Dear Editor:

A phrase that caught my attention in Ryan Leighton's excellent reporting on the ouster of planning board members Cunningham and Pander was “business friendly.”  We hear this innocuous sounding phrase often from politicians; but it deserves our close attention.

When a politician proposes to make a government more “business friendly” what they are really proposing is to put their thumb on the scales of justice and law in favor of private business interests.  By itself this sounds like a good thing but how does being  “business friendly” translate into economic reality for those on the other side of the scales?

Being “business friendly” means keeping employee wages and payroll costs as low as possible. As a consequence making ends meet becomes more difficult for a wage earner to to make ends meet and raise a family.

“Business friendly” advocates give private businesses tax breaks and subsidies leaving the rest of us taxpayers to foot the bill. Tax increment financing is an example of a private business gaining benefit paid for by not just Joe Worker but also by existing businesses whose taxes go to subsidize their competition!

“Business friendly” regulation often weakens protective laws that preserve the integrity of our banking system, despoil and poison our environment, and deny our ability to redress of wrongs through the courts.  In short, being “business friendly” carries with it consequences that the rest of us pay for dearly.

A phrase I’d like to hear coming out of the mouths of our leadership is something I like to call “family values.”  Family Values means rewarding an honest day’s work with and honest day’s pay so a family can flourish.  It means making healthcare accessible, protecting the unwary from financial predators and dangerous products, adequately resourcing our schools, and in general creating a supportive and nurturing environment in our community for children.

Beyond that I hope the next appointments to the planning board with give thoughtful, informed, and even handed consideration to all applications.

Fred W. Nehring
Boothbay