The Portland Press Herald’s editorial board got it right Nov. 30 when they urged Sen. Susan Collins to vote against the Senate tax bill, which is a very bad deal for most people and for the deficit.

The editorial board made their case without even referencing provisions that reduce or eliminate deductions for: student loan interest, health care expenses, state and local taxes, home mortgage interest and personal exemptions, all of which primarily benefit the middle and upper middle class. What few offsetting benefits are offered sundown in five years, while benefits to the wealthy and to corporations are made permanent.

By deciding to support the bill, Sen. Collins has shown she’s willing to sell her vote for amendments that serve only to re-arrange the deck chairs while allowing this middle-class catastrophe of titanic proportions to go forward.

Thomas Baiocchi

Gray