PORTLAND – Excessive government regulation and a welfare system that fosters dependency are two of the top contributors to income inequality in Maine, according to a recently released report by the Maine Heritage Policy Center. The June 2016 report, "Top 10 Things Keeping Mainers Poor," which was compiled by analyst Liam Sigaud, outlines the primary factors that make Maine consistently one of the hardest states in which to make a living.
As of June, 12.3 percent of Maine residents were living below the poverty line, making it the 22nd poorest state in the nation. New Hampshire is the most prosperous state, with only 7 percent of its population below the poverty line.
Stephen D. Eide, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, penned a piece in the National Review in which he praised Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker for resembling "an older variety of conservative."
