I have noticed that there is a huge difference between what the government tells us about our economy and what I actually see. I have friends and acquaintances that are barely making it on a day-to-day basis while our government is telling us how our economy is improving and unemployment is down.
At the same time, it is not difficult to see that government at all levels ha become short of money except for the slush funds that are for the most part hidden from us.
We hear a lot of things about the trickle-down economy where someone invests in one thing or another and eventually it is supposed to trickle down to us at the bottom. Unfortunately that used to be true for federal dollars trickling down to the state and local levels but either the money tree died or the money pit dried up in Washington, D.C., because it appears the federal government is passing out less than it used to or at least to whom they used to pass it to.
Even those who rule us from Augusta are cutting the funds that are passed out to the local schools and municipalities like Windham. It’s not like they are cutting taxes because unbeknownst to us, Augusta added sales taxes to things like newspapers.
I must first mention something from the government that makes no sense at all and the recent government figure that shows unemployment went down. Statistically maybe, but actually it increased. But where it increased is not part of any government figure, not that I believe anyone in government knows how to figure in the first place. The problem here lies with the fact that the number of new jobs created was only around 70,000 or so while hundreds of thousands were dropped from the unemployment roles thus making it look like unemployment decreased while in reality it actually increased. I really have to wonder how many people that are faceless to us are trying to survive without any assistance at all.
I must start with the town of Windham because that is where my wife and I live and where I pay close attention to anything happening in town hall and the Town Council chambers although most of it appears to be happening through phone calls and emails between the town councilors. I have this persistent fear that the next fiscal year for both the town and school sides of government is going to deal a serious financial blow to all local taxpayers and that includes citizens of Raymond as well because of RSU 14. The town and schools expected less state funds than what they actually received and yet both seem to be keeping their mouths shut as to what they did receive, at least publicly. We probably won’t be as lucky this next budget season because it appears that the state’s money tree has died as well.
I have to believe that the state budget is running at least $100 million in the red right now. The state recently received a study to improve education, which would cost somewhere around $300 million if implemented. Our local schools will now have to fund 100 percent of teachers’ retirement, which the state used to fund. I am willingly to bet that the state will either slash or completely do away with municipal revenue sharing as a way to save funds for the state budget or will have to increase taxes in some manner or another. There have been some recent news articles about the Maine legislators looking for tax cuts but those cuts were really about cutting tax breaks, not cutting taxes.
If that isn’t bleak enough, I can bet that our electricity will cost more especially since Maine was hit with another ice storm and with the ongoing wind turbine projects, any electricity generated from them will cost more as well. Portland Water District wants more money to improve its aging infrastructure as well. Fuel oil and propane prices are increasing as well.
“I’m so broke
I can’t pay attention.”
Lane’s favorite saying before he retired.
Lane Hiltunen, of Windham, believes that Maine will tax the middle class right out of the state.
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