Maine is a poor state because we have a history of selling our resources on the cheap.
First, the Europeans came for the fish. For a long time, there were fishing jobs on the Maine coast. The work was hard, dangerous and poorly paid. One can buy a remnant of those fish stocks at Harbor Fish if they can afford the price.
Then, they came for the pine trees. There were jobs in the forests and the sawmills. But again, the work was hard, dangerous and poorly paid. The trees ran out and the lumber barons moved west.
Next, they came for the falling waters. The rivers were dammed and the textile mills sprang up. There were many jobs, but with 8-year-old children at the spinning frames, 60 hours per week, the work was no better. There are no textile mills left.
Later, they came for the clean water. The pulp and paper industry was born. In the mills there were child labor laws, union wages and even a modicum of safety. Only a remnant of this industry remains.
Now, they want the wind, the sunlight and Maine’s metals. I see the devastation and poverty these waves of development have left behind. How many times must we watch this movie before we learn its lesson?
When we sell these resources Maine needs to maximize the value that flows to Maine people. There is no hurry. Both the resources and the people who wish to exploit them will be there tomorrow — unless we sell them on the cheap today.
Mark Isaacson
Cumberland