For many years, communities in rural Maine were very self-sufficient. People worked near home, lived and died close to where they were born, did a lot of their business nearby. Things have changed.

In the 1990s, many people work at least a couple of towns away, may move some distance from home — and, increasingly, take their business elsewhere. Local people and local businesses are the foundation of our communities. Those of us who live in rural Maine need to use our local businesses, or we’ll lose them. The future of our towns, and our way of life, is at stake.

I’ve got nothing against businesses in cities; people there need to make a living, too. It’s just that I see more and more small-town enterprises closing up, sometimes after years of successful operation. Part of the problem is us: Looking for the best prices or best selection, we follow large ads to large cities. The next time you’re about to hop in the car for some distant bagain-hunting, think about what’s happening.

First, I often don’t include the cost of gasoline and wear and tear on my car when I compare prices. I don’t put much value on my time, or the nuisance of hassling with traffic. One reason the local store’s prices may be a little higher is that the owner is paying those costs in getting his or her goods or materials. Far-away “bargains” may not be such a good deal after all.

Second, there’s more to this than cost. All of us like the convenience of the nearby market, hardware store, beauty shop or restaurant. The trouble is, if we don’t take our regular business to these people, they may not be able to be there when we want them. This is 1991. We’re in a real recession and small businesses are in trouble. If we want our towns to have more than convenience stores or fast-food places, or a string of shaky businesses that sprout up and soon die, we’ve all got to take care of our local economy. Use it or we’ll lose it.

Finally, it’s even more than convenience and empty storefronts. We need schools and other services whether local businesses are open or not; if they close, our municipal expenses don’t change much but the property tax base does. Less property tax base means higher taxes for the rest of us.

One problem is that too many folks say, “It can’t happen here.” Wrong. It is happening, all around. I don’t know many small towns that have more private enterprise than they did five years ago — and I’ll bet the ones left are struggling. If we don’t take steps as communities and regions to help our small businesses, and support people who try to do something constructive, then our towns are going to be much different in 2000 than they were in 1980.

Change isn’t bad, but let’s think about where we’re going. It all starts with us, as individuals. We need to hang together to save our local businesses, our towns, our way of life. Paul Lowe Executive Director Western Mountains Alliance Farmington