I could not believe the incredibly divisive rhetoric espoused by Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe when defending her vote against a middle-class tax cut, claiming it was “unknown” how many of those businesses were so-called “small” businesses.

I think the vast majority of Mainers would agree that they would love to be in the position to have their first million dollars in earnings not be counted for the purposes of taxation. She then engaged in more class warfare, claiming millionaires are getting food stamps.

I was shocked and astonished that Maine’s senior senator would resort to the Karl Rove-type dirty-tricks bag instead of serving her constituents and doing what is in the best interest of Mainers.

She is refusing to give the middle class a tax break, alleging it isn’t funded. Where was she when former President George W. Bush gave massive tax breaks to the super wealthy (and they have exceeded a trillion dollars already) and started two wars, none of which was funded/

To finally decide it was necessary to pay for a tax cut (again exercising what a short memory Republicans have when it comes to unfunded tax cuts) when this tax break would give 160 million struggling people (a conservative estimate) $160 billion to pump into the economy, flies in the face of common sense and decency.

To then have Republican Sen. Susan Collins chime in with her own divisive rhetoric of wanting to tax the “idly” rich as opposed to the wealthy “job creators” is just mind-boggling.

Sandra Jean Ford, Mexico