Plaudits for Maine voters. Despite the Sun Journal’s last-minute embracing and hawking of Augusta’s so-called “tax reform” measure, the people of Maine saw through the lies and deceit, defeating it by a sizable measure.

Perhaps our illustrious leaders will finally realize that Maine’s people are not the gullible buffoons they seem to believe we are.

That measure was nothing more than a huge tax increase disguised as a benefit by reducing the income tax.

By expanding the sales tax, I want to know how mathematical geniuses deduced that a questionable, measly, yearly income tax savings of $150 ($12.50 per month) would offset the increased tax burden on Maine families. I want to know how accounting wizards figured that the measure would shift the tax burden to tourists. In the best of times, the tourist season covers four months a year. Since visitors already pay taxes on most amenities of interest to them, the true burden of the outrageous deception rested on every Mainer, 12 months a year.

Following the vote, a proponent’s article in the Sun Journal wailed how Maine voters consistently rejected tax reform for more than 40 years. Quite the contrary; we have not, and would never, reject honest tax reform.

We reject political shams.

From bitter experience, we have learned that when Augusta hands us a nickel with one hand, the other hand is rifling our pockets for a quarter.

Roger R. Turcotte, Lewiston