The “lifestyle” columnist for Maine’s largest daily is worried that the state’s largest city is losing the fight to newcomers.
“Portland’s Maine-born population has dropped to 40%,” Leslie Bridgers writes. “Is that a problem?”
Well apparently it is or Bridgers would neither have asked the question nor written an entire column about it.
Bridgers complains that the percentage of Portland’s native-born residents is lower than anytime in memory.
“Bringing diversity and new energy to a place are generally considered positive changes, fostering innovation and expanding everyone’s perspective,” Bridgers writes. “But is there a breaking point in the ratio of natives to newcomers at which the identity of a city starts to slip away?”
Bridgers never defined what she means by “diversity” for if she did she’d be outside the white lines, so to speak.
Conservatives using the word “diversity” is a crime.
Yet when Portland Press Herald staffers uses it to decry loss of the native population, suddenly it’s OK – just as long as they stay safe by never defining what they mean wink wink.
If they did suddenly they’d have to say “well we’re not criticizing that kind of diversity.”
That’s why they don’t want to go down that rabbit hole.
Defining “diversity” would require a certain reality…
Bridgers is upset that In 20 years, from 1970 to 2000, Portland has lost 13 percent of its natives to newcomers.
The influx includes not only U.S. citizens from other cities and states but of course foreigners without citizenship – some of them illegal.
But when federal border-enforcement agents came into Portland recently to clear out the illegals, the state’s liberal paper of record couldn’t have been more alarmist.
Suddenly the newspaper in Maine’s most-liberal neck of the state apparently ain’t so welcoming – or liberal.
When the paper’s braintrust is editorializing against the loss of the native population, that isn’t liberalism, which apparently escaped them.
Oops!
Facebook followers scoreboard:
✓ The Maine Wire 167,000
✓ Portland Press Herald 93,000
The Mills effect. Lowering the quality of life, just another ” accomplishment “.
Puritan values and morals made New England, and Muslim values ruined it
I’m in Yarmouth, bought a house in Florida 5 months ago, and am thinning out to sell out and leave Maine. I lived here for 5 years in the 1960s, and again since 1981. The one party rule has destroyed this place, and the property taxes doubling in the last year plus the income taxes make me say f you a holes that run this place.
“Bridgers is upset that In 20 years, from 1970 to 2000, Portland has lost 13 percent of its natives to newcomers.” I have read that the schools in Portland are poor; however, subtracting 1970 for 2000 could yield a total of 30 years. But then I am “from away” and may not have learned the Maine mathematics curriculum.
Crocodile tears
Is 2000 minus 1970 really 20?????
damm From Away math thought it was 30
There are zero scientific studies that demonstrate diversity of a population improves performance/outcomes in an academic, business or athletic setting.
Democrat/communists love immigrants.
They’re easy to control.
DC beltway swamp rat summer person Angus King was elected governor here, FFS… never mind the illiberal Marxo-fascist democrat sludge politicians of today, most of whom are from away. The “natives” have a storied history of f#cking themselves and then complaining about it vociferously.
Democrats have made it a compounding problem: raise taxes and lower the quality of life and raise the cost of electricity to subsidize “green” energy…..so natives leave for red States. Then Democrats say we are losing population so lets bring in immigrants (and give them food and housing paid for by the taxpayers). So Democrats have to increase taxes more and the cycle continues!
I doubt the PPH columnist was lamenting the influx of immigrants from foreign countries. My guess is she’s against the wealthy transplants from NY, Mass, DC, Philly and elsewhere who are driving up housing costs.
The concern is that native Mainers can no longer afford to live in Portland, and wealthy people from other states are buying up homes making housing less affordable.
They must’ve just realized that Somalis don’t actually read, and therefor have no need for them…..tough break.
New Hampshire, the way Maine used to be
I feel sorry for my kids and grandkids.