Informed Voters Fume Over Bishop’s “Big Oil” Release

MASTIC, NY (06/30/2008)(readMedia)-- After his opponent issued a misleading, spin-filled press release and blast email regarding the energy issue, Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate for New York's First Congressional District, again called for debates with his opponent to begin immediately and issued the following two statements:

I've challenged my opponent to debate numerous times and through various mediums yet he's failed to accept my challenge for debates to begin immediately. Plain and simply, my opponent's afraid to debate me. However, the issues cannot afford a summer vacation and the lack of accountability in New York's First Congressional District is getting ridiculous.

The last thing ‘LI Tim Bishop' wants is to have to answer for his DC alter ego. His inability to ever say "no" to his leadership-he's voted with the liberal, misguided agenda of his party 98.8 percent of the time, the second worse of 535 members of Congress-makes him little more than a Pelosi Poodle. This ultra-liberal track record puts him on the wrong side of important economic, national security and homeland security issues:

• He recently voted in favor of the largest tax increase in American history;
• He opposes responsible oil exploration, while gas prices are up over 75 percent since January 2007, when Bishop and his cronies took over Congress (many Republicans must also shoulder some of the blame for past decisions and inaction);
• He supports a windfall profits tax, even though it is known that the tax will be passed down to consumers;
• He continues draining ammunition, supplies and equipment on deployed troops and preaches that we can no longer stay the course, while continuing his insistence against traveling to Iraq and elsewhere overseas;
• He supports hiring halls for illegal aliens; and
• He voted for a $190 billion cut to Medicare for seniors.

I hate to interrupt his summer vacation, but we're facing record fuel prices, rising food prices, falling home prices amongst an incredibly low Congressional approval rating. Now, more than ever, the hardworking men and women of Eastern Long Island are angry and demand answers. It's the job of any and all elected officials to explain their positions, especially in an election season.

For the voters, I remain available anytime, and any place. Follow me Congressman.

Last week, my opponent insulted the collective intelligence of Eastern Long Island voters with a release entitled "What Big Oil Is Hiding?"

While I find it hypocritical that my opponent continues to hide from debating me while calling out the obvious, faceless targets, we actually do share some common ground-we are both critics of big oil.

Unlike my opponent, I recognize that our economy shouldn't operate like the Soviet Union and I will never espouse logic as if I were teaching Spin 101 to co-eds in the Stony Brook-Southampton Political Science Department.

Here are some Inconvenient Truths for the Sierra Club's 2008 endorsee:

• Flaw: My opponent quotes the Wall Street Journal, bemoaning the 68 million acres of land currently owned by Big Oil.
• Fact: The Wall Street Journal also points out that, considering the logistical challenges behind drilling and the recognized inexact science of drilling, companies buy large swaths of land that take years to develop with hopes that a fraction will work out.

• Flaw: My opponent only tells half the story about drilling on federal lands.
• Fact: Most of the drilling on federal leases has been for natural gas, not oil, and natural gas production was way up and so was demand. 73 percent of all exploratory and development wells in 2007 were for natural gas.

• Flaw: My opponent downplays the reality of exploration on Alaska's Northern Slope, mischaracterizing the situation on these lands.
• Fact: Regarding ANWR, 10.4 billion barrels of oil are now economically recoverable according to the U.S. Geological Survey. That is more than twice the proven oil reserves in all of Texas. That is almost half of the total U.S. proven reserve of 21 billion barrels. ANWR would provide 1 million barrels per day for 30 years. That's a 20 percent increase in domestic production.

The Coastal Plain of ANWR, also known as the 1002 Area, is neither wilderness nor refuge; it was set aside by Congress and President Carter in 1980 for future oil development. Development would be limited to 2000 acres of the Coastal Plain (0.01% of the entire 19.6 million-acre refuge).

While he mentions the need to make strategic decisions, he conspicuously fails to provide any solutions, proving the point he set out to pin on big oil: that you can spin the truth in whatever manner behooves your goals and aims.

Here are some of my hard truths:

• As a matter of national defense-defending us from foreign enemies and protecting our wallets-our nation's reliance on foreign oil must end.
• I support robust investment in alternative energy initiatives, such as those harnessing wind and sun.
• The Iraqi government should be handed an $80 billion dollar bill for infrastructure improvements. The Iraqi government has an $80 billion dollar oil surplus and still relies on our military presence. We deserve compensation.
• We must continue to investigate any improper market manipulation which is contributing to high energy prices.

The truth is that my opponent's powerless energy policy will not end our reliance on foreign oil. If only we could use his spin and hot air to power some windmills, we might be on to something...

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Zeldin served as an aide to State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle. The Shirley resident studied at the University at Albany, graduated from Albany Law School, and earned his commission through Army ROTC. He was a paratrooper, prosecutor and magistrate with the 82nd Airborne Division and XVIII Airborne Corps. In the summer of 2006, he was a JAG attorney deployed to Iraq. He is currently an attorney at Raiser & Kenniff on Long Island.

For more information on Lee's campaign please visit us at www.zeldin08.com

Paid for by Lee Zeldin for Congress