Concerned about utilities (Bangor, Augusta, Poland: insurance, purchasing, taxes)

[Andrea Jean]

Thanks for the input, MoMark!! Propane seems like a great alternative. Is it aroung in Maine, because, sorry to say, Missouri is not really on my list. I've gotten used to having ocean, woods, and mountains nearby. As a kid in NM, we had propane out in the country, but not in town. Also when I lived in WY. I suppose if it was a workable alternative, then I would have seen more of it while house hunting on-line, but it sounds good!

From what I have read so far, the best heating available in Maine sounds to be a combination of wood stove and oil. Anybody else reach the same conclusion?

[pinkpalace]

Yep, propane is available. We have a propane tank too -- but all it's used for is cooking. Not sure what the price difference would have been to use propane vs. oil here.

I have noticed that places like Wal-mart, Dunkin' Donuts, etc... all have big propane tanks outside. Looks to me like they're using propane for heating and cooking, not oil.

[wingman580]

Originally Posted by pinkpalace

The quality of life in Maine can't be beat, but the cost of utilities is awful. I've heard a lot of people complain about taxes (and I've been one of them to complain about the cost of car registration), but in my mind the cost of utilities is the main reason that we will be leaving this great state next week.

I have a good job that pays good money where I can live almost anywhere I want --

We're going to be moving to Georgia, where the schools are bad, traffic is awful, and crime is higher. But, gas, electric, and water will be much lower.. and we can deal with the rest. I'm sad to leave, but I really believe it'll be the best decision for our family.

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In Response to Pinkpalace:

I read your post and must comment. As we all are seeking a balance where one's family can have healthy growth and be happy without going into the poor house!
That being said I caution you on your move to the urban sprawl of Georgia as this is a State that struggles with a diverse combination of social ills known mostly to inner city youths elsewhere in the Nation. While there are fantastic neighborhoods that are gated and patrolled many schools there regularly deal with what I am permanetly staying in Maine to avoid.
I really do not want to bash a State that has done nothing to me personally but I do caution you especially if you are moving to the Greater Atlanta Area where one might as well be far safer on West 129th street and 7th Avenue in NYC. NY.
While wishing you all the best I am sure you will come to fondly remember all that Maine has given your family and hope that you do return even if it is just on vacation in the Blazing, sticky-hot, summers you will also fall in love with on your new life and job in Ga.
There are many good things about this state I have left unmentioned such as the cost of housing and the new freedoms all enjoy since about 1990. With the massive influx of skilled labor to build for the Olympics, and subsequent professional work force that followed almost immediately thereafter, bringing into the State a cultural diversity that was unprecedented in one of the most Jim Crow States in the South previously. We all can thank the hard work done by civil leaders in the 70,s and 80,s that help lay a groundwork for this change to take place. Making all Americans proud of The Games and the City of Atlanta, and ALL Civil Leaders Statewide!
That the old boy network was quited enough to allow true growth and prosperity for those whom it had for so long been trying to repress is truly an American sucess story for many Georgian citizens that enjoy these freedoms today. Many a child is able today, to walk onto playgrounds, ballfields, busses, and ice cream parlors never thinking of those who had walked the Bridges and Roads before them fighting the Good Fight of peaceful resistance and the hard won victories of Robert F. Wilson, in the neighboring State of North Carolinia.
Thank God we are Past Most of these Tragic Days But those who do not know the Past are destined to repeat it

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by pinkpalace

I have noticed that places like Wal-mart, Dunkin' Donuts, etc... all have big propane tanks outside. Looks to me like they're using propane for heating and cooking, not oil.

Grrrrr. You know, I'd be willing to pay some higher utility prices if I could get away from Wal-Mart. I'd even be willing to rub sticks together to keep warm. Is there no place left in the nation that is free from that community-killing vampire?

I watched a documentary on Wal-Mart and saw that Bangor was one of the communities who had succeeded in keeping Wal-Mart out. Did they really keep them out, or does that simply mean they just moved up the road to Orono or Old Town? Are there still locally owned businesses in Bangor and points northward, or have the chain stores conquered everything?

