Here we go again! When is Maine going to wake up and make some good business choices? The bureaucrats in this Democratic state are stifling the growth of our economy by inhibiting legitimate large businesses from opening in Maine.

I am talking specifically about the debate over Cabela’s and the impact it could have on our state as a whole, and more importantly, here in Scarborough. The town has waited a decade or so and has poured about $10 million on infrastructure to the Parkway to entice a reputable business. How much longer do we have to wait before it can be developed? Will it be another 10 years before a huge retailer such as Cabela’s makes an offer? Will the state find another way to keep them out? We need our tax break now!

I am nearing retirement age, and my husband is back working after retiring a while back. We are hard-working, middle-class people, who may have to sell our home that we built only five years ago to keep up with our property taxes. There is more to life than working for that reason, isn’t there?

We love Scarborough, after having moved here 29 years ago to build our franchise business. We opened our main store in Portland, then expanded to Saco and Scarborough, as well. It was then when we realized that Maine was not “small-business friendly.” We struggled through worker’s compensation taxes year after year, as our business grew and we added more employees. Our insurance rates went through the roof, as we were a service-oriented business.

Again, we love our town. It’s where we raised three great kids. We don’t want to move, but sometimes we talk about a more affordable option.

Cabela’s is not asking anything different from their existing business plan. What is so different from the tax break that L.L. Bean got on their equipment tax? That was an exemption, wasn’t it? I’m a customer of L.L. Bean but I think that competition is always good for business.

I hope that I speak for the middle class people here in Scarborough who, like us, work hard to pay their taxes. The state cannot afford to turn down good business opportunities when they offer so much in return.

Judy Hochmuth

Scarborough