Maine’s majority Democratic party has acted true to form with legislation such as LD 434, “An Act to Price Carbon Pollution in Maine.” Be warned, that is a misleading title. That legislation was a taxation scheme on heating oil, gasoline, kerosene, natural gas, butane and propane. The tax was based on the carbon content of each unit of fuel. The distributor would report each month on the fuel units sold and separately list the tax collected on each invoice. At the end of the year, the taxes collected, held by the Public Utilities Commission, would be transferred to “transmission and distribution utilities” to reduce the rates of the customers of those utilities.

Rushing to co-sponsor that bill with sponsor Rep. Deane Rykerson of Kittery is a list of 61 legislators which include Lewiston Reps. Heidi Brooks, Margaret Craven and James Handy, with Durham Rep. Braden Sharpe. I did not identify any Republicans as co-sponsors.

What excuse will the co-sponsors give at the next election regarding such a punishing tax scheme?

That money-sucking bill was met with serious opposition from distributors and customers and subsequently was reported to be amended to become a study commission.

When a tax-and-spend party like the Democrats have the majority vote, such legislation is an example of their thinking. I hope Maine voters will remember this at the next election.

The Sun Journal should be publishing how legislators vote on important issues.

Thomas Shields, Auburn