Gov. Paul LePage somehow believes that his anti-organized labor and benefit-slashing tactics amount to pro-business enticements. Whatever gave him that idea?

Maine has received humiliating national and even international press, such as in The New York Times editorial of March 27, “He Dreamed He Saw Kim Jong-il.” It said, “[A]s Republican governors vie to become the most anti-union executive in the land, Gov. Paul LePage of Maine has stooped to behavior worthy of the pharaohs’ chiseling historic truth from Egyptian monuments.”

Which part of his actions are inviting to entrepreneurs and the business world at large?

The idea that erasing worker history will serve to attract business to this state seems entirely counterintuitive in our time. We are more likely to become the pariah of the national business community.

Creating, not destroying, is the key to improving and expanding Maine’s business and tourism. If LePage truly wants to attract business, he should invest in our teachers, our schools, and our healthcare providers, so that business people from around the country will want to raise their children in our communities.

He should focus on technology, ensure safe and green manufacturing, and create business partnerships with our universities to attract students and professors, creating a new pool of workforce-ready graduates for our new businesses.

He should attract theater, art and events that business people and others will want to attend. He could focus on farming and community agriculture, entice culinary schools and new restaurants our area to create new educational options and jobs for our citizens.

The opportunities for improvement, growth and financial success are endless. LePage needs to take pride in the workers of this state, organized or otherwise, and celebrate both our history and our limitless possibilities.

Stacey Mondschein, Hallowell


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