They Aim to Stay in Maine

Brunswick Times editorial


With all the hand-wringing about keeping our young adults here in the state, the degree of their engagement in the political process is cause for hope.

Maine's young people, ages 18 to 29, were fifth in the nation in the 2004 election with an impressive 59 percent voter turnout, The Associated Press reports. This is according to a study done by the University of Maryland's Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). Maine's youth voter turn-out is always higher than the national average, too.

What's more, on Monday, student leaders from Maine colleges an-nounced they have formed a political action committee called Opportunity Maine to spearhead an unprecedented ballot initiative that will help them stay in Maine after they graduate.

Opportunity Maine supporters will gather more than 60,000 signatures to put a referendum question in the November 2007 election. It proposes to offer students a tax credit equal to their student loans.

To qualify, students attending a Maine community college or university would have to stay and work in Maine upon graduation. Another option under the law would be for employers to pay their employees' student loans and claim the tax credit for their businesses.

A key reason Maine college graduates must look out of state for employment is the increasing cost of education and resulting burden of student loans. Add that to the cost of living, and their hands are tied.

Opportunity Maine has submitted legislation titled "An Act to Create Jobs by Expanding Educational Opportunity for Maine People," having garnered support "from hundreds of students and business and labor leaders in every region of Maine."

"By making education more affordable for students and laid-off workers, Maine will entice the type of industry that is critical to a sustainable economy," said Andrew Bossie, student body president at the University of Southern Maine and president of Opportunity Maine, in a press release.

We commend these young people for taking matters into their owns hands and trying to solve one of the state's most vexing concerns.