The past few weeks have been like nothing in my career.

I work with many organizations that have ties to the federal government in one way or another, and each meeting I’ve had over the past five weeks, someone in the meeting has mentioned a delay, a pause or some uncertainty that has affected their organization or their staff directly. This kind of constant uncertainty has understandably increased stress levels, delayed project deadlines and really affected the morale and productivity of many organizations.

You don’t read this column for my political insights, but this statement is not political, though it deals with politics. That’s an important distinction. It’s quite apolitical to look at what has happened over the past couple of weeks and mention that the productivity of many of the local organizations has been affected. That’s a fact.

It will be critical for all of us over the next year to be able to speak truths about what is happening around us. Here’s another truth:

According to a Feb. 5 piece in the The New York Times, Charlie Baker, the president of the NCAA, said out of the 510,000 athletes competing at the collegiate level, there are fewer than 10 who publicly identify as transgender — or 1 in 51,000 which is 0.002%.

The Maine Principals Association does not track the number of high school athletes who are transgender or non-binary, so this college statistic is the best number I have. However, I assume that this very small group of college athletes doesn’t have direct impact with 99% of the athletes competing in college and that those numbers have to be somewhat similar at the high school level, too.

So why are we consumed with it? Social media is abuzz with this topic. Sure, I’m concerned because of the potential loss of federal funding, or even the delay of that money. Yet, the Maine Human Rights Act, which was signed into law after the civil rights movement in 1971, is pretty clear on nondiscrimination of protected classes.

Why does this matter to business?

Because we only have so much bandwidth, and I think our legislators, commentators and “thought leaders” are focused on the wrong things. We’re distracted from what’s really important in order to scapegoat a few people who are just trying to live their lives. I think we should flip that number on its head and not focus on the numbers that matter to 1% of us but focus on the numbers that matter to 99% of us. Our employees need help, and there are numbers that bear that out.

• $2,495 – That is the median monthly mortgage payment in 2025 in Maine according to realtor.com from Jan. 16 (it’s midway between the range they gave of $2,348 and $2,642, depending on down payment). Rocket Mortgage had it at $2,456 in July 2024, so this number seems accurate. U.S. average is $2,209 for all mortgages and $2,715 on a 30-year fixed mortgage, according to Business Insider from August 2024.

• $1,122 – That is the median monthly mortgage payment in 2015, according to U.S. Census and Housing and Urban Development figures through Bankrate — a $1,373 difference over 10 years.

• $77,902 – That is the difference, according to the Maine Housing Affordability Index, of how much more income you need in salary to afford the median home between 2015 and 2023 (the most recent year they have full data for). In 2015, the income you needed for the median home was $50,488, and in 2023, it more than doubled in just eight years to $128,390.

• $520 – That is the average monthly car payment for a used car (new is $737) as of Q3 2024, according to Lending Tree. Another source, Bankrate, has Maine at $532.

• $322 – The average monthly car payment for a used car in 2019, according to a study by Experian, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds.

• 27% – According to the USDA through a Business Insider piece from April 2024, that is the percentage increase for the grocery budget for the average family of four.

• $1,193 – The average groceries per month for a family of four, according to the midway point between the low-cost plan and the moderate-cost plan from U.S. News & World Report from October 2024. That average just under $300 per week.

• $939 – The average for food for a family of four in 2020 if we deduct the 27% increase the USDA referenced in a Business Insider piece in April 2024.

• $865 – That is the average cost for child care for one month for one Maine child. Child care depends on a variety of things from county to child’s age, so this figure is $200 per week factored over a year and divided into months. Our child care prices in this region are higher.

• $685. Average utility bill in Maine when you include internet, phone, gas, water and electric, according to online source SoFi.

• $6,285 – That is the total monthly costs for a house, utilities, one kid in day care, two cars and food for a family of four in Maine.

That $6,285 per month ($75,000 per year you need after taxes) doesn’t include, gas, car insurance, child care for the second child, furniture/home goods/home improvements, clothing, medications, out-of-pocket health costs, education costs, pet costs and so much more. This doesn’t count going out to eat or buying toys for kids or a vacation.

These are the numbers we should be focusing on. Life is becoming unlivable unless you put it on credit. I feel it, too. My wife is currently applying for second jobs. Not because our first jobs don’t pay us fairly — they absolutely do — but because you need to make more than $125,000 per year to have the basics for a family of four.

Why isn’t this the biggest conversation right now? Every young parent you know is dealing with this and is too embarrassed to say it — so I did. It’s a huge problem and these solutions should be our top priority.

Cory King is executive director of the Bath-Brunswick Regional Chamber of Commerce.