I’m writing to express my disappointment with both Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Bruce Poliquin for promoting and voting in favor of tax bills that ultimately will add $1.5 trillion to America’s debt. This debt will threaten Social Security and Medicaid eventually and threaten the fiscal welfare of Maine and the U.S.

Both of these elected officials must be aware that this tax bill is little more than a replication of the voodoo economics that President Ronald Reagan implemented in the 1980s, which eventually forced George H.W. Bush – “Read my lips: No new taxes” – to raise taxes in order to avert the fiscal disaster that resulted. The recent bills draw on the campaign promises of a president whose businesses filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy six times; that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported would most benefit the wealthiest at the expense of the poor and middle class; and that no credible economist in this country supported.

Passing the recent tax bill – which is based on the voodoo economics that began the undermining of the health of America’s hardworking middle class and working poor – was little more than a last-minute scramble by the Senate to pull something out for the White House after a year fraught with chaos and poorly crafted policies – many, like this one, simply designed to provide welfare for those who need it least.

Make no mistake: This tax plan is self-serving, and passing it demonstrated poor leadership and a failure by Collins and Poliquin to represent their constituents in Maine. “America First” does not mean putting our country trillions of dollars in debt and jeopardizing their constituents’ fiscal well-being so a handful of the wealthiest people in the country end the day with more money in their pockets at taxpayers’ expense. They both can make more responsible fiscal decisions on behalf of the Maine people they represent!

Steven Kelley

Kennebunk