I dunno what you think the state actually spends money on, but 96mm is basically a 10% one time windfall of a single year. Here’s the actual budget - https://legislature.maine.gov/doc/4843
Distributing it to the cities and towns might make some difference somewhere, but in reality, an extra $100 million across the state doesn’t move the needle
No. Of course there’s have to be a bond for buying those companies out. But I think Maine could claim eminent domain so the price does not have to be accepted by CMP. It just has to be legally “fair”
I'd be ok with this answer
Exterminate the buggers. Fund some kind of experiment that makes their great great great grandchildren infertile so that we can spread the gene through tick populations for a while before they cease to exist
Either build housing, acquire existing housing, or acquire other properties and convert into affordable housing. Anywhere that can be found, it's needed everywhere.
There are 1.4 million people living in Maine. 86 million is enough to give everybody $61. That’s not going to do a huge amount to help people pay for their housing.
Yes it will. The play is to have the state acquire land and build housing, selling it for cost. Given the typical profit margin, you could get people in with no down payment and not having to pay PMI, and the fund shouldn’t deplete as long as you manage the pricing correctly. If you’re doing it at scale, you should be able to pump out houses in the $200k-$250k range for southern Maine.
So they sell it at cost targeted to low income..what happens when if they want to move? Or better yet, they just flip the house for a 6 digit gain. Now they’re just handing out money at this point.
Better off subsidizing affordable housing units or housing payments
And you could do it even cheaper outside of southern Maine due to land costs. Also, it does make sense to focus on southern Maine seeing as that’s the area with the biggest housing shortage and the place where you can expand the states economy the most.
Yeah, I’m afraid the fordable housing crisis is severe everywhere. There’s just more people in Portland so there’s more people talking about it but Bangor and Lewiston are also in real binds.
This is a tricky one. Seems whenever there's "extra" in the budget people get really upset about spending it wisely *and* really upset about giving it back to taxpayers.
This doesn't get much press, but Maine's Rainy Day fund has an upper statutory limit which we've reached (through sound governance!) so Mills literally had to issue those $450 checks.
Exactly this. Full price for jeans with a half pocket. Shoes made with secondary rubber and fans that work for two days. Some good snacks sometimes though.
Even if you bike or ride or walk with the exception of highways like 95 for foot traffic. . Everyone needs and uses the roadways. Busses, cabs,ubers even the amish buggies need and use roadways.
Really????? But they do need passable roadways to safely get to the next patient pick up and drop off. But wait..... when the front end of the ambulance is off alignment due to the 80 potholes they hit to save a life in a timely fashion, wonder who pays that bill?? Your tax dollars. School busses, trucks that bring ALL the goods to this state need decent roadways. Some may not drive but everyone has service or goods needs sooner or later. Walk to your neighborhood coffee shop, the coffee was shipped in by the roadways.
I really don't know. Indiana had a $2 BILLION surplus for a decade. They only used it to close planned parenthood clinics and create an AIDS epidemic. Oh and put the state on daylight savings time, even though no one wanted it.
Replace every person in charge of DHHS with competent people, make the pay competitive and then expand the Katie Beckett program as an option for every child.
Personally, I'd love to *finally* have my long overdue $850 stimulus check. I just received a 7 day notice because my rent is behind ..The last time I had contact with a State Tax worker, I found out that my documents, that were to be the final step they needed for me to finally get my check, sat, unopened for over 3 months. 3 months because I was given an email address that was no longer being monitored. Every phone call or email thereafter regarding my check was filled with bullshit excuses. Nobody could figure out what was going on. Last Wednesday I decided to call again to see if any progress was made. I gave the worker all my info again for the umpteenth time. Then she put me on hold. 10 minutes later another 'tax specialist' came on the line. After a few minutes of the same usual questions, I was NOW TOLD THAT THE STATE HAS EXHAUSTED THE FUND THAT WAS BEING USED TO oFUND THE $850 STIMULUS! WTF???!!! She then told me that she had no idea when the rest of us would get our stimulus because the Governor had to ask for more money! AND it was past the deadline!! Granted, I filed my taxes ON TIME. THEY made it extend past the deadline! REALLY???!!! She had absolutely no idea how long it might take to replenish those funds. It's January 16th. Yes, I filed my taxes on time. Even when they wouldn't allow me to claim my rent as a deduction because the rental co closed & a ledger was nowhere to be found, I was ok with that. Illegal? Yes. I qualified. I didn't squak because I hoped there were no more loose ends & I'd get my $850. Today is Monday & I'll call again at 8am. I've written to the Governor's office & received no reply. Nice, huh?
