Rep. Seth Berry’s column, “Democrats pushed for affordable tax cuts for working Mainers” (July 1) seems more than a bit disingenuous. After all, the Democrats have had total control of Maine’s government for decades, and there have never been any tax cuts.

There have, however, been tax increases. Last year, Maine people soundly rejected through a people’s veto the Democrat “tax reform” plan that created more than 100 new taxes.

Before that they gave us the Dirigo tax on health care. And then there was the beer, wine, soda and health claims tax. And we can’t forget the automatic gas tax increases that Maine people endure year after year. There was the tax on meals at retirement homes, too. I could go on, but you get the drift.

Thankfully, all of that has changed. Republicans have just given the Maine people the first real tax cuts ever — eliminating some taxes, lowering rates on others and exempting as many people as possible from the income tax.

In stark contrast, Berry’s and the Democrat’s “affordable” tax cuts have in the past been anything but affordable to the taxpayer. Let’s not pretend that this time it would have been different.

As Abraham Lincoln has been quoted as saying, “You can fool some of the people all of the time. You can fool all of the people some of the time. But you can’t fool all the people all of the time.”

Earl Inman

Round Pond