Maine in the news (Bar Harbor: low income, 2014, apartments)

[Last1Standing]

This article in today's New York Times covers both sides of the immigration issue fairly and highlights the importance of immigrants for Maine's economy: https://archive.ph/2bAgE

The gist of the article is that if we want lobsters (meaning economic expansion rather than contraction, but also literally lobsters), social security, and medicare, we will need more immigrants. With a declining birth rate and an aging population, especially in Maine, there just aren't enough workers to support the goods and services needed by the native-born population. On the other hand, according to the article, although immigrants are helping to expand the economy, we don't currently have the housing infrastructure for them---hence the Maine programs discussed previously to create housing and other supports for immigrants (English language classes etc.).

My take: Maine seems to be dealing well with the reality of loss of workers and its older population, or at least trying hard to find new solutions, similar to our neighbor, Canada. I think the hard part for longtime Mainers whose families have been here for generations is the fear of cultural changes. I can identify with that. I too miss the small-town America of my childhood. I'm very nostalgic about that. But when I look around me I see that modern life is just radically different from 50 years ago, and I can get on board with that and adapt, or I can hide my head in the sand and pretend we can turn back the clock 50 years. Maybe if enough of us get together and decide that we want to make the best of what's happening in the world, and help each other, we will have a chance at a decent life. At bottom, we all want a decent standard of living regardless of our beliefs about other things.

The article will only take you 7 minutes to read.

[Submariner]

It sounds like an article written with a clear agenda.

[Last1Standing]

Originally Posted by Submariner

It sounds like an article written with a clear agenda.

Did you read it? I hope you will. I thought it took a balanced perspective. It reports on what Maine is doing and the challenges of the situation. I think the agenda is quality of life. I don't want to be facing a future where there aren't enough workers to sustain the economy, Medicare, and my social security.

[Submariner]

In terms of an article written to push the agenda that we 'need' illegal immigrants, I guess you could say it was a 'balanced' perspective.

But you must admit it is pretty political.

[mainegrl2011]

Sub, I agree.

Imo the article is propaganda to justify prioritizing illegal immigrants over US citizens who are Maine residents and possibly native Mainers with regard to housing and jobs.

Add the fear factor that Maine lobstermen and lobsterwomen are dying off and only illegal immigrants can save the lobster industry. What about the young people of Maine who are US citizens, residents of Maine, possibly native Mainers who would like to be moved to the head of the line to become lobster fishermen or lobster fisherwomen.

Maybe the median age is 45.1. Propaganda seems to always have a little bit of truth.

Don't believe everything you read or everything you hear. Of course, if you agree with what you are reading or hearing, then for you it is true.

To believe that only illegal immigrants can save the economy, social security and Medicare is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. If you believe that, you are no longer talking about just Maine but the entire nation.

Spend some time researching details of how the government spends tax dollars. Maybe they should consider prioritizing funding for social security and Medicare for US citizens.

I read the article. I did not agree with it.

[Submariner]

In my mind, a 'balanced' article could have one paragraph urging folks to support immigration, but then it would also have a paragraph that explains the need to restrict immigration as the prospective immigrants have background checks to screen out felons and some way to ensure they will stay, work and pay taxes.

Balanced means that for every left-wing paragraph, there should also be a right-wing paragraph. That is the idea of 'balance'.

[jdhpa]

> The gist of the article is that if we want lobsters (meaning economic expansion rather than contraction, but also literally lobsters), social security, and medicare, we will need more immigrants.

The world can't grow its population forever. So we will have to find a way to get by economically without doing so.

Economic expansion is beneficial when it comes from productivity improvements. Growing the economy by increasing the population makes the graphs look good, but doesn't help people live a better life (it does keep wages down, though).

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by jdhpa

> The gist of the article is that if we want lobsters (meaning economic expansion rather than contraction, but also literally lobsters), social security, and medicare, we will need more immigrants.

