I disagree with your Sept. 20 editorial regarding simplifying the tax code now because it is too complicated to deal with during this crisis.

Jobs are a priority. Also keeping the tax cuts for corporations/wealthy won’t help because they’ve used these trillions to create jobs — overseas.

President George W. Bush came into office with trillions in surplus. In eight years, with total Republican participation (and some Democrats), he lost our country eight million jobs while borrowing from China for two invasions, massive tax cuts for the wealthiest, hundreds of billions earned by Vice President Dick Cheney’s companies’ no-bid contracts, $700 billion giveaway to corporate pharmaceuticals and billions to encourage Tony Blair and unheard of countries to help invade Iraq.

Add the AIG bailout, Wall Street shenanigans and deregulation of banks and Bush put almost $9 trillion on our country’s credit card.

President Barack Obama’s stimulus package prevented a depression, contrary to right-wing propaganda. Jobs for America will keep the middle class afloat by creating incentives for small business, infrastructure jobs, cutting payroll taxes, keeping teachers, police and veterans working, etc.

Voters can’t give a president eight years to destroy our economy and expect the next president to fix it in two years. It’s impossible.

The mission of tea party Republicans is to suppress voter rights, politically redistrict states, break unions and gut regulations and education, state by state. Just what Maine and 29 other tea party legislatures have done since 2010.

They want to prevent millions of people from voting, control state districts, lower middle-class wages, have a more uneducated workforce and corporate self-regulation. They already own our Supreme Court (5-4). Citizens United should be called Corporations and Supreme Court United. It’s un-American to vote for those who threaten our democracy.

Gloria Fleming

Augusta