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Opinion: Combat PAC money with voting for Cobb, says Colton resident

Posted 9/24/18

To the Editor: In a recent e-newsletter, Congresswoman Stefanik featured her co-sponsorship of a bill called the “U.S.-Israel Directed Energy Cooperation Act.” It seemed odd, so I checked her …

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Opinion: Combat PAC money with voting for Cobb, says Colton resident

Posted

To the Editor:

In a recent e-newsletter, Congresswoman Stefanik featured her co-sponsorship of a bill called the “U.S.-Israel Directed Energy Cooperation Act.” It seemed odd, so I checked her official website for details but found none. Why is this bill needed? Is there any cost to taxpayers? What groups support it? Are there any North Country voters clamoring for such a bill?

In researching supporters of Israel, I came on Paul Singer, CEO and founder of Elliott Management. Turns out his corporate PAC is by far the largest contributor to Stefanik’s campaigns. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Elliott Management PAC has contributed $213,482 to Stefanik’s campaigns and Stefanik is among the top recipients of their funds. Why?

The next largest contributor to the Stefanik campaign is Boeing PAC at $37,500. As a member of House Armed Services Committee, doesn’t Stefanik have a conflict of interest accepting large contributions from defense contractor PAC’s that have a business interest in getting the Congress to fund them? Is she able to be unbiased when deciding whether to spend taxpayers’ money feeding defense contractors’ insatiable appetite to build “Star Wars” weapons versus supporting our troops on the ground?

The vast majority of Stefanik’s campaign funds come from billionaires and the corporate PAC’s they control, such as Elliott Managment PAC and Estee Lauder PAC, both of which support right-wing Israeli policies, and corporate PAC’s of defense industry behemoths like Boeing, Raytheon, and Lockheed-Martin.

These super-rich and corporate PAC’s are spending lots to represent their interests in Congress. But can any of those super-rich and Corporate PAC donors actually vote in NY-21 District?

The good news is that we who live and work in the North Country can. Make your vote count.

Support Tedra Cobb. She will represent our interests, not those of the mega-rich that threaten our democracy. Tedra refuses contributions from Corporate PAC’s. She receives most of her funds from us – voters in NY-21. Vote Tedra on November 6th.

Bob Penski

Colton