I was puzzled by the June 10 Maine Voices by David Rolloff, professor at California State University. He spent two years here, but left because Maine has too little public land and “was about as wild as an Iowa cornfield.” Would Maine game wardens agree?

Public land varies by state. California ranks seventh: Public land makes up 42.4 percent of the total area. Maine is 37th: 5.36 percent of the state is public land. But that’s a long way from a cornfield. And Maine offers 17.5 million acres of forest, covering over 89 percent of its total land area. Forest makes up just 17.8 percent of California.

There’s more to land management than trees. Because groundwater accounts for 40 to 65 percent of California’s water supply, the state is depleting ancient aquifers. This is causing much of California to sink by 1.5 to 2 inches per month, damaging well casings, aqueducts, bridges and roads, costing billions of dollars.

There are many reasons Mainers prefer Maine. California’s top income tax rate is 13.3 percent versus Maine’s 7.15 percent. California’s sales tax is 8.44 percent versus Maine’s 5.5 percent. Maine’s lower cost of living (California’s is the fourth highest in the U.S.; ours is 14th). Fewer earthquakes (California at No. 2 versus Maine at No. 20), fewer wildfires (8,745 in California in 2015 versus 375 in Maine) and no significant mudslides.

Although I was born and raised in Maine, I’ve lived in other regions and traveled extensively, including visits to California. They were nice places to visit, but I prefer the best and most beautiful place on earth – Maine.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

Another View: There will be no open internet unless the U.S. is willing to step back

Next »

Leonard Pitts: Good will from Ali's funeral knocked cold by hatred in many forms