1) Reduced poverty?
2) Improved education?
3) Stopped illegal drugs from damaging our society?
4) Sustained peace for any length of time?
5) Secured our borders and enforced immigration laws?
6) Controlled government spending?
7) Convicted corrupt government officials?
8) Eliminated abortion from our society?
9) Held honest elections?
10) Assisted with providing citizens with affordable OR FREE energy?
11) Reduced crime?
12) LOWERED or eliminated TAXES?
13) Listened to the people whom they supposedly represent?

The sad thing is we have the technology and resources to drastically improve our world (not just the U.S.!).

Why does mankind continue to put its faith in politicians? History proves time and time again that politicians cannot be trusted to significantly assist in advancing civilization.

SPECIAL FEATURE! A CLASSIC!

UPDATE: March 20, 2012 Manzullo lost his bid for relelection. : )

The following is from a 18 years in office, career politician. This is his response to a letter written to him in October, 2010 asking him about his knowledge on 11 specific topics. MOI would love to offer commentary but will refrain. You're on your own as this speaks volumes by itself.

Response letter received 12-14-10:
 
Thank you for contacting me about a number of issues that concern you. It is good to hear from you.
 
First, you expressed concern about the possible dangers in fluoride in our nation's drinking water.  Approximately 60 percent of the U.S. drinking water supply is currently fluorinated.  Many people believe that fluoride helps prevent tooth decay.  A few European countries have fluorinated their water in the past, but some have stopped the process because of conflicting scientific studies regarding whether or not fluoride causes certain illnesses.  However, depending on where you live, water supplies are regulated the local, county or state level.  The federal government does not make the determination to add fluoride to a local water supply. Therefore, I suggest you bring your concerns on this issue to the attention of a local water authority official.
 
Regarding vaccinations, and specifically the swine flu vaccination, there is a wide range of evidence that is being debated in the medical community regarding the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.  Although vaccinations can cause problems and illnesses in some, I agree with most medical experts that it is important to vaccinate our children, as vaccines are much more likely to help rather than harm a child.  In fact, vaccines have been so effective that many people now don't even know what many diseases look like (such as smallpox) or what problems the diseases can cause.
 
You also raised concerns about genetically modified foods, or GMOS.  Because of the widespread adoption of genetically-modified corn, cotton, and soybean in the United States, legislation has been debated in the past regarding the supervision of this practice.  You may be interested to know that I voted for the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-85), which, among other provisions, requires that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to produce a report on environmental risks associated with genetically engineered foods.  In addition, the legislation required the Institute of Medicine to conduct studies to assess the overall safety and quality of genetic testing. Since then, no legislation affecting GMOs has been debated in Congress.  Please rest assured that if any pertinent legislation comes before the House on this topic, I will certainly keep your views in mind.
 
Regarding "chemtrails," some believe that white trails left behind commercial airliners high in the sky are actually filled with chemicals that may be used for weather control or population control.  It is my understanding that accusations regarding the true content of these trails began to circulate after the United States Air Force published a paper in 1996 titled Weather as a Force Multiplier: Owning the Weather in 2025.  This paper discussed ways in which the weather could be manipulated by humans for the purpose of warfare.  Weather manipulation has been successfully practiced on different occasions in the past.  However, I have seen no evidence that white trails from commercial airliners have anything to do with "chemtrails."  In fact, "chemtrails" maybe confused with normal contrails, which are formed when hot high-pressure jet exhaust gases mix with rarefied cool air.  In a process similar to cloud formation, the water present in the jet exhaust freezes quickly, forming a white haze.  Contrails and "chemtrails" are also different than the grayish "vapor trails" sometimes seen when flying low with flaps extended.  These are formed of liquid water from compression of moist air under the wing.  On days when cirrus cloud formation is occurring, there is more moisture in the upper atmosphere, and consequently, contrails may linger longer before evaporating.  Since cirrus clouds often precede a general overcast or haze, the casual observer could easily assume that the contrails have caused the overcast, or become the overcast.
 