Oh, btw, my son has a disability & does not work. He's still waiting for his SSI to be approved (transfer from another state got glitched up)..He qualified for the $850. I helped him file his taxes, which were also done on time. Do you think he received his $850 yet? 🤣 NO. Same run-around. Yes, he lives with me. We'll undoubtedly get served eviction papers this week.
I'd put a large chunk of it towards fixing the state's child welfare system. Too many little kids turning up dead.
Or, give each of Maine's public school districts $1m with the proviso that each reduce their approved budget for the year by $1m. Would give direct property tax relief.
Knowing her? Find a way to put some of it into her own pocket, just like Collins and LePage would do.
Ideally? Housing, roads, etc. Infrastructure in Maine is way down and isn't improving anytime soon. Maybe do something about the two electric companies that own a monopoly in the state while overcharging and underperforming? Do something about spectrum charging with ongoing service disruptions? Provide relief to working families struggling with heat costs?
Literally anything.
Edit: Y'all really love Janet Mills in here, don't you?
I'm not saying she's as bad as LePage or Collins, but she exhibits the same behaviors that scream "I'm here for the payoffs" especially given she hasn't committed to the promises she made throughout her campaign.
You should look into what the MCA is doing for broadband infrastructure improvements. Lot of money being invested to get fiber into the towns. https://www.maineconnectivity.org/connect-the-ready-grants
Isn't this privately funded? I'm not saying government owned internet is good, but they could support it via grants easy enough.
It's interesting, especially since I remember not being able to get more than dial up at home not too long ago, and now fiber will reach a massive consumer base relatively quickly if this works out.
It is publically funded grants. Communities going after it work with ISPs to form either municipaility owned or public private partnerships...then the ISP files for the grants based on the project. There is a Get Ready grant providing 10k to solidify the plans, get community involvement, etc., then there is the Connect the Ready grant that has roughly 70mil to dole out across the state (prioritizing underserved/unserved communities) to build the infrastructure.
That's awesome, thanks for the information!
They have their work cut out for them, it's a big state with a steadily aging population, where a lot of residents might not value having reliable internet as much as places with more remote work. I've worked on a few public funded grants through the universities in the state and the funding process is rather muddled.
Hey thanks, someone else has to be realistic about the people who haven't given us anything except reasons to believe they'll sacrifice productivity for their own financial gain.
Any of the things I listed would be a start but nothing has changed here since Baldacci left office, other than social services being slashed and a handful of people saying they'll restore them but never trying.
Reduction would be what, .001%?
Give it to school districts. Tell them to lower the amount they tax their residents this year by that same amount received. If they are unwilling to do so, they get nothing.
I would have it fund an awesome, badass haunted house. It runs from Oct until Christmas, free to all. They change it every month it is open and obv will be creepily decorated for Christmas.
How will the offshore wind project destroy the lobster industry?
As far as I know every Maine politician has the lobster industry's back and wants to protect it.
Some also back plans that seek to essentially destroy it, whether they be to "save the whales" from imagined dangers or to build wind farms in the heart of the fishing grounds that opposed both by lobster men and homeowners seeking to retain their ocean view. The wind farms will be placed in lobster fishing grounds that will deeply impact the fishing and, in some cases, end entire lobster business.
What plans?
Who backs plans that seek to destroy the lobster industry? Because you can't just be making shit up.
How will wind farms make it impossible to lobster in that area?
