Maine’s Economy It’s not surprising LePage is upset about a welfare bill that actually helps poor people Data from the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey, compiled by the Maine Center for Economic Policy, show that the proportion of Maine children growing up in extreme […] Bangor Daily News Posted May 13, 2017 Tags Economic Security, Poverty
Maine’s Economy Report on “America’s Shrinking Middle Class” offers some bright spots for Maine, Lewiston-Auburn The Pew Research Center recently released a report, America’s Shrinking Middle Class, examining the relative proportion of lower-, middle-, and upper-income populations in 229 of the nation’s […] James Myall Posted May 27, 2016 Tags Economic Security, Economy
Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget Congress must stop taxing workers without children into poverty Workers without children – including non-custodial parents (who do not have custody of their children for the purposes of their tax filing) – are the only taxpayers […] Megan Michaud Posted April 26, 2016 Tags Economic Security, Poverty, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Maine’s Economy Testimony in Opposition to 1631, “An Act to Reduce the Liability of Maine Taxpayers by Aligning Maine's Welfare Programs with Federal Law” LD 1631 reinforces federal standards that do not apply to the economic realities that Maine workers face. It makes it harder for individuals to get the skills […] James Myall Posted March 10, 2016 Tags Economic Security, Jobs
Maine’s Economy Distressed Community Index Highlights Administration’s Failure to Provide for Rural Mainers A recent study by the Economic Innovation Group (EIG) reveals that 52,000 Mainers live in distressed communities and demonstrates the extent of the LePage administration’s failed economic […] James Myall Posted March 8, 2016 Tags Economic Security, Economy, Poverty, Recession
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy Employment trends threaten the economic security of working families As if employment opportunities for low-income workers weren’t bleak enough―low-wages, no retirement savings, no health insurance―now these workers face a complete breakdown of the traditional employer-employee relationship […] Jody Harris Posted December 30, 2015 Tags Economic Security, Economy, Job Quality, Jobs
Maine’s Economy Report: Nearly Half of Mainers at Risk of Financial Ruin CFED finds that families “continue to exist in a state of persistent financial insecurity, making it difficult to look beyond immediate needs and plan for a more […] Posted January 30, 2014 Tags Economic Security
Jobs and Income Broken Bootstraps We all know the saying, “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps”. It means that you improve your situation by your own efforts. It is lauded; if you […] Jody Harris Posted February 28, 2013 Tags Economic Security
Maine’s Economy Maine Families Living on the Edge “Nearly half of Maine residents are living on the edge of financial disaster with almost no savings to fall back on in the event of a job […] Mark Sullivan Posted January 30, 2013 Tags Economic Security
Maine’s Economy Maine Working Families Cannot Make Ends Meet Maine ranks 21st in the number of low-income working families A new study shows that 29% of Maine families cannot meet basic needs, even though they are […] Jody Harris Posted January 16, 2013 Tags Economic Security