The public has no confidence — no confidence that officials in Washington will stop spending more than the government takes in. No confidence that elected officials will reform the incredibly expensive entitlement programs that are bankrupting the federal budget: Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. No confidence that elected representatives will address the crushing $14 trillion national debt that is draining life from the economy.

Consumers are uneasy. Gasoline, groceries and monthly electric bills consume more and more of a family’s income. Health insurance is becoming too expensive. Taxes and fees greet people at every corner to fund Washington’s reckless spending.

Companies are uneasy. Washington doesn’t allow complete development of domestic energy resources to lower the cost of gas, heating oil, rubber, electricity and everything else produced with petroleum. Companies are forced to jump through costly regulatory hoops which limit or stop the growth of their businesses.

Fourteen million U.S. consumers don’t have jobs. Many millions more are underemployed. They hesitate before going out to dinner and a movie, or to buy a new pair of shoes. Many don’t even consider a second car or a new home. Businesses save their cash instead of investing it to expand and hire more workers. The economic wheel has slowed to a crawl. The private sector is barely creating new jobs. The nation’s standard of living is eroding.

Public officials make the rules by which the economy operates. If costs are reasonable and regulations are predictable, consumers and businesses buy and invest. Businesses grow and hire more workers, and the economic pie expands for all to benefit. However, if elected officials spend and regulate too much, companies toss in the towel and move away, and take their jobs with them.

In the midst of this mess, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 37 percent of all new private-sector jobs in America during the past two years were created in Texas. That’s 265,300 net new jobs. During those two years since June 2009, when the recession technically “ended,” Maine created fewer than 1,000 new jobs. Maine is not Texas; it doesn’t want to be. But, Maine officials can learn lots about how Texas fosters a business-friendly climate to attract capital investment, jobs and more prosperous lives for its citizens.

Public officials in Texas claim that four key conditions have fostered this job growth: no state income tax; predictable business regulations; limited settlements for lawsuits; and no forced union membership on employers or workers. Texas is also fiscally conservative, and supports a small state government relative to its population. Simply put, Texas is a place where the voters have chosen public officials to establish rules to help create jobs.

Maine’s economy can be fixed. In fact, we’ve already started. In January, Gov. Paul LePage faced a projected $1.3 billion budget shortfall. The new, two-year, $6.1 billion budget approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor successfully addressed that shortfall, and includes new policies to help the state economy. Many lower the cost and complexity of doing business here. There are incentives for entrepreneurs to risk their capital in Maine, to start or expand a business and to create jobs. The new leadership in Augusta is changing state government’s attitude toward business. We’re here to help, not get in the way. Quality of life includes a paycheck.

The biennial budget includes the largest tax cut in Maine history, $150 million. Some 460,000 fellow Mainers will keep more of their hard-earned money, and 70,000 lower-income citizens will no longer pay Maine income tax. Commercial fishing boats in the Gulf of Maine will pay no sales tax on fuel. Businesses will get a tax break when they invest in new equipment.

New common-sense laws simplify regulations for businesses large and small. Double notification for pesticide spraying has been eliminated. Lobster fishermen can store their traps on the dock when not in use. This will save time, effort and money. That’s good for workers, good for businesses, and good for consumers.

The $4.1 billion pension shortfall for teachers and state employees has been reduced by $1.7 billion — 41 percent. This dramatic reduction in the state’s long-term debt will improve the financial sustainability of the retirement system, while lowering the annual payments by taxpayers by hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

The budget places a lifetime limit of five years on some welfare benefits, and requires a waiting period for others. Benefits can be terminated for those who violate welfare rules. Employers are attracted to workers who are self-reliant, independent and hardworking.

The new leaders in state government, many of whom are from the private sector, are steadily putting the pieces in place to improve the lives of fellow Mainers. This long-term strategy is based on building a business-friendly climate to attract private-sector jobs, while protecting the cherished natural environment. It will take some time, but the past six months have been a great start.

Let’s all have the courage to continue down this path to greater prosperity.

Bruce Poliquin is Maine state treasurer.