[Acadianlion]

Actually, there is a Super Walmart in Brewer. All the railing against Walmart in the world isn't going to change the simple fact that the "big box" is the way that Americans shop. The small store can survivie but only by learning how to provide things that Walmart an the like simply can't provide. And yes, there are many areas that Walmart isn't going to come to in Maine, and there are some areas that are planning their towns well enough so that Walmart and others like Walmart can't come there. But that only means that people in those towns will drive to whereever Walmart is, and shop there. I think it is all well enough to support the local merchants, but if something is needed that costs 44% more in the local store than at Walmart, in this small economy where people are also worried about paying for fuel to heat their homes for the winter, the discounted prices for some items found in the big box will help the individual rather than merely destroy the economic environment.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by Acadianlion

I think it is all well enough to support the local merchants, but if something is needed that costs 44% more in the local store than at Walmart, in this small economy where people are also worried about paying for fuel to heat their homes for the winter, the discounted prices for some items found in the big box will help the individual rather than merely destroy the economic environment.

It's a self-defeating circle though, isn't it? I understand why people struggling in communities want the cheapest prices, but sinking all your money into that corporate vampire is only going to make the economy even worse. We're feeding the very wolf that's eating all our sheep. And doing it with a smile.

You know, our forefathers were faced with a similar problem with the East India Trading Company. They got made enough to have a little Boston Tea Party. I'm beginning to think Wal-Mart needs similar treatment.

[pinkpalace]

It was Damariscotta that kept Wal-Mart out. They put in a "big box store" ban, so stores have to be smaller than a certain footprint. There's a link to an article here: http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/news/20060501-bg.html (broken link)

Just in case the article gets censored, you can google "damariscotta wal-mart" and see a link to it.

For what it's worth, I think there are "only" 14 wal-mart's in Maine.

[Toria]

wood is also not cheap, unless you are chopping and seasoning from your own property. A cord of wood was going for anywhere from $165-$235 last year, and we used four cords (with oil heat for backup) last winter (we were usually home during the day, so that accounts for a bit more). One particularly cold year we used seven cords....

[hd74man]

Hate to be a doom and gloomer, but I lived in ME for 32 years and I've left.

The least of your worries should be about utilities.

The Top 3 should be:

Taxes-Maine is ranked as the most heavily taxed state in the country, based on a combination of the level of property, income tax, and sale tax assessed on it's citizenry. Yet while being No. #1 in taxes it is 40th in per capita income levels.

Health Insurance-Because Maine law is a "mandatory coverage" state (meaning no insurance company can reject you), there is only 1 insurance provider. THERE IS NO COMPETITION!!!! As such rates are exhorbitant. I pay $320 per month, for a garbage $5k deductable catastrophic policy for myself. The state started a plan called Dirigo Health, but it's failing. Understand, that ME has a very large Medicare and Medicaid constituency. The private sector is bled to pay for the low reimbursement levels of these programs. Health insurance if not provided by an employer, will cost you dearly.

Jobs-This state has been in an economic death spiral for 50 years. It's been an insidous slide, but all the small light mfg. industries which kept all the little small towns economically afloat, are now gone. Local agriculture aka dairying, potatoe farming, etc., is non-existant or dying. The paper companies have laid off thousands. The replacment jobs are in retail, social services, and tourism. All pay about half of what people earned when they made or produced "things"

Sorry to rain on the parade-but it's a warning. Many people are seduced by what they see on a 2-week vacation, and not what's behind the scenes.

You cannot eat the scenery.

If you are intent, on moving to the Northeast, you would be better served by going to NH. It constantly vies with Nevada as the NO. #1 state in the country in which to live. NO income or sales taxes. The revenue raiser is the property tax-which you can negate by not purchasing a large home.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by hd74man

The replacment jobs are in retail, social services, and tourism. All pay about half of what people earned when they made or produced "things"

And again, all the more reason to fight Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart and the big box stores and chains move in, forcing local businesses to close. People who used to run their own businesses are now wage-slaves. People who used to own their own homes are now renters. I've seen it happen in my home town.

If the policy-makers in Maine want to revitalize their economy, they need to keep out the big box stores and chains. Stop giving Big Business tax breaks and economic incentives to move in. Invest in local businesses and local economy. Invest in agriculture and industry that acutally PRODUCES something. That is the foundation of any economy. Strip that away, and it's no wonder the region is hurting economically.

Maybe if I can't find a job in Maine, I can run for governor, eh?