2,500 miles across 28 towns for Schock
Peoria,
Aug 22 -
By KAREN McDONALD (kmcdonald@pjstar.com)
Journal Star
In the past week, he toured the Exelon Nuclear Facility in Clinton, visited a farm in Jacksonville and discussed the viaduct project in Chillicothe.
At Connie's Country Kitchen in Toulon, he called for a permanent repeal of the estate tax and stronger enforcement of Mexican borders.
Near Hennepin, he visited Washington Mills - the largest producer of fused materials in North America and one of the world's largest manufacturers of silicon carbide, which can be used in car brakes and bulletproof vests.
U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock's summer tour throughout his 20-county 18th Congressional District began Aug. 9 and will conclude Wednesday. So, far, he's visited 28 towns and driven about 2,500 miles, roughly the distance from Peoria to the Grand Canyon - and that's not including the airline miles from D.C. to Illinois.
"Whether in a small town or big city, the rising national debt is my constituents' No. 1 concern followed by their concern for the economy and their own job security and the possibility of their taxes going up in 2011," Schock said. "Additional questions focus around the health care bill, cap and trade and immigration reform."
In Galesburg, Schock, R-Peoria, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and railroad subcommittee, toured the BNSF Railway's classification yard and hump station.
During his tour, Schock also used just about every method of transportation, including motor coach, car, boat when touring the Peoria Lakes Project, plane (from Illinois to D.C. for an emergency congressional session), train and his own two feet.
He dined with the Roanoke mayor to pay up on a March of Dimes auction item and had lunch with the deputy counsel general of Israel to the Midwest, Shahar Arieli.
Included in the mix was a tour of Spunky Bottoms in Brown County with The Nature Conservancy. Last year, Schock helped secure money for the Emiquon floodplain and Spunky Bottoms to help quell flooding and further siltation into the Illinois River.
Sprinkled between those commitments were town hall meetings dubbed "America Speaking Out" throughout the district, including forums in Chillicothe, Jacksonville, Loraine, Sterling, Elkhart, Forsyth, Petersburg, Mason City, Barry and one in Washington on Saturday.
"I'm constantly reminded how down to earth my constituents are, many of whom want nothing more than to have the federal bureaucracy leave them alone," Schock said. "The bus trip has also allowed me to visit several of the rural areas of my district, where I can meet with farmers, who are the largest employers in my district."
Schock's tour is not related to his re-election campaign in November. Many members of Congress use summer recess to reconnect with their home districts and make the rounds.
Schock said he's using the August recess to get around to parts of his district he can't tour with five-day work weeks in D.C.
For her part, Schock's Democratic opponent in the November primary, D.K. Hirner, also is making the rounds, though her visits are campaign related - in her Ford Escape, she pointed out.
In Peoria recently, she met with Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor Sheila Simon during a roundtable discussion with women business owners. She said she's talked with members of the farm bureaus in Morgan and Cass counties, met with professional and retired women's groups in Logan County, attended a barbecue at the Adams County Knights of Columbus and the annual fish fry in Bath.
"I've been touring the 20 counties of the district and proud to say I've been to all the 20 counties. I've sat in coffee shops and talked about issues. I've been hosted in people's homes," Hirner said. "It may not be a big splash in the pan, but I'm not about a dog-and-pony show. I'm about meeting with people and listening to their concerns."
The idea of charter tours is not a novel one.
In the fall of 2007, then 18th District Congressional Candidate Democrat Dick Versace embarked on a 20-county listening tour touring the district in a motor home. "I promised I would start this campaign with my ears and not my mouth," Versace said at the time.
He later dropped out of the race.
Schock's motor-coach tour comes on the heels of 15 town hall meetings he's held since he was inaugurated into Congress and 18 tele-town hall meetings while he was in D.C.
"To be a good representative, you have to know the people you're representing. That's what this bus trip is all about," Schock said. "It's provided invaluable insight into what my constituents think of Congress today and has also given me ideas as we work on the agenda after the mid-term elections."
The House adjourned on July 30 and held an emergency one-day session Aug. 10 for a $26 billion dollar spending package. The House reconvenes in September for three weeks before adjourning for mid-term elections.
Karen McDonald can be reached at 686-3285 or kmcdonald@pjstar.com.
Copyright 2010 pjstar.com. Some rights reserved
|