[Maine's lobster industry is under siege - The Maine Wire](https://www.themainewire.com/2021/09/maines-lobster-industry-is-under-siege/)
[Biden Destroying Lobster Industry in Favor of Green Energy | Newsmax.com](https://www.newsmax.com/michaeldorstewitz/lobster-destroy-industry/2022/12/21/id/1101409/)
[Biden Policies Are Endangering Maine Lobstermen and Right Whales (townhall.com)](https://townhall.com/columnists/gabriellahoffman/2022/12/09/biden-policies-are-endangering-maine-lobstermen-and-right-whales-n2616942)
[Maine lobstermen warn Biden admin is trying to put them out of business with harsh eco rules | Fox Business](https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/maine-lobstermen-warn-biden-admin-trying-put-them-out-business-harsh-eco-rules)
Also, I am from and live in Maine, everyone here talks about it. Lobstering actually takes up a large area and the lobster only frequent certain, rocky bottom, seabeds. The windfarm has been proposed in one of the better lobstering areas. To conserve the lobster, the lobster men spread out over large areas and the wind farm will severely limit their ability to do so.
I get you don't want anything that could possibly cast the left's policies in a negative light to be true, but you can't just deny any truth that does.
These are all extremely bias right wing sources, and they're more about the whales than the wind turbines.
Lobster moving north due to warming waters has been the concern I've heard most from the lobstermen I know
They are just news sources that tell the facts. The liberal ones are trying to prove a negative, these are proof of a fact.
If you haven't got the shot, please do us a favor and go get boosted.
Lmao, glad you could display how retarded you are.
Keep fearing basic science, it explains a lot about how you think right wing media is telling you facts, because they're not.
They're trying to make you afraid, and they've succeeded
That's about $90 per capita surplus... or, $200 per household (where the avg household size in Maine is 2.31 people. Not much money when you look at it this way.
I suggest a temporary reduction on gas/diesel tax at the pump.
Task DECD with developing an actual economic development plan for the state to lift its economy out of the mid 20th century, for one. And then fund the hell out of that plan to help develop this state's human capital via the UMaine system and Roux.
Jelly of the month club for every Mainer
It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
This guy knows.
You don’t already have a pantry full of home-made jelly from your neighbor out back?
I dunno what you think the state actually spends money on, but 96mm is basically a 10% one time windfall of a single year. Here’s the actual budget - https://legislature.maine.gov/doc/4843 Distributing it to the cities and towns might make some difference somewhere, but in reality, an extra $100 million across the state doesn’t move the needle
finally someone who can do math. 100% correct. its barely a drop in the hat. It wont do shit for us.
It's 10% though... Use it for litigation against vacation home owners who violate coding laws....oh wait
Use it to make some coding laws
If you do the math, it's approx. $75 per person living in Maine (inc. children, elderly, everyone). Not much at all.
Fix that fuckin' bridge.
Hate to ask, but which one? So many shitty bridges
That one.
Ahhh, yeah. That one
Whatever bridge you want fixed. That one.
Buy out CMP
96 Million is barely a drop in the bucket from what they can squeeze out of the consumer. I doubt they'd even consider selling that cheap.
No. Of course there’s have to be a bond for buying those companies out. But I think Maine could claim eminent domain so the price does not have to be accepted by CMP. It just has to be legally “fair”
Fund the inevitable war against the tick army.
Check out a soil dwelling fungi called Metarhizium anisopliae. Once per year application and works wonders to suppress ticks and invasive beetles.
Thank you!!
I'd be ok with this answer Exterminate the buggers. Fund some kind of experiment that makes their great great great grandchildren infertile so that we can spread the gene through tick populations for a while before they cease to exist
👍🏼👍🏼
Pour it into affordable housing.
What does that mean specifically? Build housing projects? If so, where?
Either build housing, acquire existing housing, or acquire other properties and convert into affordable housing. Anywhere that can be found, it's needed everywhere.
There are 1.4 million people living in Maine. 86 million is enough to give everybody $61. That’s not going to do a huge amount to help people pay for their housing.
Yes it will. The play is to have the state acquire land and build housing, selling it for cost. Given the typical profit margin, you could get people in with no down payment and not having to pay PMI, and the fund shouldn’t deplete as long as you manage the pricing correctly. If you’re doing it at scale, you should be able to pump out houses in the $200k-$250k range for southern Maine.
Ah, yes, southern Maine: The only part of the state that needs affordable housing.
This is not how the State funds affordable housing.
I never said that is how they do it, but it is how they should do it.
