Jerald Cox (March 4) continues conservatives’ claims of “tax and spend liberal policies.” Have people forgotten how many times President Reagan raised taxes? Or how President Bush’s policies got the U.S. into the past recession? Doesn’t anyone realize how much Bush’s wars have cost taxpayers?

The economy did very well under President Clinton. Under President Obama, the stock market is doing wonderfully, the deficit has gone down, gas prices are low, millions more have medical insurance and unemployment is down.

In spite of those successes, the middle class is hurting financially. The long-running Republican crusade to cut every domestic program and to keep lowering taxes for millionaires has caused most of the vast gulf between the super-wealthy and everyone else.

Gov. LePage claims he cares about ordinary working people, but his actions say the opposite. His agenda is run by extremist groups, such as the tea party and ALEC.

LePage has proposed increasing the sales tax, gas tax, tobacco and liquor tax, as well as taxing nonprofits to offset cutting estate and other taxes (which, primarily, help the very wealthy). He wants “right to work” laws, which mean low pay and few benefits.

If working Americans aren’t paid enough to survive without food stamps, the country’s economy deteriorates. The economy prospers only when people have money to spend, so that businesses can succeed and grow.

The government needs to spend money on infrastructure, which creates good jobs, and education, which creates a good future.

Ellen Field, New Gloucester