I’m no tax expert – but you don’t need to be one to see how the proposed Republican tax bill will hurt the vast majority of people living in Maine.

My family and I are among the almost 60 percent of Americans for whom, according to a Bankrate.com survey, a $500 surprise expense would be a hardship that would have me looking for extra hours at my second job.

Maybe the details are in the fine print, however, I haven’t heard anything reported about this bill that would benefit families like mine who are living paycheck to paycheck. Instead, the independent studies I’ve read say that over a 10-year period, the tax burden will be placed more and more on the working and poor classes. This just doesn’t make any sense in a time when the wealth gap is greater than it has ever been (as reported by CNN Money on Nov. 3) .

FDR got the country back on track by going to corporations and to those in the 1 percent and convincing them that if they didn’t give back some of their money to the people, it would mean a mass revolt against capitalism. Only about half of those he talked to agreed, economist Richard Wolff has found. However, that was enough. And money that poured back into the economy through taxing wealthy individuals and corporations funded a jobs program and other initiatives that allowed this country to recover from the Depression and move into its most prosperous time.

I don’t understand why this approach isn’t tried today. Instead, our elected officials are discussing ways to make the rich richer.

Both Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Bruce Poliquin supported earlier versions of the tax bill, and I urge them to oppose the final version, as it will hurt many families like my own while giving significant tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations.

Carin Dunay

South Portland