Endorsements from Newspapers2008 | 2006 | 2004 | 2002 | 2000 Rockford Register Star The congressman who accused a president of plotting a federal takeover of the schools and who promised to serve no more than 12 years has mellowed. We’re glad for it. THE FACT IS, AFTER 10 years in office, Manzullo, R-Egan, is in a better position to influence policy and help the 16th District. He should be re-elected to a sixth term. Manzullo is rightly proud of his role in getting a $180 million rail-to-truck facility built in Rochelle. He found $300,000 in federal funds for a feasibility study. He linked officials of the Union Pacific railroad with Rochelle officials. The hub project won’t be done for a year. Already, it has spurred $100 million in building as companies locate in the area. IN 2001, MANZULLO became chairman of the House Small Business Committee. The committee is not one of Capitol Hill’s plums. But it has given him an important platform for small business, which creates the majority of new jobs. A champion of free trade, Manzullo has taken flak for encouraging trade with China. He is right. China abuses human rights; it has unfair trade restrictions. The only route to change, however, is through open doors. U.S. business only hurts itself by shutting out China’s market of 1.3 billion people. According to Manzullo, the federal government can be a greater foe. Manufacturers find export licenses tough to obtain because of national security concerns. Too often, the concerns border on the ludicrous. If elected, the congressman should use his influence to change the situation. While he glories in detail, he must keep his eyes glued on the bigger picture. He can evolve. In 1999, he lambasted former President Clinton for a proposed education reform that he said was a federal takeover. In 2002, Manzullo prides himself in bipartisanship. He works well with the ranking Democrat on his committee who, ironically, is not friendly to free trade. YEARS AGO, MANZULLO was criticized for being an ideologue. Now, even though he is opposed to abortion, he doesn’t mind using the import of the abortion drug RU-486 as an example of how drug costs could be controlled. He turned around on term limits, too. The measures were no good anyway. They limit lawmakers as they gain influence and deny the public of effective representation. Manzullo’s Democratic opponent, John Kutsch of Harvard, got into the race because he was enraged at free trade. He is a one-note candidate. Manzullo is our pick."
Johnsburg is the last community along the Fox River to pump untreated sewage into the river. And Johnsburg officials turned to U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo, R-IL, for federal help. Getting the money from Congress was problematic until Manzullo approached House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-IL, to sign off on aid for Johnsburg. It helps to have friends in high places. Manzullo, a lawyer from Egan, is seeking his sixth term in Congress. The experience serves the 16th District well. The 16th District includes Crystal Lake, Harvard and Marengo. Manzullo is chairman of the Small Business Committee. He understands the importance small business plays in local economies. Manzullo supports expansion of O'Hare International Airport, and supports expanded use of Rockford Airport instead of a new one in Peotone. Manzullo knows O'Hare is a major employer of McHenry County residents. O'Hare is critical to the economy from McHenry County to Chicago. Last term, he secured $9 million for the western bypass of Algonquin. A new transportation bill will be drafted next year, and Manzullo will fight for more federal money to improve roads here. Manzullo is being challenged by Harvard Democrat John Kutsch, a self-employed industrial designer. The focus of his campaign is the poor state of technical training in the 16th District, and the loss of manufacturing and white-collar to foreign countries, where wages, work conditions and environmental laws are limited or nonexistent. But it is someone with Manzullo's experience and small business devotion that will best attack that problem. We recommend that voters re-elect Manzullo on Nov. 5. "He is rightly proud of his efforts to win Persian Gulf War veterans help for service-related maladies. He supported the Patriot Act, which expanded federal powers, but also introduced legislation to improve the Equal Access to Justice Act of 1980 to help citizens defend against or challenge conduct of the federal government. "That makes him one of the few conservatives speaking about individual rights, a nice change from nationalistic excess. "He is also proud of the assistance helped provide for Route 31 and 62 road improvements in Algonquin, the Union Pacific's intermodal transportation center in Rochelle and expansion at the Greater Rockford Airport. "His help to securing funds for a sewage treatment plant will end Johnsburg's dubious role as the last Fox River community without sewage treatment, an environmental improvement of which Manzullo is understandably proud."
"He is rightly proud of his efforts to win Persian Gulf War veterans help for service-related maladies. He supported the Patriot Act, which expanded federal powers, but also introduced legislation to improve the Equal Access to Justice Act of 1980 to help citizens defend against or challenge conduct of the federal government. "That makes him one of the few conservatives speaking about individual rights, a nice change from nationalistic excess. "He is also proud of the assistance helped provide for Route 31 and 62 road improvements in Algonquin, the Union Pacific's intermodal transportation center in Rochelle and expansion at the Greater Rockford Airport. "His help to securing funds for a sewage treatment plant will end Johnsburg's dubious role as the last Fox River community without sewage treatment, an environmental improvement of which Manzullo is understandably proud."
If re-elected, Manzullo says he will make transportation issues and reinvigorating the local manufacturing base his top priorities. We will hold him to those promises." |
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