Yesterday I met with a roofing contractor to give me an estimate for a roof repair, while talking with him, he told me about his three adult children. He can not persuade any of them to get a fulltime job / career. He has one daughter who is working 20 hours a week, and that is all she wants to work.

As I told him, I have twelve apartments. Each tenant that I have, had a job when they signed their lease. Our rent is only one-quarter of Minimum Wage, so they are not high-rent apartments. We thought that we were going to be helping 'low income' people. But in every case, the tenants quit their jobs, so they can coast on the city's General Assistance.

Young adults today do not want jobs. There is no shortage of jobs, and there is no shortage of idle people who could be holding those jobs.

Maybe being flooded with immigrants might be an answer.

I am not convinced that it is the only answer.

... The world can't grow its population forever. So we will have to find a way to get by economically without doing so.

Maybe. Right now 'we' are producing twice as much food as 'we' need. We can support a much bigger population. A bigger issue is trying to distribute that food to all people worldwide.

[Charlie&Rose]

Originally Posted by Submariner

Yesterday I met with a roofing contractor to give me an estimate for a roof repair, while talking with him, he told me about his three adult children. He can not persuade any of them to get a fulltime job / career. He has one daughter who is working 20 hours a week, and that is all she wants to work.

As I told him, I have twelve apartments. Each tenant that I have, had a job when they signed their lease. Our rent is only one-quarter of Minimum Wage, so they are not high-rent apartments. We thought that we were going to be helping 'low income' people. But in every case, the tenants quit their jobs, so they can coast on the city's General Assistance.

Young adults today do not want jobs. There is no shortage of jobs, and there is no shortage of idle people who could be holding those jobs.

Maybe being flooded with immigrants might be an answer.

I am not convinced that it is the only answer.





Maybe. Right now 'we' are producing twice as much food as 'we' need. We can support a much bigger population. A bigger issue is trying to distribute that food to all people worldwide.

Immigrants are one thing.....illegals are something else. You do not want your beautiful state, overrun with illegal criminals. Being flooded with these people we know nothing about is not the answer.

[Last1Standing]

This is the Maine forum, so let's talk about Maine. The topic I raised in my original post is: the legal employment in Maine of legal immigrants. To work in Maine an immigrant needs a work permit. A work permit is only issued to people who are in Maine legally. All of the employees mentioned in the article are in Maine legally. Feel free to open a thread on illegal immigrants, but my interest here is legal immigrants. An important topic for the Maine economy.

How about some facts? The most recent immigration statistics I could find are from 2022. The data, from the U.S. Census Bureau, is as follows:

--In 2022 4.1% of people in Maine were born in another country.
--In 1990 3% of people in Maine were born in another country. So the percent increased by 1.1% over 32 years.
--During that same period of 32 years, the U.S.-born population in Maine increased by 3.9%. So the increase in U.S.-born people is more than 3 times higher than immigrants.
--More than half (56%) of immigrants living in Maine are U.S. citizens!
--In 2014, 92% of immigrants were in Maine legally and less than 8% were undocumented.
--8% of 4% is .32% (point 32 percent, or about one-third of one percent). Meaning, one-third of one percent of Mainers are illegal immigrants.

Those are the facts. They indicate that Maine is about 96% U.S. born and 4% immigrants, and a minuscule percentage of people in Maine are illegal immigrants.

Now, please raise your hand if you want to work on a lobster boat or you know someone who wants to work on a lobster boat. If you do, go see the lobstermen and offer your services, they really need you. Or maybe you're aware of some native Mainers who wanted to work on a lobster boat but an illegal immigrant was hired instead??? Or someone who wanted to work in a restaurant and lost out to an illegal immigrant??

Here's what the owner of Bar Harbor hotels had to say about the labor shortage: "“We’re never in a position of choosing foreign workers over domestic workers because there are no domestic workers to choose from."

There are not enough native Mainers who want to catch, process, cook, and serve you lobsters and clean up after your restaurant meal.The $1 billion Maine lobster industry cannot find enough workers to support it. The logical solution: Hire qualified people who have work permits.