electronic Benefits Transfer Card (EBT card) with $200 of monthly benefits to his sister for eight months and providing her with his PIN number so that she could access the benefits.

Stain used the cash to buy cigarettes.

“We will continue to work with DHHS and local law enforcement agencies to hold benefit recipients accountable for the proper use of our limited resources,” said Attorney General Schneider. “Food stamps and general assistance are designed to give our neighbors a hand in a time of need, not maintain a lifestyle through fraud and illegal trafficking.”

This case was investigated by the Lewiston Police Department and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services Fraud Investigation and Recovery Unit. Assistant Attorney General Darcy Mitchell handled this matter for Attorney General Schneider’s Criminal Division.

He will serve as a panelist on “Engaging Receiving Communities in Immigrant Integration Plenary,” which will take place on Friday, May 11.

Susan Downs-Karkos, Bates College graduate of Denver, Colorado Welcoming America Initiative, will be the moderator of the panel. In addition to Gilbert, panelists will include Robin Jones of the Office of Refugee Resettlement and Rachel Steinhardt of Welcoming America in Washington, D.C.

The goal of the panel is to help participants: gain a better understanding of the concept of receiving communities and how to apply it to their refugee resettlement work; learn how to engage local leaders in their work; understand the uniqueness of receiving communities; and be motivated to join the receiving communities movement.

Gilbert will show the CBS Evening News clip, which appeared on April 11, 2009 on the Somali Assimilation in Lewiston. He will follow that with the story of Lewiston.

“It is critical to gain the support of mainstream leaders such as myself in order to help promote a more welcoming climate,” Gilbert said. “I will explain how I became involved with the immigrant and refugee community of Lewiston. I will also explain why, after leaving office, I have chosen to stay involved in immigrant integration.”

Gilbert said he will detail how he and other community members have tried to engage newly elected municipal officials. “I will also provide advice to participants on what to do and what not to do when approaching leaders of the community to include elected officials,” he said.

For more information on the conference see: http://www.cvent.com/events/usccb-mrs-national-convening-may-9-11-washington-dc-/event-summary-9a5c7e961883456cbceda432ef0bfc91.aspx.

Mayor of Lewiston

Entering the hall he was met by a chorus of boos. He looked defiantly at the crowd and asked, “Is that the best you can do?” The boos grew louder.

A second challenge went out, bringing an even louder response. Finally the crowd quieted down and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie replied, “I tell you the truth and you boo me; they [entrenched politicians] lie to you and you cheer them.”

Governor Paul LePage is treated in a similar fashion. Unlike former gubernatorial candidate and the Maine media’s choice Elliot Cutler, LePage does not possess the polished image sought by The Press. No, he speaks and acts not like a politician, but the common man, honestly and right to the point.

Questions are answered quickly and from the heart, as opposed to entrenched politicians, who will give you an answer that is calculated to offend the least amount of voters, but is not necessarily the way they feel.

Governor LePage is being skewered by the media, Democrats, Maine state union leaders and many spineless Republican legislators for using the word “corrupt” in describing mid-level state management. Gee, where can you hear that same kind of dialogue?

Why, in just about in every coffee shop in the state, from Eastport to Kittery, where people gather and discuss the goings on in Augusta. I’ve even heard it behind closed doors at political meetings.

To solve problems, you have to honestly articulate the problems. Problems cannot be solved by putting on rose-colored glasses and hoping they will go away or somehow correct themselves.

So what’s the big deal?

There are two distinct types of people employed in state government. First, there are the state workers. These are the low-level employees that keep our state running. They are people looked down upon by higher-ups. Their knowledge of the day-to-day problems within their sphere could probably save taxpayers millions of dollars. But why listen to them? They’re just ground-level workers.

Then there is middle management (aka state employees). Many, not all, are firmly entrenched in government and don’t want to rock the boat. These are the people Governor LePage is upset about. If you know any state workers, how many times have you heard them speak negatively of their supervisors? How many fear they will get in trouble by passing on their complaints or solutions to their supervisors?

Paul LePage has stepped up to the plate.

Retired and current members of the Maine State Employees Association demonize him for trying to shore up and bring the pension system into solvency. These same members cheer the politicians that pillage their retirement fund and bear responsibility for the system teetering on insolvency.

The LePage Administration has exposed corruption, abuse and incompetence that have gone on for years. The arrest and conviction of the former director of the Maine Turnpike Authority reveals that when any party is in control for four decades, a climate is created where those with strong political ties feel they can pillage state coffers.

They imagine themselves invincible to detection and prosecution. After all, “Don’t You Know Who They Are?” Governor LePage does—just another stupid, arrogant, criminal politician.

The governor tried to stop one of the biggest political scams introduced to Maine, The Clean Election Law. After collecting a number of five-dollar checks, candidates turn them into the state and receive a predetermined amount of money, which enables the candidate to finance their campaign without being helped by outside contributors, thus freeing the candidate from outside influences. Right!

Corporations are portrayed as evil for allegedly ignoring the law and contributing to clean election candidates. Are the unions evil when they break the same law?

Then there’s term limits—well, I suppose technically. Many legislators get around the “spirit of the law” by teaming up with another legislator and just swap positions when they are termed out, enabling them to serve the maximum term in their new position. When they reach their term limit, they just switch positions again and carry on. PT Barnum would be proud.

Lose an election. Don’t worry! The Party will find a place for you, qualified or not.

Unemployment, welfare and worker’s compensation fraud? Like Medicare/Medicaid fraud—it’s just anecdotal.

Many of our anxiety-ridden weeping Nels and Nancys  would like to replace Governor LePage, put on rose-colored glasses and reduce the anxiety level by returning to the status quo.

Are we going to stand by and let them?

Maine placed 32^nd, which is an improvement from last year’s rank of 36^th. The development trend indicator gave Maine a positive outlook, citing the tax cuts passed by Governor Paul LePage and the Republican-led Legislature as gaining business favor and spurring some job growth.

The key Maine companies cited in this survey included IDEXX Laboratories, Camden National and Wright Express. Maine received two stars in the area of taxation and regulation, four stars in workforce quality and four stars in living environment.

“I spent my life in the private sector, turning around businesses and working with Maine’s job creators; I know what it takes to create jobs in Maine,” said Governor LePage. “This survey shows that we have started to put Maine back on the road to prosperity. However, more work needs to be done if we want to continue job growth and increase overall income, bringing Maine more in line with the national average.”

The survey also included a quote from a Maine CEO who took the survey. “Governor LePage has brought the business-first mentality back to Maine. Great news and time to expand our business and hire more employees,” said the CEO.

The sources used to complete the survey included the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, NewGeography.com and the Tax Foundation. See the story at http://chiefexecutive.net/maine-is-the-32nd-best-state-for-business-2012.