Taxpayer Dollars Pay to Deceive Public on Barrow's Votes to Raise Gas Prices

(Washington, DC) - Congressman John Barrow (D-GA12) is using taxpayer dollars to fund deceptive ads supporting his reelection campaign, sending tens of thousands of full-color four-page flyers across Georgia's 12^th Congressional District, with 100% of the cost involuntarily garnished from the same economically-strapped working families hurt the worst by Barrow's votes to raise gas prices.  

The newsletters, which began hitting mailboxes late last week, were paid for at taxpayer expense, in spite of the fact Barrow is in the heat of a political fight-for-his-life against Republican John Stone, and reportedly has over a million dollars of private campaign money in the bank.      

"This shows in clear terms exactly why John Barrow deserves to be thrown out of office in November," says Stone.  "To use tax dollars to fund his campaign while his bank accounts are bloated with special interest payoffs is reason enough.  But to use the mailers to falsely claim to be fighting the same high gas prices he is personally responsible for creating is criminal."

In his four years in office, Barrow has repeatedly voted to block drilling in Alaska and offshore, block building of new refineries, and block research and development of alternate fuels, compiling a voting record as one of the most anti-consumer members of the House in driving up the price of gas and diesel.    

"Gas was less than two dollars a gallon when John Barrow took office," Stone says.  "His votes against American energy independence are directly responsible for more than a 100% increase in gas and diesel prices at the pump.  We must have new representation that will stand up for working Americans instead of Washington special interests - and stop using federal tax dollars to pay campaign expenses."

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