The Detroit Free Press editorial in the May 1 Press Herald uses platitudes, generalities and propaganda in place of facts, data and proven causal relationships.

Labeling President Biden’s proposals “liberal wish lists,” an intended pejorative; writing that raising taxes on the wealthy will be detrimental to “the economy” and “there’s no way that the middle class (undefined term) won’t get hit” but offering no specifics to back this up. Quoting the Heritage Foundation, font of conservative wish lists, they state, “increasing taxes on businesses hurts real people.” Business owners are, of course, real people, and alas, since Citizens United, so are businesses; their vague statement manufactures factually ungrounded fear.

The question, “Who benefits?” can cut through the vagary and subterfuge of political puff pieces. Clearly Biden’s proposals intend to help the less fortunate families and children most negatively affected by the structured inequality that is the U.S. economy, including the bottom 40 percent who are unable to afford a $400 mishap.

The writer is very concerned with the top 5 percent of earners, who would pay additional income, capital gains and inheritance taxes under Biden’s plan. It is telling that they consider the ultra-wealthy losing farms, cottages and small businesses (another undefined term) “heartless,” when the citizens Biden is trying to help rarely own homes or have any economic security.

The editorial promotes benefit for the owner class, at the expense of the vulnerable employee class. Why is a newspaper writer in Detroit, a city devastated by inequality, carrying the water for the oligarchs?

Teg Glendon
South Portland