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LETTER: Money a powerful persuader in federal election

Despite this realization, Maple Ridge’s John McKenzie still encourage fellow residents to vote
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Dear Editor,

I feel that it is important to further understand who and what is behind the climate deniers and their promoters, the right-wing billionaires, like the Koch brothers and many more of the “one per cent” spend hundreds of millions to influence the media and our elected politicians in their climate denial claims.

This extraordinary amount of money that they spend has a direct effect on our elections and some right-wing politician’s policies on climate change.

An excellent book to read on this subject is; Jane Mayer’s, Dark Money, which thoroughly documents the Koch brothers efforts to subvert our democracies in their attempt to protect their own fossil fuel corporate interests.

She is an investigative journalist who is not co-opted or bought-out by the corporations.

Her book thoroughly explains how and why these billionaires spend hundreds of millions to change our opinions on climate change.

Mayer quotes Chrystia Freeland from her book, Plutocrats, “how those with massive financial fortunes almost universally use them to secure policies beneficial to their interests, often at the expense of those less fortunate.”

Yes, Chrystia Freeland, our own federal minister of foreign affairs in her book on the billionaires of our world seems to understand this important point of the effects of big money in corrupting our democracies. Wow!

READ MORE: Letter: How dare you ridicule climate strikers?

Well, there’s nothing really new in our history about the rich trying to buy political influence with their vast wealth.

But, does the public understand the role that the money plays in this very important issue of undermining our democracies? And, how powerful the right-wing think-tanks work to win the hearts and minds of the public?

I think not!

Why don’t the politicians want to discuss how much money they receive from these very corporations and their CEOs; which is clearly an attempt to influence their policies while in government? Like the recent affair of certain corporate executives trying to get the prime minister to drop their court case against them, by pressuring the justice minister.

Wow!

Money talks, folks!

And, unfortunately the bigger the money; the more it influences our politicians and how they behave and what policies they enact into law.

So please take this into account when voting this upcoming election. Who can you trust and who is not bought out by big money and the corporations?

But, do get out and vote!

John E. McKenzie, Maple Ridge

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