WASHINGTON – A conservative organization has begun airing radio ads in Maine, urging residents to call their senators and “ask them to be heroes and support President George W. Bush’s tax cut plan.”

The United Senior Association (USA), a conservative, nonprofit, public interest organization, is spending $2 million to run the ads in Maine, Vermont, North Dakota and Montana. USA is funded with membership dues and private contributions and is especially concerned with issues like Medicare and Social Security reform.

In one ad, entertainer and USA national spokesman Art Linkletter tells listeners that “politicians say the darndest things” and he urges listeners to call the senators “right now” and “to tell them you’ve been overcharged – you want a refund.”

A national telephone survey sponsored by USA and conducted among 800 likely voters over the age of 60 between Feb. 28 and March 4, found that 70 percent of those questioned felt it is “very important to pass an across-the-board tax cut in the next six months,” said Charles Jarvis, president and CEO of USA.

“The engine of the economy is sputtering and losing speed, and we need fuel to get it going again,” said Jarvis. “We have received emails, letters and phone calls by the thousands from our members, telling us how much the slowing economy has hurt them.”

The “Freedom Tax” campaign is just starting, according to Jarvis. USA plans to release additional ads in South Dakota, Arkansas, Louisiana and Georgia in the coming weeks. In addition, the organization will start TV ads, Internet and telephone campaigns, and hold town meetings.

USA chose Maine as one of its first targets because both Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are “leader senators” who have not endorsed the Bush tax cut plan as proposed, USA says.

“These are not attack ads,” Jarvis said. “They are encouragement ads.”

Both senators have great influence on other senators and have expressed concerns about the economic downturn, according to Jarvis. “Snowe could turn the direction of the economy from stagnation into dynamism literally by herself just because of her authority in the Senate,” he said.

Jarvis said Snowe wants to expand funding for education and other programs, but without additional funds those programs cannot be strengthened, he said.

So far, the ads have not caused much of a stir.

“We are aware that the ads are running, but we haven’t seen an increase in correspondence from constituents,” according to Dave Lackey, press secretary for Snowe. “Mainers have contacted us expressing their opinion about the tax proposal, but we can’t trace them to the ad.”

Lackey said he does not believe Snowe has seen the ads but added that usually “ads like these contribute to the overall base of information” and are considered constructive. However, he said, Snowe does not use ads to make up her mind about issues.

The ads had no influence on Collins’ opinion of the type of tax relief that should be enacted and she does not feel pressured by the ads, said spokeswoman Felicia Knight.

Even though the ads are vague, Knight said, people could get the impression that the senators don’t support tax relief at all. “That’s just not the case,” Knight said.

“If this group doesn’t know that’s her position, then they haven’t done their homework,” Knight said. “She believes in tax relief, but wants to make certain that it will not undermine the fiscal responsibility.”

Both senators support tax relief, but both have suggested changes to Bush’s tax plan, such as including a trigger that would allow Congress to automatically suspend tax cuts if the national debt were not paid off quickly enough.

“Neither of the ads say they don’t support tax relief,” said Jarvis. “We simply ask them to be a hero [and support Bush’s plan]. We are not trying to bombard anyone.”

USA is not counting the calls made by constituents in response to the ads, Jarvis said. “Our role is to encourage them to express their views and to educate them about important issues,” he said.