Opportunity has drained from the middle class. People are losing hope. Wages are stagnant.

The Democrats’ answer is to tax more. The real answer is to liberate the economy, to put an end to crony capitalism, to insure fairness in the markets, and to encourage people to pursue their dreams and give them the tools to do it.

Crushing red tape does not help our small business owners create jobs. Production is often punished – and too often we pass rules and regulations and tax policies that discourage entrepreneurship and hard work. We need to help our job creators with a hand up, not crush them with overreaching government.

At the same time we jumpstart our business startups we must ensure that the Enron-era scandals and market failures don’t return. Abuses like pump-and-dump tactics, hidden disclosures and the lack of executive pay transparency should be a thing of the past.

We need an effective, world-class public education system; common sense regulation; campaign finance reform; and a fair and simple tax code.

With these reforms in place the phrase “a rising tide lifts all boats” will be true not only along Maine’s coast, but also in the incomes of all Maine people as our economy grows.