Please set Shawn Hamilton and perhaps countless other readers straight regarding “Dole, gas and politics” (BDN, May 13).

As many informed citizens know, the 1993 gas tax increase was part of Clinton’s $265 billion tax increase, the largest in the nation’s history. After much debate in which the adverse impacts of a gas tax were voiced, including its inconsistency with the promise of a tax cut on the middle class made by Clinton, the tax measure passed solely on the strength of the Democratic majority. Not one single Republican (including Dole) voted on the tax package that was signed into law by the hypocritical president.

Hamilton’s position regarding taxes reflects one of two fiscal choices which voters must make in this year’s election: He apparently favors the use of tax revenues to balance the budget; the other choice is cuts in government spending to balance the budget. Ironically, the 4.3-cent tax increase was not used to directly lower the deficit. Instead, it went to the General Fund to be spent.

If Dole’s initiative was to get votes, I hope he got a ton of them based on his actions to repeal Bill Clinton’s 1993 tax increase. Ron Goldstone Dexter