Why is Maine a poor state? (Portland, Lewiston: home, high school, college)

[sfw1979]

Originally Posted by GregW

Thread drift but WTH - Why can nearly completely unionized Finland build huge luxury cruise ships economically and we can only seem to build warships?

I served in 'Nam on a WW2 Liberty ship so I know about old.

Maybe they don't have the room to if they have warships to build? Honestly no idea...

sort of of topic but I was on the duck tour last weekend and the guide said that Portland is spending a lot of money (forget the amount but something like millions) to make a docking area so crusie ships can easily pull into Portland for a stop on crusie destinations. He said the city is more then willing because when a crusie ship pulls up 2K people emerge on the city and spend enough money to make it worth it.
So when that project is complete that should be beneficial for the city.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by GregW

Thread drift but WTH - Why can nearly completely unionized Finland build huge luxury cruise ships economically and we can only seem to build warships?

I served in 'Nam on a WW2 Liberty ship so I know about old.

The federal government of Finland is building cruise ships?

Why would a government be building cruise ships?

Shipyards in America build cruise ships too, however here they are built by private corporations, so it never gets debated in public.

Do you think that the US government should begin building commercial cruise ships? Why?

[GregW]

The Finnish company is privately owned. It is not a government enterprise. However Finland is a far more socialist state and economy than ours. I was wondering how they could be competitive. I think, based on the Modern Marvels show, that one of the reasons is state of the art metal working equipment and a really skilled workforce.

A cruise ship dock is a great idea. "Build it and they will come."

[DavidoftheNorth]

Originally Posted by sfw1979

I keep being told that Maine is a poor state, is this true? I just moved here a few months ago ( we are military) and had never been here before. We like it, it's nice but wondering why everyone says is a poor state?

High principles and low IQs.

[forest beekeeper]

Locals think that their taxes are high, and to get their votes politicians make the claim that taxes are high, so it has become an established 'fact' that Maine's taxes are high. [Granted to anyone who has lived away, we have experienced 'high' taxes and think that the locals are smoking too much weed]

Locals whine about their salaries and complain that wages should be higher, whether you are in California, or NY, or Miami; the locals will whine about their low wages. Here in Maine, well, folks are just like folks, and they whine about their wages.

[MarkLH]

Forest beekeeper is mostly right. Politicians make it their business to tell us why we should be unhappy here in Maine.

But here's the truth: if you have any ingenuity, come to Maine and figure out how to be happy with less driving around, how to burn less fuel to heat through the winter, and generally how to conserve resources. And then package it and sell it. The world needs this know-how, and Maine is a great place to try things out.

If most people did what I suggest above, Maine would go from a poor state to a rich one in a couple of decades (it was one of the wealthiest places on earth a hundred and fifty years ago).

[ljotis]

You are correct in stating that there are alot of military in Maine. I am a third generation military man, my father and grandfather both live in maine, moved there after their service tours, and I probably will do the same. The kids don't have jobs, so the military is an easy way out, even if only for a little while. We want to live life to the fullest see the world, or at least parts of it, but then you realize how much crime and other bs is out there, and remember how much you mised knowing your neighbor, enjoying the thought of knowing the whole town and not worrying about as much. Thats why I'm moving back, when I retire that is!

[oceanfit185]

Maine has some dirt poor towns. Towns with Mill closing seam to be the worste off. ie Lewiston Auburn, Augusta, Rumford, Mexico to name a few.

There are also some nice parts. Its a big State.

[mollysmiles]

Originally Posted by DavidoftheNorth

High principles and low IQs.

which is better do you think?

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by oceanfit185

Maine has some dirt poor towns. Towns with Mill closing seam to be the worste off. ie Lewiston Auburn, Augusta, Rumford, Mexico to name a few.

There are also some nice parts. Its a big State.

I just came home, from a bar in Old Town [where their mill shut down]; they need more bar-tenders and asked me to start tending bar. I am on pension and in no way was I looking for a job, however I was asked if I would tend bar part-time, so to help them I accepted their offer. In this 'dirt poor town', I was not even looking for a job and I got hired. Then tonight a couple just spent $300 on sealed-tickets [gambling], they came by after playing bingo on Indian Island. These dirt-poor folk can afford to pay out $500 a week on gambling. Everyone has a car, or two. Everyone has cable TV, or a dish.

I have seen cultures where a man can bring in $200 / year and he can raise a family and be a success.

Here in this culture, a man can earn $10,000/year and he is dirt-poor.

Hmm.