Being the fourth poorest state in the Union and renowned as the least friendliest place to start a business in the country, one must reasonably ask the question: Can we really absorb new refugees?

We have seen, with the advent of Dirigo Health and the coming of a refugee population, that Maine is a friendly welfare state. For instance, welfare benefits in Atlanta are only for a three-year period, while in Maine it’s five years with basically automatic re-approval.

We have seen an influx of patients from southern states on MaineCare and full welfare benefits delivered shortly after their arrival.

As we are humanely and ethically bound to help our fellow men and women, there is also a responsibility and ethic that applies to incomers to our state.

How many refugees are now gainfully employed? How many are still on welfare? How many are self-employed?

Part of the problem also resides in the fact that there is a self-serving bureaucracy that runs these programs and has all the interest to keep people on the dole, and a self-serving non-political organization that lives by importing refugees.

Should there be a residency requirement before getting benefits?

Should there be a workfare program whereby welfare recipients work for $1 per hour in order to get the rest of their benefits?

As Maine, with its $5 billion debt, is slowly but surely creeping toward insolvency, it behooves all of us to address these issues to our political candidates.

Albert Aniel, Mexico