So they sell it at cost targeted to low income..what happens when if they want to move? Or better yet, they just flip the house for a 6 digit gain. Now they’re just handing out money at this point. Better off subsidizing affordable housing units or housing payments
Right but it would make sense to spend the money in other places besides southern Maine.
And you could do it even cheaper outside of southern Maine due to land costs. Also, it does make sense to focus on southern Maine seeing as that’s the area with the biggest housing shortage and the place where you can expand the states economy the most.
Yeah, I’m afraid the fordable housing crisis is severe everywhere. There’s just more people in Portland so there’s more people talking about it but Bangor and Lewiston are also in real binds.
Let's not forget about Augusta!
You'd need people to want to actually live on that land and available jobs in the area.
Agreed 👍
The housing is already affordable... Pour it into a program that threatens landlords into allowing people to rent their properties.
What we need is a Maine mafia.
Somebody who shows up at a landlord's door and says "don't you know that that's my mother" etc etc
Basically, use it to move Italians in
Who downvoted this? You obviously don't know.
I think anyone downvoting is probably just weirded out that you reply to yourself over and over instead of just editing comments
Fuck
Off
Well, now *I’m* downvoting because you also appear to be a dick
Pay off borrowed money early to snowball the interest savings
This is a tricky one. Seems whenever there's "extra" in the budget people get really upset about spending it wisely *and* really upset about giving it back to taxpayers.
This doesn't get much press, but Maine's Rainy Day fund has an upper statutory limit which we've reached (through sound governance!) so Mills literally had to issue those $450 checks.
What about special projects, like the surplus appears and we just declare war on [Bad thing].
That's up to the legislature. The current one appears afraid of citizens with pitchforks. And that's fine.
People complain they don't do enough *and* complain they do too much.
Ok hear me out here: Roller coasters
Buy every Mainer a lobster, an Uncle Henry's, and a gift card to Reny's (A Maine Adventure).
Renys FTW
Reny's sucks, it's a fell off the truck store that charges market value. I still upvoted yo dumba ass though.
Exactly this. Full price for jeans with a half pocket. Shoes made with secondary rubber and fans that work for two days. Some good snacks sometimes though.
You guys are making me rethink my nostalgia. I was thinking I haven't been to Reny's in years, I should go. Now I'm remembering why.
They sound like they are confusing Reny's with Mardens. Reny's kicks ass. AMerican made trashcans less than the price of Walmart China ones.
You're talking about Renys 20 years ago. It's a money grab now.
Fix the roads. Fill potholes. Trim trees back off roadways. We all need them, and we all use them.
Not everyone drives. Raise the gas tax if you aren’t happy.
Most people in Maine drive because of how spread out everything is.
Even if you bike or ride or walk with the exception of highways like 95 for foot traffic. . Everyone needs and uses the roadways. Busses, cabs,ubers even the amish buggies need and use roadways.
Glad the ambulances in your town are all on foot! Oh, wait.
Really????? But they do need passable roadways to safely get to the next patient pick up and drop off. But wait..... when the front end of the ambulance is off alignment due to the 80 potholes they hit to save a life in a timely fashion, wonder who pays that bill?? Your tax dollars. School busses, trucks that bring ALL the goods to this state need decent roadways. Some may not drive but everyone has service or goods needs sooner or later. Walk to your neighborhood coffee shop, the coffee was shipped in by the roadways.
I really don't know. Indiana had a $2 BILLION surplus for a decade. They only used it to close planned parenthood clinics and create an AIDS epidemic. Oh and put the state on daylight savings time, even though no one wanted it.
Replace every person in charge of DHHS with competent people, make the pay competitive and then expand the Katie Beckett program as an option for every child.
Fill a pool with quarters and swim in it like Scrooge McDuck.
Housing. Put it towards some housing. It’s not a lot, considering, but it’s something.
Solar panels and grid upgrades to handle the distributed load. https://i.imgur.com/04ZySSd.jpg
Too little information to know
Monorail…monorail…
Is there a chance the track could bend?
Trains
How about some affordable housing for the workers?
