OPINION: Vote in Your Best Interest

A letter to the editor by Rosemary L’Erario of Eastampton, NJ

New Jersey’s third district has been considered a safe race for Republicans for as long as I can remember, with the exception of the election of John Adler in 2008. I can only hope that we all understand what’s at stake in this November’s election, because a vote for the incumbent is a vote against our best interests.

MacArthur won’t run on his record, instead it’s clear that he’s hiding from it, and no wonder. After four years of doing no significant work for his constituents, in 2017 he authored the MacArthur Amendment, which would’ve been disastrous for all Americans, including the many Seniors in our district. His amendment would’ve raised the cost of health insurance for those over age 50. 

But you can’t get him to admit that; in fact, he has repeatedly lied about it. He has claimed that his amendment never had an “age tax.” Nothing could be further from the truth. His amendment would’ve removed the protections against gouging those of us with preexisting conditions, while our premiums increased disproportionately to those of younger customers. And while we’re paying more, he received contributions from the companies that would benefit most.

He’s lied about his own legislation, about the negative effects of legislation he supports, about being bi-partisan, and most of all, blatantly lies about his opponent, Andy Kim.

I’ve been to several of Andy Kim’s events and have talked with him. He shares my values. His entire career has been about public service. He’s refused to take Corporate PAC donations, or use the revolving door from Congress to lobbyist. He has promised to meet with his constituents in a monthly town hall, something his opponent has refused to do since May, 2017.

We cannot continue to elect people to represent us, just because they have an R or D after their name. It is our responsibility to be an educated electorate, to learn about them, and understand that what we see in political ads, may or may not be true. Please… take a long look at the candidates and find out who’s fighting for you and me. This is an important election. I’ve done my homework and I’m happily supporting Andy Kim to represent New Jersey’s third district.

Editor’s note: The opinions in this letter are the author’s only.

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