The governor proposes to save more and Republican legislators propose to give tax refunds with projected revenue surpluses. Both ideas lack vision and ignore the ongoing struggles of Maine families and the historic challenges we face. Our rainy day fund is already at its statutory limit of almost $1 billion.

Their ideas are akin to knowing your roof needs repairs and you need to insulate, yet you put money aside “for a rainy day.” How “rainy” does it need to get before we spend money recruiting and training tomorrow’s workforce to replace retiring teachers, firefighters, caregivers, etc.?

How many more children need to die before we really fix our child welfare system by investing in the kind of supports needed by families who are struggling? How many more houseless people do we need to see huddling together in the cold before we build the housing infrastructure we need? How many more families have to go bankrupt because of exorbitant health care costs? All of these investments in human capital are the most important investments we can make. And, climate change will require a historic level of investment to maintain Maine’s iconic coastline, the goose that lays the golden egg for Maine.

We are only as strong collectively as we are individually. If we’re given this opportunity, let’s use it to create broadly shared prosperity that will pay dividends for years to come.

Mary Ann Larson
Bangor

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