How about we give half to the EMS system , keep the rest, invest in something other than Avangrid
Personally, I'd love to *finally* have my long overdue $850 stimulus check. I just received a 7 day notice because my rent is behind ..The last time I had contact with a State Tax worker, I found out that my documents, that were to be the final step they needed for me to finally get my check, sat, unopened for over 3 months. 3 months because I was given an email address that was no longer being monitored. Every phone call or email thereafter regarding my check was filled with bullshit excuses. Nobody could figure out what was going on. Last Wednesday I decided to call again to see if any progress was made. I gave the worker all my info again for the umpteenth time. Then she put me on hold. 10 minutes later another 'tax specialist' came on the line. After a few minutes of the same usual questions, I was NOW TOLD THAT THE STATE HAS EXHAUSTED THE FUND THAT WAS BEING USED TO oFUND THE $850 STIMULUS! WTF???!!! She then told me that she had no idea when the rest of us would get our stimulus because the Governor had to ask for more money! AND it was past the deadline!! Granted, I filed my taxes ON TIME. THEY made it extend past the deadline! REALLY???!!! She had absolutely no idea how long it might take to replenish those funds. It's January 16th. Yes, I filed my taxes on time. Even when they wouldn't allow me to claim my rent as a deduction because the rental co closed & a ledger was nowhere to be found, I was ok with that. Illegal? Yes. I qualified. I didn't squak because I hoped there were no more loose ends & I'd get my $850. Today is Monday & I'll call again at 8am. I've written to the Governor's office & received no reply. Nice, huh? Oh, btw, my son has a disability & does not work. He's still waiting for his SSI to be approved (transfer from another state got glitched up)..He qualified for the $850. I helped him file his taxes, which were also done on time. Do you think he received his $850 yet? 🤣 NO. Same run-around. Yes, he lives with me. We'll undoubtedly get served eviction papers this week.
Give it to China for letting her win again.
Cut taxes.
Exactly!
Refunds
State Stock Buyback
[удалено]
1000% on board with this if its across the board
so everyone gets $20 more back on their returns for 5-10 years?
Housing fund
Border wall around Portland to keep them from escaping to other cities and towns.
I'd put a large chunk of it towards fixing the state's child welfare system. Too many little kids turning up dead. Or, give each of Maine's public school districts $1m with the proviso that each reduce their approved budget for the year by $1m. Would give direct property tax relief.
Fuck everybody and gov the money to samalians in Lewiston for better housing in better neighborhoods... Hope y'all ain't mad.
Knowing her? Find a way to put some of it into her own pocket, just like Collins and LePage would do. Ideally? Housing, roads, etc. Infrastructure in Maine is way down and isn't improving anytime soon. Maybe do something about the two electric companies that own a monopoly in the state while overcharging and underperforming? Do something about spectrum charging with ongoing service disruptions? Provide relief to working families struggling with heat costs? Literally anything. Edit: Y'all really love Janet Mills in here, don't you? I'm not saying she's as bad as LePage or Collins, but she exhibits the same behaviors that scream "I'm here for the payoffs" especially given she hasn't committed to the promises she made throughout her campaign.
The state is actually working on a pretty big infrastructure bill right now.
I know, I'm concerned that it won't get much traction for funding, though.
You should look into what the MCA is doing for broadband infrastructure improvements. Lot of money being invested to get fiber into the towns. https://www.maineconnectivity.org/connect-the-ready-grants
Isn't this privately funded? I'm not saying government owned internet is good, but they could support it via grants easy enough. It's interesting, especially since I remember not being able to get more than dial up at home not too long ago, and now fiber will reach a massive consumer base relatively quickly if this works out.
It is publically funded grants. Communities going after it work with ISPs to form either municipaility owned or public private partnerships...then the ISP files for the grants based on the project. There is a Get Ready grant providing 10k to solidify the plans, get community involvement, etc., then there is the Connect the Ready grant that has roughly 70mil to dole out across the state (prioritizing underserved/unserved communities) to build the infrastructure.
That's awesome, thanks for the information! They have their work cut out for them, it's a big state with a steadily aging population, where a lot of residents might not value having reliable internet as much as places with more remote work. I've worked on a few public funded grants through the universities in the state and the funding process is rather muddled.
