NOTES FROM THE HINTERLAND
TAKING STOCK
By Laurie Meunier Graves
When an old year has ended and a new year begins, there is an irresistible
urge to reflect on the past year, make resolutions, and plot a course toward
self-improvement. Americans, it seems, have a particular zeal for this sort
of thing, and it is not limited to the New Year. The self-help section of
any bookstore bulges with books encouraging us to lose weight, gain a
spouse, lose a spouse, get in shape, improve our attitudes, reduce stress,
and make more money. Somehow, we are never as good as we should be, but the
promise of a better self leads us on, gives us hope. Most resolutions fail,
of course, but we are an optimistic nation. Even as we reach for that second
piece of cake, we are making plans to do better the next day. And the next
day after that.
I have mixed feelings about the never-ending quest for self-improvement. On
the one hand, as a veteran of failed resolutions, I feel a certain
impatience with the whole cycle. Why do we torment ourselves year after year
with vows we know we are going to break? Why don’t we just accept ourselves
the way we are and have done with it? It would save time and money as well
as free our energies for other things, say, horseback riding or cake
decorating, that might make us happier in the long run.
On the other hand, I am also a veteran of successful resolutions, both big
and small. I know first hand the flush of achievement and how good that
feels. At various times in my life, I have indeed lost weight, gotten in
better shape, and volunteered in my community. Over the years, I have taken
stock of who I am and what path I should follow. Because of this, I have
become a better reader, a better writer, and, I think, a better person.
While I am a great believer in the unplanned moment, I also value the
charted course, which would not be possible without reflection and
resolution.
Therefore, maybe a time each year to reflect on personal successes and
failures is not such a bad idea after all. In fact, it might even be a good
idea for the country as a whole as well as the individual states to take an
honest look at what they’ve become and where they are going. What would we,
as a society, see has happened? Not just this year but over the past few
years?
In Maine, where I live, much would look the same. In January, the sky is
still a clear and brilliant blue, and the weather is so cold that it makes
your nose stick when you go outside and take a deep breath. The cities are
still small and friendly, and this is even true of Portland, the Babylon of
Maine. In the summer, the tourists run amok, as they have done for many
years, and by the time Labor Day comes, we are heartily sick of them. At the
same time, who can blame them for wanting to come here and walk the sandy
beaches? Or hike the cool, green woods? Or eat lobsters and clams? Then each
fall come the leaf peepers, usually retired folk, to gaze at the intense
burst of colors—red, yellow, and orange—that illuminate the countryside.
Leaves and peepers are all gone by the time November arrives, austere and
brown, when the forests ring with the sharp crack of the gunfire of hunters.
Yet much has also changed. In the past three years, Maine has lost over 17,
000 jobs just in manufacturing, and there really haven’t been many new
jobs to replace them. In some cases, the lost jobs have gone overseas, and
in other cases, mechanization is responsible. To put this job exodus in
better perspective, consider that Augusta, our state capital, has about
18,000 people. Subtract one from the other and that will give some idea of
the scope of this job loss. According to the Associated Press, Maine’s
poverty rate has increased faster than anywhere else in the county, and it’s
not hard to see why.
And what solution does our governor have? Tax cuts, of course, to make Maine
a more attractive place for businesses. Yet, in the end, what good are tax
cuts? If Maine, using tax cuts, can lure a business from another state,
what’s to stop another state from using tax cuts to lure that business away
from Maine? In addition, tax cuts don’t begin to address the issue of jobs
lost to overseas labor. Or, as a result of mechanization. Tax cut talk just
clouds the truth of what’s really happening in Maine (as well is in the rest
of the country).
So here are a few modest New Year’s resolutions for the state to consider.
First, help those in need. Increase aid to social services so that there is
an adequate safety net for people who have lost their jobs and for people
who are living in poverty. Yes, I realize this is a Band-Aid approach and
does not solve the problem. However, when people are bleeding, bandages are
just what they need to keep from dying. Second, don't be afraid to raise taxes. Look for the
least intrusive tax increases to fund these social programs but fund them.
Yes, I know. In this day and age, to suggest tax increases is a kind of
heresy. Nevertheless, the money must come from somewhere. And what’s the
alternative? Let poverty continue to take its grim toll? Become a
third-world state? Third, face the new reality. Let’s at least start
discussing what the true causes of job losses are and stop pretending that
tax cuts are the never-ending answer. Initially, the discussion won’t cure
the problem of corporate fickleness and mechanization, but at least it would
be a step in the right direction. In addition, we will never find solutions
if we don’t clearly and correctly identify the problems.
New Year’s resolutions and self-improvement goals for a state might seem a
little farfetched. However, it is what Americans do in their personal lives,
and although the results might be mixed, at least the effort has been made.
And who knows? Maybe, just maybe, some good would come from the process.
