In today’s Times of Trenton, Josh Zeitz published a powerful op-ed piece on the crisis of energy prices facing American families this summer. Josh is the Democratic candidate for the House in New Jersey’s 4th district, and is challenging long-time Republican incumbent Chris Smith.
Josh rightly calls out Rep. Smith for a series of votes that have contributed to ridiculously high gas prices, in particular his vote to create the Enron loophole in 2000 and, even worse, against closing the loophole earlier this year.
More after the jump.
Josh didn’t pull any punches in going after Smith’s voting record and his acceptance of money from big oil.
These votes illustrate a disappointing pattern: big business first, New Jersey second. I have made it a policy not to accept any corporate PAC (political action committee) money from big oil companies.
Rep. Smith, on the other hand, has accepted more than $57,000 in campaign contributions from big oil companies such as ExxonMobil, Getty, Amoco, Conoco, Texaco and Shell. If our congressman is beholden to big oil companies, how can he possibly lead the way to energy independence?
Josh also offered his own four-point plan for dealing with the energy crisis.
1) Crack down on price-gouging by the oil-companies and investigate price-fixing by OPEC.
2) Increase the tax credit for buying fuel-efficient hybrid cars so that all families can afford to do so.
3) Pass a “use it or lose it” law so that oil companies either commit to actually using the public land on which they hold leases (75% of which is not being utilized right now) or lose the leases
4) Invest in renewable energy sources so that we can not only increase fuel efficiency but also create jobs in the green economy that we all know is going to be a growth area in this new century.
Josh recognizes that we have to both address gas prices today and reduce consumption of fossil fuels in the long run. Doing so is crucial for our economy and our national security.
Please visit Josh’s website, consider making a contribution and becoming a volunteer. To volunteer please email ian_at_joshzeitz_dot_com.