Our city of Waterville has not fared well since many of the mills shut down.

I am a single mother and have been able to find employment only in retail, which does not afford its workers much, has little to no benefits and gives unreliable hours.

Like many of Maine’s working class, I rely on MaineCare and EBT benefits for my child and me to survive. This was not a decision of choice, but of necessity.

To break down the numbers, I make on average $720 a month. My major expenditures are rent and utilities at a cost of $670, and that does not include incidental expenses or support for my child. I have tried to find a second job, but have found none, because of fluctuating hours and a poor job market. I cannot afford to go back to college with my current wages and a 3-year-old child. I do not want this, but the alternative is worse. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Gov. Paul LePage has proposed cutting 65,000 people from MaineCare and further cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services. It’s supposedly a solution to our state’s deficit and a means to combat welfare fraud. However, cutting those on this vital social safety net off at the knees is a slash and burn policy. Also, when you silence 65,000 sources of revenue for our state’s largest employing sector, our health care sector, there will be dire consequences.

We need to stop cutting into Maine’s vital social safety nets. If we want Mainers to be able to go back to work and get off state aid, we should initiate economic incentives for businesses so they’ll want to set up shop in our state and provide jobs we so desperately want to work.

Ashley Ames

Waterville

Copy the Story Link