Our oldest grandchild is leaving the state for college this fall. The other grandchildren will soon follow. We will miss him terribly. Unfortunately, I’m afraid we will have to get used to it. Given the state of the business climate in Maine, we fear the chances of him returning home to find a good paying job are very small.

Maine is one of the least business-friendly states in the country, ranking 48th. New Hampshire, on the other hand, is 4th. Young people, ages 20 to 34, are leaving Maine at the rate of 22 percent. Nationally, the average is 5 percent. In the last three years, Maine lost 17,800 manufacturing jobs, the largest percentage in the country.

When are our elected officials in Augusta going to wake up? All the pristine forests, beautiful lakes and rugged seacoasts are not going to keep our young people in the state if there are no jobs.

And last but not least, due to the fact that Maine discourages business growth and the resulting tax revenues from such growth, let us not forget about the highest state and local taxes in the nation. Crushing property taxes combined with a shameful state income tax of 8.5 percent, kicking in for an individual at $16,500. Indeed, another wonderful inducement to get our young people to stay.

Kenneth Hewitt, Minot

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