"And do you know who these people are?" insists a factory owner in Lubec. "These are the sons and daughters of middle-class families who are too lazy to get off their asses. When they come to Maine, they get as much money as most working men here."

"Hell," he continues, "all they have to do is file a form with the welfare office, and they get a check in the mail. It sometimes takes months for the government to find out whether or not they really need welfare. And then, when they run out of money they write home to Mommy and Daddy for more."

"The work ethic is still very strong in Maine," Cohen says later, "and these people see a very visible, though not necessarily large, percentage of cheaters. For the working man who goes to work eight to ten hours a day and is still barely able to make ends meet, it's very frustrating."

The fact that Washington county is one of the poorest parts of the state only aggravates the situation. The unemployment rate hovers close to 12 per cent, and neither blueberry picking, the fishing industry, nor the seasonal digging for clams and worms on the coast is sufficient to provide the county with a healthy economy. The average family earns a little more than $6,000 per year while 19 per cent of the county's families live below the poverty level.

Several men tell Cohen that they are skeptical of the officially quoted 12 per cent unemployment rate. "The problem is," says one, "that some people are just unwilling to work on an official payroll. They go out clamming or chopping wood, get paid in cash, and then go and collect unemployment or welfare benefits."

"I could give ten people jobs right now," he continues, "but no one wants legitimate work. We can't let this happen in Maine."

The inhabitants of Washington County are proud of Maine and concerned about the future of the state. "My husband and I lived in California for 24 years," an elderly woman tells Cohen through the window of her Volkswagon, "but we're home now. Maine is a beautiful state, and you're doing a good job down in Washington for us."

Turning to a reporter standing next to Cohen, she adds: "He listens to us; he tells us the truth. Put that in your article, young man."