Sep 3, 2002 By Paul Sunyak 4 min read

U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, the Hollidaysburg Republican redistricted into eastern Fayette County, said he sought the westward expansion because of the rural nature of his 9th Congressional District. Although the district he will represent starting Jan. 1 encompasses six whole counties and parts of eight, including Fayette, Shuster told the Herald-Standard editorial board that commonality outweighs geographic size.

“I’m not elected to represent counties. I’m elected to represent people,” said Shuster. “There’s a lot of similarities throughout the district.”

All of his counties are rural and economic development tops their priority lists, said Shuster, who pegs transportation and infrastructure development as the key assets to accomplish that goal. He also finds his section of Fayette – where he says George W. Bush got 60 percent of the vote in the 2000 presidential election – to be “pro conservative” rather than Democrat or Republican.

While admitting that traveling is a big concern in his district, and noting that it’s impossible to staff offices in all 14 counties, Shuster said he plans to situate his district offices so that they are within reasonable driving distances for all constituents.

“I had some input into (redistricting) and I purposely worked to grow west,” said Shuster. In preparation for his new district, Shuster said he’s visited Fayette three or four times to get a feel for the area and its concerns.

Regarding the possibility that the United States may invade Iraq, Shuster said he thinks it inevitable that “we’re going to have to go in there and neutralize” dictator Saddam Hussein before he gets nuclear weapons. However, he thinks the level of rhetoric has outstripped the current reality.

“I hate to hear all the rhetoric out there, because President Bush hasn’t made a decision,” said Shuster. He added that what’s brewing, though, is a “sea change” in U.S. foreign policy. Whereas the traditional U.S. stance has been defensive, Shuster said, “We’re very likely going to have to take a pre-emptive strike” against Iraq.

Although Saudi Arabian officials have publicly said they won’t support the United States in any effort against Iraq, Shuster said there is often a big difference between what the Saudi leadership says publicly and privately.

“I think the Saudis need us more than we need them,” said Shuster.

On a local issue, Shuster said that while the Mon-Fayette Expressway doesn’t fall within his district, he would support the project because of its ancillary benefit. He said he’ll work with powerful incumbent U.S. Rep. John Murtha, the Johnstown Democrat who represents the rest of Fayette, because any company that locates in the county will benefit all its residents.

“It’s not in the 9th Congressional District,” said Shuster of the expressway, “but quite frankly people will drive 20 or 30 miles for the jobs it will attract.”

Shuster said the dividing line between his district and Murtha’s 12th Congressional District is in many ways an imaginary one, particularly as concerns economic development initiatives. After meeting with the Fayette County commissioners, all of whom are Democrats, Shuster said he came away with a heightened concern over the importance of finishing the short but important expressway link in West Virginia.

In the aftermath of Sept. 11, Shuster said he doesn’t think new policies are violating anyone’s civil rights. “But if that happens, we’ll have to protect against it,” he said.

The policies and procedures put in place since the terrorist attacks have more to do with added inconvenience than with people giving up constitutional rights, said Shuster. He added that some “alarmists” are spouting “rhetoric” about widespread erosion of civil rights that hasn’t occurred.

On another matter, Shuster said the federal government is already too involved in education and thus he does not favor any expansion of its influence. Shuster said he did not support private school vouchers because he believes they will hurt rural school systems in his district. But he said he would examine tax credits as an option for those who want to send their children to private schools.

Regarding corporate corruption scandals such as those with Enron and WorldCom, Shuster said that those who broke the law would face punishment. He added that in every grouping in society, “There’s a couple of bad players who spoil it for everyone else.”

Shuster said he thinks the right steps have been taken to restore accountability, starting with the recent certification of earnings by big-company chief executive officers. He also said that corporations are beginning to take a long-term view, rather than the quarter-to-quarter perspective that dominated recent times.