MEN AT WORK

The confluence of a State of the State address by Gov. John Baldacci and a State of the Union address by President George Bush gave Maine an extended examination of the state of things Tuesday. The verdict was much the same from both: There’s a lot of work to do, particularly with finding jobs.

This theme – the president also prominently had the theme of the war on terror – sounds very much the same whether described from Washington or Augusta. There was little in either speech about grand visions. Their work requires providing the state and nation with lots of small steps, training and new opportunities. And these may, after security, be the thing the public wants most from its governments.

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To begin with the governor because he spoke earlier: John Baldacci last year at his inaugural address emphasized tangible measures of governing. He wanted a jobs bond. He wanted to balance the budget without tax increases. He wanted accessible health care. A year later he could report progress in each of these areas, but the relief the Legislature felt at finally moving on these ideas has been balanced now by the hard work that accompanies them.

The economy hasn’t helped – an anemic 1.5 percent growth in jobs predicted for the next year is better than an outright loss, but that’s about all it is. The governor cited economic advisor Charles Colgan saying, “It’s time for some guarded optimism,” which may mean something, but it is hard to tell what.

Pine Tree Zones, areas of focused economic growth, were high on the governor’s list to achieve this spring. His very good idea of a Workforce Cabinet should produce some practical ways to help create jobs. Even better, the governor recognized the importance of the related fields of tourism and the creative economy; his call for a center to develop Maine’s tourism industry, with the help of the University of Maine and the Community College systems is a smart investment in Maine.

Some other strengths in the speech:

. Moving the laptop program into high schools. The Legislature, which initially belittled Angus King for this idea, seems to understand now the advantage this initiative provides. It will need private funding to help it survive, but state and local governments must help too. Making the laptops useful to parents, with online worker-training courses, was inspired.

. Dropping the business-equipment tax – an idea that nearly everyone agrees on but few have found means to carry out. The governor offered few specifics on this idea.

. The goal to raise Maine’s rate of students going to college from 55 to 70 percent by the end of the decade. The scholarships the governor discussed will help, but changing expectations of students will likely be the bigger factor. And as important, the governor cannot forget adults with high-school diplomas, or even those without a diploma, who know they need more schooling to advance in their careers.

Parts of the governor’s speech did not work very well: The announcement of technology grant awards seemed out of place and the number of people asked to stand interrupted the tempo of the speech. His call for working together with Republicans is at odds with his rush on the supplemental budget. But the overall message of specific plans and the conviction to make them work was heartening, though plans to pay for some of the ideas remain unclear. Despite the countless number of issues that could distract him from his message, the governor seems focused on strengthening Maine in ways the public broadly supports.

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President Bush divided his speech into terror and the economy, with a dash of morality. On terror, Americans heard the president describe the significant progress his administration has made against al-Qaida and in Iraq and how much more danger threatened the country. If the speech were part campaign warm-up, Mr. Bush has found a compelling topic, though the lengths he felt forced to go to hold to his original reasons for invading Iraq had him saying “weapons-of-mass-destruction-related program activities,” a stretch for anyone.

On the economy, the president pushed for making tax cuts permanent, which Congress already was determined to do. Given his sensitivity to what opponents have said about him, it was odd that the president missed the argument against his greatest economic-development strategy – a strong education system. On his K-12 education act, he said, “Some want to undermine the No Child Left Behind Act by weakening standards and accountability.” Some probably do, but the primary complaints from states are underfunding and their ability to meet standards of their own devising. State education departments feel too much pressure at home to lower standards; their concern is whether schools have a fair opportunity to meet them.

The president’s support of the nation’s community colleges and his advocacy of more college scholarships was encouraging. His quick list of work ahead included job training, privatizing part of Social Security, association health plans and his temporary amnesty program for illegal immigrants. None of it was surprising. The president seemed to be preparing for a year of getting done what he had previously described and was giving Congress notice of what was important to him. Notably, the environment was not mentioned and neither was his plan for space exploration. Being frugal with tax dollars was, however, which will make enacting some of his ideas more difficult.

On morality, the president was clear and consistent: Athletes should be role models against the use of dangerous drugs; judges shouldn’t redefine marriage; religious charities should have equal access to federal funds and Ashley Pearson, 10, of Lincoln, R.I., should, “Study hard in school. Listen to your mom and dad. Help someone in need. And when you and your friends see a man or woman in uniform, say, ‘Thank you.'”

Nothing lofty. Just good practical advice.