Introducing a Conceptual Project Telling the Story of Maine's Transformation from a Home Rule State to a Centrally Managed Economy
Seeking Colaborators.
This is the first sample video in a conceptual series that is based on the book I wrote ten years ago. I took the book offline because it needed editing. I did not have the wherewithal to do that large task, so I have been using the book as reference material for this newsletter. These are the chapter titles and descriptions in the book.
The book documents, in chronological order, the transformation of Maine from a constitutional Home Rule state to a centrally managed state. The centrally managed state was declared by legislative fiat in 1976. At that time, the small business community in Maine was growing faster than anywhere else in the country.
The Governor invited the heads of the largest corporations in Maine to compile a report, The Governor’s Report of 1976. No one from the small business community was invited to the powwow, although the community was used as the reason why the state had to step in and manage the economy of Maine. It was said that small businesses have a more difficult time than large ones in finding investment capital, so the state had to step in to help small businesses by forming the Maine Capital Corporation. The following story is a chapter from my book about the Maine Capital Corporation
The Maine Politics Facebook forum describes itself as “A portal for politics in Maine managed by the Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal, and Morning S”
I submitted this video to the Maine Politics Facebook Forum twice, but it seems they will not publish it.
The goal of the video series is to shed light on the underlying structure of the comprehensive Maine political system. In my view, we can’t keep going down the same path that has embedded mechanisms that continually expand the wealth divide. We are ripe for a new paradigm that grows the economy from the “bottom up and middle out,” and so, we need clarity about how the current system operates.
However, Maine Politics published my most recent newsletter post:
Is the difference that the video tells of questionable manipulations by Republicans, and the newsletter post questions recent Democratic legislation? I will wait until I have a video critical of Democrats before submitting a video again to Maine Politics.
Or maybe it’s just talking about the underlying system, on my own initiative, that got the video banned.
My idea is a video series telling the policy history that has transformed Maine from a constitutional hierarchical government to a practicing oligarchy. This is the right political moment for it. I would like to find collaborators, particularly a videographer, as working with a team would likely result in the series being produced faster and at a more consistent pace, which would make it more impactful.
However, at this stage, I can offer no funding. Funding sources are also embedded into the current system. For instance, Press Forward specifically funds local civic journalism.
I checked out Press Forward in Maine, but it is led by the Maine Community Foundation. When I explored foundation funding in Maine, I was told by The Maine Community Foundation and the Davis Foundation that they do not accept proposals from individuals and free enterprises, fiscally sponsored or not. In so doing, the Foundations are discouraging new organizations from forming by not supporting formative processes.
The brochure for Maine Press Forward is similarly framed. The Advisory Council is made up of CEOs of media companies, Directors of established institutions, Board members of major nonprofits, University professors, and Foundation program directors.
There are no Independent journalists, solo practitioners, small enterprise voices or anyone outside institutional structures.
I am exploring funding possibilities, but currently, the only way I see as a possibility to fund this project is through paid subscriptions and foundational support for this newsletter, which reflects the many years that I have been independently researching this subject so that it can be presented chronologically. The newsletter poses no issues over whether it is political, so I don’t have to worry if I am crossing any lines.
I am looking for videographers, local TIF collaborators, and reader support
If you have an interest in collaborating, you can email me at mackenziana@gmail.com
The 1976 pivot from home rule to central management is a textbook case of elite capture dressed up as helping small business. When large corporations get to write the diagnosis and prescribe the cure, the outcome is predictable. I've researched similar pattrns in other states where "economic development" initiatives ended up consolidating power upward while framing it as suport for Main Street. The exclusion of small business voices from that initial report really tells the whole story.