I thank the Sun Journal for its editorials consistently pointing out the discrepancies between what our president says and what the policies he implements actually do. We need all the help we can get in seeing the truth because this Republican administration is unusually clever at disguising it.

The president’s budget calls for drastic cuts in federal programs and services, which will harm children, seniors and working adults. The cuts are especially harmful for job training, social services, veterans, law enforcement, housing and child care.

At the same time, the budget calls for far-reaching changes in the congressional budget process that will hide the true costs of the Bush tax cuts, make it easier to pass new tax cuts and impose caps on domestic spending.

The president’s budget calls for making his past tax cuts permanent and for enacting new tax cuts for the wealthy. While many of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts would be made permanent, including the permanent repeal of the estate tax on millionaires, a closer look shows it also imposes $5.3 billion in new taxes. These are increases in so-called “user fees” and excise taxes. And there would also be $1.6 trillion in new tax cuts over 10 years, most benefiting the wealthy.

This Republican administration clearly does not have the best interests of the average, working-class person in mind, no matter what it tries to make us believe. The already-wealthy are the chief beneficiaries of these policies.

Joyce White, Stoneham

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