Education, Maine’s Economy Immigrants, including refugees, are good for Maine In a visit to Maine on Thursday, Donald Trump suggested that the presence of Somali refugees in the state was a security risk and an economic drag. However, […] James Myall Posted August 5, 2016 Tags Economy, Education, Immigration
Jobs and Income Mainers’ personal income growth third slowest in the nation; are big businesses to blame? Since the Great Recession, Mainers’ personal incomes have grown at a slower rate than residents of nearly every other state, according to a new Pew Research Center […] James Myall Posted August 3, 2016 Tags Economy, Incomes, Jobs, Wages
Jobs and Income New overtime rules will finally pay workers what they deserve Every week, thousands of Mainers work overtime—more than 40 hours per week—to make ends meet. Many workers, even after working 50 to 60 hours per week, still […] Marpheen Chann-Berry Posted July 29, 2016 Tags Incomes, Job Quality, Overtime, Wages
Education, Taxes and Budget Leaked memo confirms Governor’s priorities remain the same – tax breaks for the wealthy, cuts in crucially important investments in our communities An internal memo leaked from a member of Governor LePage’s administration to the Portland Press Herald reveals LePage’s plans for the upcoming legislative session and the 2018-19 […] James Myall Posted July 28, 2016 Tags Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Maine’s Economy How payday lenders skirt the law The facts about how payday lenders trap working families in debt are shocking: 19 million families use payday loans each year. One in four of those borrowers […] Jody Harris Posted July 20, 2016 Tags Consumer Protection, Federal
Maine’s Economy Women have higher poverty rates in retirement than men Recently, my colleague Jody Harris posted about how devious payday lenders prey heavily on women. She added that, “Women continue to earn less than their male counterparts, and […] Mark Sullivan Posted July 13, 2016 Tags Inequality, Poverty
Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget Closing the door on ineffective tax loopholes in Maine: Important challenges lay ahead Maine offers 192 different tax loopholes for individuals and corporations. These tax breaks are a form of backdoor spending that cost the state almost $2.2 billion in […] Marpheen Chann-Berry Posted July 7, 2016 Tags Economy, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Maine’s Economy Predatory lenders disproportionately target women, new study shows It’s Shark Week. No, not the Discovery Channel’s homage to the denizens of the deep, but rather the annual media storm from consumer advocates who oppose the […] Jody Harris Posted June 29, 2016 Tags Consumer Protection, Federal, Inequality
Maine’s Economy BDN reports dire consequences for Maine children from LePage assault on TANF In a painstakingly detailed investigation, the Bangor Daily News (BDN) has pulled back the curtain, exposing the LePage administration’s maneuvering to undermine the federally funded Temporary Assistance to […] Mark Sullivan Posted June 23, 2016 Tags Economy, TANF
Maine’s Economy New poll reveals overwhelming support for strict regulation of payday lenders More than seven out of ten Americans want stronger regulation to rein in the predatory practices of payday lenders according to a survey released on June 15. […] Mark Sullivan Posted June 21, 2016 Tags Consumer Protection, Federal