Maine For Keeps
Maine For Keeps
Podcast Description
Welcome to Maine For Keeps, hosted by Jonathan Bush. Each week, we're sitting down with real Mainers - from small business owners fighting to survive, to industry leaders and innovators, to working folks trying to make ends meet - for raw, unfiltered conversations about:
→ The real stories of what's killing Maine jobs (like the 174 we just lost at the cement plant)
→ How Maine's smartest businesses are finding ways to win despite the obstacles
→ Why "environmental protection" often hurts both business AND the environment
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores critical issues affecting Maine's economy, highlighting themes like job loss, business innovation, and the impact of environmental policies. Episode examples include discussions on the loss of jobs at local cement plants, strategies employed by profitable companies, and the complexities of regional energy policies, with a focus on how these factors influence the state's economic landscape.
Welcome to Maine For Keeps, hosted by Jonathan Bush. Each week, we’re sitting down with real Mainers – from small business owners fighting to survive, to industry leaders and innovators, to working folks trying to make ends meet – for raw, unfiltered conversations about:
→ The real stories of what’s killing Maine jobs (like the 174 we just lost at the cement plant)
→ How Maine’s smartest businesses are finding ways to win despite the obstacles
→ Why “environmental protection” often hurts both business AND the environment
Alec Porteous has run the numbers. He’s been the CFO of Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services. He’s been the Commissioner of Administrative & Financial Services, the state’s top budget job. He’s been the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Business Officer at the University of Southern Maine.
And now? He’s sounding the alarm.
In this episode, we dig into Maine’s budget explosion and what Alec sees as the most under-discussed risk to our future.
We cover:
– Why Maine’s Medicaid budget is growing 21% a year and no one knows why
– How state spending ballooned 25% while population grew just 5%
– Why working Mainers are getting squeezed while newcomers think Maine is a steal
– The paradox of rising revenue and rising property taxes
– How to put real teeth into revenue sharing and municipal accountability
– What Alec would do with our $1.5 billion rainy day fund
– Why now might be the moment to experiment with bold tax cuts
– The truth behind Maine’s economic outlook and what’s needed to fix it
This isn’t about cutting for cutting’s sake. It’s about building a Maine that’s affordable, competitive, and resilient for the people who already live here and the ones who are trying to stay.
🎧 Available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
📍 Subscribe to Maine For Keeps for weekly conversations about how we build a stronger future for Maine.
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
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