The June 8 Another View by Bob Casimiro (“Generosity no problem to person using others’ money”) raises a question about where tax money is spent in Maine, but he ignores the matter of where revenues are raised.

Mr. Casimiro objects to money for asylum seekers going to three cities that comprise only 10 percent of Maine’s population. (His number.) That seems reasonable, but most state revenue is raised in the cities of Maine, so it’s hardly “other people’s money” going for these purposes.

As a Portland taxpayer, I recognize the burden of supporting new arrivals who have little, often because they are fleeing desperate and dangerous lives. But as a Portland resident, I see the benefit of welcoming newcomers who take difficult, demanding jobs, open businesses and places of worship and join our civic life fully.

It’s more than “high-minded judgmentalism,” as Mr. Casimiro puts it, to offer support to these people. It’s good policy.

Mr. Casimiro or other people outside of the cities could argue that state money should be spent where it’s raised, but they would not like to see the result.

Joseph O’Donnell

Portland


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