The old joke about being from Maine or from “away” may soon stop being a joke. The Dirigo Health Plan will attract the sick, lame and lazy from across the country and, perhaps, the world.

If you have no job, but have real or imagined health care problems, Maine may look pretty good. The resulting flood of people could overwhelm health care facilities.

The goal of providing “free” health care insurance is great. It’s also unrealistic to think Maine can afford it.

Maine taxes its businesses and workers at the top rate in the nation. Young people and businesses are leaving the state. The paper industry is on shaky ground and increasing taxes to pay for Dirigo will surely not help.

If businesses leave, and Maine becomes the place to be if you’re sick, the resulting downward spiral could bankrupt the state.

If this plan is enacted and fails, how will we get rid of it? It’s virtually impossible to get rid of an “entitlement” program.

Remember the state (government) can’t give anything (health care to 180,000 people today) unless it first takes it (money) from someone else (those with jobs or property).

Some hope a state will enact universal health care before the federal government does. They believe that a state must be sacrificed to prove the plan unworkable in order to save the nation from bankruptcy.

Let’s not find out if they’re right.

Oregon recently defeated a similar plan for many of the reasons cited above.

Keith Farrington, Andover