Letter: Beem is wrong about taxes

I can’t believe Edgar Allen Beem can be so out of touch with reality. At first glance, I thought "Raise taxes, please" was sarcasm. Then after reading the piece, I realized that he just doesn’t get it.

Maybe he is a rich man, so maybe a few thousand dollars a year in extra taxes doesn’t mean much to him. The current per capita income for Mainers is $35,381. The wealthy people in this state are responsible for this number being as high as it is. But I’m sure he realizes that most of us aren’t wealthy.

It’s not easy for many seniors to live on Social Security benefits. There are a lot of Mainers receiving benefits from MaineCare and using food stamps. There are those that can’t afford heating oil and other essentials. There are currently 57,900 Mainers out of work. Maybe if the taxes were lower, these people would be better off.

Our neighboring state, New Hampshire is operating without a state income tax. What are they doing that Maine can’t do? The reason states, counties and municipalities are experiencing deficits is most likely due to government overspending on the wrong things.

Raise taxes ? No. Lower taxes on individuals and also on business so as to put Mainers back to work.

Roger Dammer
Freeport