Republican Chris Hackett has campaigned on a resonant platform of cutting taxes and government spending, while implementing more intelligent control of the financial markets to prevent the excesses that led to the present maelstrom of uncertainty. Hackett is an articulate and thoughtful candidate who would serve the 10th Congressional District well, if elected.

However, since gaining office two years ago, Congressman Chris Carney has faithfully represented the traditional values embodied by 10th District voters, and for that, The Daily Item is endorsing Carney in his bid for re-election.

Carney used his position as chairman of a House subcommittee to improve oversight of the jumbled bureaucracy, better known as the Department of Homeland Security. He also sought to boost border security to reduce the number of illegal immigrants -- an issue with both national security and economic implications for residents competing for ever fewer available jobs.

Carney has steadfastly demonstrated his commitment to the Central Susquehanna Valley. Republicans outnumber Democrats 2-to-1 in Snyder County, a fact that did not deter Carney from obtaining a healthy-sized grant to help fight childhood obesity in the Beaver Springs area. It also did not stop him from helping to get a planned VA clinic located in Snyder County.

Elsewhere, Carney was in Shamokin earlier this month to help announce an initiative that aims to use coal-revenue to fund the development of alternative energy enterprises. Carney also obtained federal funding for the development of military robots at Bucknell University in Union County.

Most notably, Carney has been at the forefront of the drive to find federal funding for the Central Susquehanna Valley Thruway. Earlier this year, PennDOT placed the Thruway into "hibernation" out of concern that no funding was forthcoming. Many blamed PennDOT for putting the Thruway in deep freeze. We put Carney on the hot seat. Carney responded by kicking the push to find funding into overdrive.

Carney's leadership brought together the appropriate people to negotiate a plan to get the Thruway included in the Appalachian Development Highway System. The move would make the Thruway eligible for $111 million -- enough to demonstrate the apparent feasibility of the project to PennDOT. The deal is not closed. The Appalachian Regional Commission board will not vote until February on the question of adding the Thruway to the agency's highway system. We hope Carney is in office to celebrate and continue working with PennDOT and other state and federal elected officials to shepherd the project forward.