Sad news struck Maine’s once-thriving paper industry recently. Only months after Verso Corp. was forced to file for bankruptcy, Madison Paper Mill reported that it would close shop, eliminating more than 200 jobs in the process. In Maine’s current economic climate, businesses must cope with changing markets, but more can be done to diversify the state’s economy. Part of the solution should involve tax relief for all hardworking taxpayers. However, in order to provide responsible and sustainable tax relief, policymakers need to consider efforts to right-size state spending and also eliminate cronyism from state government. In the 2016 edition of…