Congressman Mike Rogers is one the Republican Party’s “chosen,” rising quickly in the ranks of the U.S. House as a freshman. Voters would do well to re-elect the Brighton Republican to represent the 8th Congressional District.
Following his defeat of state Sen. Dianne Byrum, D-Onondaga, who we endorsed in the 2000 election, Rogers was named a member of the House majority whip team. He has since proved himself to be an apt representative of MSU and the entire district.
Rogers is both likable and moderate enough that he should appeal to the majority of voters.
He also is MSU’s best chance to grab the U.S. Department of Energy’s Rare Isotope Accelerator from the House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s Illinois district. If anyone can persuade the speaker to let MSU have the $900-million project, we believe it is Rogers.
When it comes down to it, Rogers’ opponent, Lansing Democrat Frank McAlpine, is out of touch with what it takes to be a U.S. representative.
Libertarian Thomas Yeutter also is running for the seat.
McAlpine, who ran for Congress in 1992 as an independent, offers voters little information about his plans and a lot of sound bites about his displeasure with Rogers.
But McAlpine simply doesn’t have the plans to outdo Rogers.
That doesn’t mean that Rogers is without faults. As a state senator, Rogers sponsored the law requiring voters register to vote using the address on their driver’s licenses. The measure largely is seen by young voters as a move to further disenfranchise them.
Rogers should make it a priority to reach out to the thousands of student voters in his district and help educate them to go to the polls.
Rogers is a very likable guy. Although many students lean to the left, if he makes an effort to reach out to young people in the 8th District, Rogers should be able to run away with their vote. In the process, he’s sure to become a better representative.
The congressman has reached out to students on some issues already. He has a plan to cut taxes on earnings from college savings accounts while increasing the federal Pell grants.
Rogers also is dedicated to eliminating Canadian trash imports, preserving Social Security and working with foreign allies to strengthen the force against terrorism. He has visited the Middle East numerous times.
And despite some of his GOP colleagues, Rogers supports affirmative action measures, although he is quick to point out he doesn’t support quotas - which we don’t think affirmative action automatically implies.
But we do wish Rogers would make an effort to reach out to his district’s lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community. Perhaps if he did, he would better understand the need for equal rights legislation.
Still, Rogers’ experience and record speak highly to his capability.
Voters should give Rogers the chance to develop that record further by re-electing him to Congress.
