Sorting through the rhetoric, myths and realities surrounding Maine’s business climate, with politicians, economists and business leaders all pointing fingers at one another and various economic factors, is enough to make one’s head spin.

Everyone has a slightly different theory about what’s right and wrong with the state’s economy. There is a long line of academic institutions, think tanks and magazines that have done business rankings by state, each one based on different formulas and emphasizing different factors. The Legislature and governor have reviewed and proposed volumes of legislation aimed at addressing problems.

Delving into this mess is a daunting task, but that’s just what a recent series by State House News Service reporter Victoria Wallack, called “Doing Business in Maine,” has attempted to do. The series follows Forbes magazine’s publications last month of its Best States for Business survey, ranking Maine 48th in the country.

Despite all the rhetoric surrounding this issue, there are a few common denominators on which most people seem to agree. Overall, Maine has some good things in its favor – quality of life and a good work force – and some areas in need of improvement – taxes, the cost of health care and regulation.

The Forbes survey was only the most recent state ranking to place Maine low on a list of places to do business. State leaders often criticize the methodologies of such surveys in an attempt to defend the state as a good place to do business. Many Democrats argue that surveys like the ones that have ranked Maine low are driven more by conservative ideology than a true desire to assess the state’s business climate.

While that may be true in some cases, it’s hard to get around a couple of common themes – Maine frequently ranks low in these surveys and seems to rank the lowest in surveys that give the most weight to tax burden as an indicator. Some might argue that taxes are not as important in determining where a business will locate as some of these surveys indicate, but it’s impossible to deny that taxes contribute to the bottom line, and that’s something every business watches.

The governor and Legislature have done some work on reducing the state’s tax burden, but not enough. Phasing out the tax on business equipment was a good step, but the state needs to go further and do what legislators and the governor have been promising to do for years – reduce the overall tax burden.

The state’s Dirigo Health program has also done little to increase the number of people covered or decrease the cost for those who already have health insurance. Mainers pay much more for health insurance than people in neighboring states, and the state needs to make more progress on reducing that cost, which is a huge burden on businesses and employees.

Despite problems like these, the state has much to offer businesses. The quality of life here far surpasses that of many other states. It’s a beautiful place to live and a safe place to raise a family. People who live here have a strong work ethic, and any business owner knows a good employee can be much more valuable than a tax break.

The problem is complex, but in the final analysis, the answer is actually quite simple: The state needs to aggressively promote its strengths and find the political will to improve its weaknesses. All the quibbling over rankings, methodologies and what factors are most important to businesses is a wonderful academic exercise, but it doesn’t really accomplish much.

Brendan Moran, editor