I am disappointed in your coverage of Congress’ tax reform efforts (“Pressure remains on Sen. Collins as vote on Republican tax bill looms next week,” by Joe Lawlor, Dec. 15).

While I am not a proponent of the plan (tax cuts without spending cuts is irresponsible), I do find your classification of the change to the Affordable Care Act as wholly misleading. You (and most liberal thinkers) say that the end of the personal mandate means that 13 million Americans “would lose” insurance coverage.

As best I can tell, the end of the personal mandate ends the federal government’s coercive practice of threatening people with tax penalties if they did not want to purchase health insurance. You want other people to pay for someone else’s services (yes, young, healthy people paying insurance premiums likely make insurance costs less expensive for those in, or likely to be in, poorer health).

Just because nearly 59 percent (203,080 voters) of those Mainers who cast a ballot in November voted to take money from others – $50 million from state taxpayers and $500 million from federal taxpayers (get ready for larger budget deficits, higher taxes or both) – does not mean that giving people a free choice to buy health insurance is the same as “losing” health insurance.

That is irresponsible journalism!

Eric Gates

Biddeford