The Khaki Elephant Endorses A Friend: Joe Knollenberg

I've written about him before but with the race tight and the stakes high, I'm writing again to ask those of you in Michigan's 9th Congressional District to vote for my friend, Joe Knollenberg. And he's not just my friend, but a friend to everybody who calls Michigan home.

The current congress is running about as smoothly as the old Pontiac Catalina that carried me during my college days. With a coat hanger in the turn signal, a rear bumper held together by Molly Hatchett bumper stickers and doors you had to hurdle like Bo and Luke Duke, my old hoopty was a rolling disaster. But that's not to say that nothing on her worked. There was . . . um . . . well . . . let's see . . . the lights, yes, the lights worked. And WOW, did they shine brightly!

Looking at the current do-nothing congress it is tempting to simply vote for change and throw out every incumbent that we can grab by the haunches. But just because the group is a sordid slough, that doesn't mean there aren't some bright lights shining through the morass. Joe Knollenberg is one of those bright lights (and I'll bet you never thought you'd read that about anyone this side of Sarah Palin on The Khaki Elephant).

Michigan's economy is stumbling under a Governor who has taxed corporations to southern flight, but that hasn't stopped Joe from working through the Federal Government to secure assistance for our struggling state. The Congressman has fought to bring nearly $39 million in grants to Michigan industries. These grants are currently helping to fund research and development for alternative fuel vehicles in the birthplace of the American auto industry. Joe has also formed Big3Defense.com, a grassroots effort to help defend auto industry jobs.

But Michigan industry and it's workforce aren't the only benefactors of Joe's congressional clout. He's also brought millions of dollars for health care research and treatment to places like Detroit's Karmanos Cancer Institute and my Alma Mater, The University of Michigan, for their "cutting edge ways to replace kidney function," (research that recently helped a friend).

And all of this is but a sprinkling of what Joe has done for us. He has also secured over $11 million for Oakland County schools and universities, he brought tax dollars back to us (the largest "donor county" in Michigan) to improve our roads, and while I have not seen him walk on water, Joe did bring home $60 million to clean up that nasty River Rouge.

Joe Knollenberg is my friend. And I hope you've seen that if you live in Michigan's 9th Congressional District he's your friend too. So do what friends do -- give Joe some love. On November 4th, give him your vote.

For more information, visit: http://www.knollenberg.house.gov/