Well! That was interesting! But it was certainly instructive also. It is now nearly 3 years since I wrote that paragraph above. And while the old family stomping grounds point isn't something that can change, the rest of what was remembered about people and neighborliness certainly has!! And not for the better, I might add. Coastal Maine (ok, to stick with what I know) -- Mid-Coast Maine and the State Governmental structure -- have become clones of what is worst about Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York! In the, we'll call it mid-seventies, lots of folk from those areas moved to Maine to get away from high taxes, zoning boards, pressured school systems, heavy traffic, and other characteristics of over-controlling government, too many people, and poor-quality environments. Many of them moved to such places as Newcastle, Damariscotta, Pemaquid, Bristol, Bremen, Waldoboro, Jefferson, Edgecomb, Alna, Sheepscot, New Harbor, Round Pond. They brought incredible sums of money with them ... by then current local standards ... and the decline was on. Family homesteads valued at $40,000 were suddenly purchased for over $200,000 by people "from away" who had more money than sense. Immediately, the neighboring properties weren't worth $35,000 to $50,000 any more, they were worth $180,000 to $300,000! Cool! Revaluation! Needless to say, the "locals" had a tough time meeting those expectations. Today, in the year 2000, it is rare to find a lobster fisherman who lives on the water in any of the working harbor villages in this area. They have moved out ... to Jefferson, North Whitefield, North Warren ... where they are building modest new lives up to 40 miles from the coast. They keep their boats moored through the season but when it comes time to haul them for the winter, they have to be put on trailers and dragged the 40 miles or so to the back yard. Kind of surprising to see a 42-foot lobster boat parked beside the house up there in North Whitefield!
The folks from away brought in lots of money... and they still do... their investment checks and their retirement funds ... but beyond their property taxes... very little of that money ever finds its way into the local economy. Some grocery stores, a car dealership or three, but a significant percentage of these people represent a non-contributing component of the communities. They don't employ others with their money, they have the flexibility to make major purchases from outside the area and they require public services.
They also have occasion to be involved with local government. Since the 1970's controlling legislation of many kinds and at all levels has been passed... in most cases by town councils comprised of these folks from away. They have passed rules and regulations at the local level which are precisely the rules and regulations they moved away from in the seventies! So much for the quaint and friendly color of Mid-Coast Maine.
Maine has traditionally been a "poor" state... and so it is. But in many cases its poverty stems from an inability to defend its own institutions from extrinsic demands. Demands by the Federal Government, of course... new mandates, new programs, laws, 'compliances.' We all recognize those kinds of pressures. There is, however, another, and much more insidious, trend which has put Maine at particular risk and that is the trend of giving corporate policy the stature and status of law! Corporations, particularly "Public" or "Regulated" industries have many internal policies which are routinely perceived of as enforceable as law. This is probably not restricted to Maine by any means as many of these industries are allegedly "Federally regulated." Banking, Insurance, Education, Medicine, Energy (both electricity and petroleum) are all 'regulated.'
Do you remember when, back in the 60's and early 70's, radio and political pundits used to proffer the hypothetical (and rhetorical) scenarios: "How would you like to live in a country where: 1. the police can come to your home and without any warrants arrest you for "questioning?" 2. where your bank accounts can be closed overnight without any notice to you and where your funds are suddenly "gone?" 3. where only the police and military can have guns? 4. Where while traveling you can be stopped by military or police forces and where both your person and your papers can be searched?" Hmmmm... sound familiar? It should! It all happens right here in the Good 'Ol USA! Oh, I know, there are all kinds of caveats and denials about how it CAN'T happen here ... about the safeguards of our individual liberties and our Constitutional Rights....
Sound a touch 'jaded?' You BET! And I hope you don't have occasion to feel a touch jaded too! If you don't, and if you are still part of a comfortable American mainstream able to find Norman Rockwellisms around you, wonderful! Count yourself among the very, very few!
In the following sections I hope to introduce myself to you. Show you some of my photos. (Finally! Some new pages will be added! Look for them starting March 2001!) Let you read some of my literary efforts (be sure you don't miss the essays by "The Curmudgeon" ...!) Challenge you to unravel the cobwebs of my mind as described by my various interests and pass-times. Now, why anyone would necessarily want to do such a thing boggles my mind (clue #1!) but I trust that, should you spend a bit of time here, you will enjoy your stay and that you will pick up just a bit more information about just one more person who is sharing your world with you.
This page is to be an on-going project ... a "work-in-continuous-progress" ... so to speak. Please come back from time to time and check out the changes. I'm hoping you will find the changes to have been improvements and I'd like to think that you will let me know either way by signing my guestbook or dropping me a quick e-line!.
For those interested, I have included my resumé(s) for your perusal. Should you wish to contact me for purposes of employment, commissioned artwork, or research assistance, please feel free to do so.
Page contents, including wallpaper, © Scott Carlton, 2001
All rights reserved.