In an essay justifying her vote for the Republican tax plan (Dec. 27), Sen. Susan Collins claims that the bill “doesn’t take away anybody’s insurance.”

But this flies directly in the face of an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which estimates that under the new law, 13 million people will lose their insurance by 2027. The senator clearly has a political agenda; the CBO, by its nature, has none. Thinking citizens will know which to believe.

Collins further claims that tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations will somehow be good for the poor and those in the middle class … the oft-debunked “trickle-down theory.” Anyone who puts stock in this theory should look at what has happened in Kansas, where huge tax cuts essentially bankrupted the state, leaving the poor worse off than before.

Sen. Collins knows better. She cannot be unaware that the Republican agenda includes creating an enormous deficit that will now be used as a pretext for cutting social programs. President Trump’s tax law is little more than a massive redistribution of wealth from the bottom to the top and, as such, is a direct threat to our democracy. The senator has betrayed her constituents.

The Rev. Dr. James Gertmenian

Cumberland Foreside

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