About the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), I disagree that the FDA is more concerned with the profits of the pharmaceutical companies than the health of the individuals it is supposed to serve.  Because the FDA's general approach is that pharmaceutical chemicals are suggested as the first-line treatment of diseases, many herbal products have shown promise in studies but have not been studied by the FDA.  However, throughout my tenure in Congress I have never seen evidence that the FDA is abandoning the health and well-being of Americans to progress business profits.  I do believe it is important the FDA consider and study herbal supplements as well, so they can consider the safety of those products as well.
 
As you know, The Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) is a facility located on a small island off the coast of Long Island in New York.  It opened during the Cold War in 1954 for the purpose of testing biological weapons that could have been used against America's livestock.  The official mandate of Plum Island is to protect America's livestock from animal diseases.  In 2003, the facility transferred from the control of the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), fueling speculation that their mission is actually something more sinister.  However, this transition occurred because the legislation creating DHS mandated the transfer. I have seen no evidence that the PIADC is doing anything other than their stated mission to protect the health of livestock on farms across American from foreign disease agents. 
 
The Bilderberg Group is an informal group of high-ranking officials from both the public and private sectors that have met annually since 1954.  They are named for the hotel in the Netherlands where they first met.  The first meeting in 1954 was intended to promote "Atlanticism" and garner cooperation amongst Western nations on political, economic, and military issues against the Soviet bloc during the Cold War.  The group meets each year in a hotel with no press allows to allow frank and open discussion.  However, the "off-the-record" approach has resulted in suspicion about their activities.  However, many informal groups meet without any press coverage (such as the World Economic Forum that meets in Davos, Switzerland every year) so I do not agree with the rumors about this particular group.
 
Recently, the topic of taser use by police officers has become an issue of concern.  Like you, I am concerned about law enforcement using violent means on citizens.  However, I believe tasers, if properly used, can be a good alternative to guns, because it is extremely unlikely that a taser can fatally wound a person.  However, law enforcement is generally regulated at the state or local level, so the decisions about taser useage by police officers is likely made by each individual city or state, not the federal government. 
 
The BP oil spill was a tragic event, and I had the opportunity to travel to the Gulf Coast and saw firsthand how the resulting oil spill is severely threatening the health of the precious wetlands, wildlife and fisheries in the Gulf.  You inquired about the use of Corexit, which is the dispersant chemical used in the aftermath of the oil spill.  Corexit is designed to break up the oil slicks but the toxicity of the chemical is still a concern.  However this particular oil spill dispersant is also one very effective and proven method of minimizing the impact of a spill on the environment.  Major tests at both Louisiana State University and the University of Miami have clearly showed that Corexit can effectively protect the environment.
 
I do support military action if warranted.  I believe the war in Afghanistan is necessary for our national security and to preserve the long-term peace.  We must remember that the attacks of September 11, 2001 were conceived and launched from Afghanistan.  I do not believe that we should let that nation fall back into the failed state it was before 9/11 or allow al Qaeda to re-establish terrorist training camps under a hostile Taliban regime to attack our homeland or our allies and possibly destabilize nuclear-armed Pakistan.  In fact, most Members of Congress of both political parties believe it is important that we give the President's plan for Afghanistan a chance to succeed.
 
Lastly, I believe the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a trustworthy source of intelligence.  There have been problems in the past but fortunately, our democratic system enabled Congress to enact a series of reforms that curtailed the worst abuses of the past.  It's a delicate balancing act, however, because some of those reforms went too far in the other direction and curtailed our human intelligence gathering capability, which resulted in the U.S. relying too much on high technology for our intelligence.  This is one of the reasons why the 9/11 attacks happened because we were not able to put the dots together in time.
 
Thank you again for contacting me about theses issues.  I appreciate hearing your views on these matters.  Best wishes.

Sincerely,
Donald A. Manzullo
Member of Congress
Illinois 16th District