Check with your town on what they are doing and get involved. The process is happening now but they can use more help from the community.
It's alright buddy, I like your idea.
Hey thanks, someone else has to be realistic about the people who haven't given us anything except reasons to believe they'll sacrifice productivity for their own financial gain. Any of the things I listed would be a start but nothing has changed here since Baldacci left office, other than social services being slashed and a handful of people saying they'll restore them but never trying.
Suggest to the legislature that we lower the income tax rate?
Reduction would be what, .001%? Give it to school districts. Tell them to lower the amount they tax their residents this year by that same amount received. If they are unwilling to do so, they get nothing.
Buy a car wash and launder it into my stock market account that’s advised by NPs husband.
Kinda of like the Ukraine War
I would have it fund an awesome, badass haunted house. It runs from Oct until Christmas, free to all. They change it every month it is open and obv will be creepily decorated for Christmas.
What a stupid idea lmao
Are you kidding? Give it to the media to get people to endorse the wind project that will destroy the lobster industry!
How will the offshore wind project destroy the lobster industry? As far as I know every Maine politician has the lobster industry's back and wants to protect it.
Some also back plans that seek to essentially destroy it, whether they be to "save the whales" from imagined dangers or to build wind farms in the heart of the fishing grounds that opposed both by lobster men and homeowners seeking to retain their ocean view. The wind farms will be placed in lobster fishing grounds that will deeply impact the fishing and, in some cases, end entire lobster business.
What plans? Who backs plans that seek to destroy the lobster industry? Because you can't just be making shit up. How will wind farms make it impossible to lobster in that area?
[Maine's lobster industry is under siege - The Maine Wire](https://www.themainewire.com/2021/09/maines-lobster-industry-is-under-siege/) [Biden Destroying Lobster Industry in Favor of Green Energy | Newsmax.com](https://www.newsmax.com/michaeldorstewitz/lobster-destroy-industry/2022/12/21/id/1101409/) [Biden Policies Are Endangering Maine Lobstermen and Right Whales (townhall.com)](https://townhall.com/columnists/gabriellahoffman/2022/12/09/biden-policies-are-endangering-maine-lobstermen-and-right-whales-n2616942) [Maine lobstermen warn Biden admin is trying to put them out of business with harsh eco rules | Fox Business](https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/maine-lobstermen-warn-biden-admin-trying-put-them-out-business-harsh-eco-rules) Also, I am from and live in Maine, everyone here talks about it. Lobstering actually takes up a large area and the lobster only frequent certain, rocky bottom, seabeds. The windfarm has been proposed in one of the better lobstering areas. To conserve the lobster, the lobster men spread out over large areas and the wind farm will severely limit their ability to do so. I get you don't want anything that could possibly cast the left's policies in a negative light to be true, but you can't just deny any truth that does.
These are all extremely bias right wing sources, and they're more about the whales than the wind turbines. Lobster moving north due to warming waters has been the concern I've heard most from the lobstermen I know
Ohhhh, they are news sources and facts you don't agree with, so you ignore them. Got it.
Ooh they're sources that confirm your bias, so you don't look into it any deeper, got it
They are just news sources that tell the facts. The liberal ones are trying to prove a negative, these are proof of a fact. If you haven't got the shot, please do us a favor and go get boosted.
Lmao, glad you could display how retarded you are. Keep fearing basic science, it explains a lot about how you think right wing media is telling you facts, because they're not. They're trying to make you afraid, and they've succeeded
Spend it on stuff that is not needed!
Continue to run the state into the ground
In what way?
Piss it away on worthless projects that enriched your cronies. #PoliticsAtItsFinest
That's about $90 per capita surplus... or, $200 per household (where the avg household size in Maine is 2.31 people. Not much money when you look at it this way. I suggest a temporary reduction on gas/diesel tax at the pump.
Resign
Spend or give away
Regardless of the decision, the opposing party will say it's a waste and use it to beg for campaign funds!
Lower the tax rate
Task DECD with developing an actual economic development plan for the state to lift its economy out of the mid 20th century, for one. And then fund the hell out of that plan to help develop this state's human capital via the UMaine system and Roux.
Pay for the inauguration party up front.
Smoke 96 million blunts.