It isn’t often that an increasingly frustrated conservative Democrat like me gets support for her political views from the opposition. However, those at the Wall Street Journal recently shared their view that the recently passed tax cuts could lend a short-term boost to the economy, but long term could only create large deficits and further enlarge the divide between the wealthy and the poor.

In addition, David Gergen, who is well respected on both sides of the aisle, pointed out in U.S. News & World Report that the new tax program was good politics, but poor fiscal policy. Could this be interpreted to indicate that these tax cuts might have been enacted with upcoming election strategies winning out over the long-term economic health of the country?

Let’s sing another verse of “God Bless America” and get that nice, fuzzy feeling, and not worry about health care concerns, the environment, the education of future generations, and the retirement plans of baby boomers. I thank Sen. Olympia Snowe for her enlightened efforts. A conservative Democrat is fairly socially liberal but fiscally conservative – sort of the opposite of a compassionate conservative.

Margaret A. Bailey

Hampden