Saturday, January 19

Reaching out to the Senator

Below is a  note I sent to Senator Ron Wyden after attending the Polk County Town Hall meeting held in January of 2013.  Should I get a reply from Senator Wyden, I will try to post that also.

"Recently my wife and I attended the Polk County town hall and appreciated greatly you continuing to take the time to reach out to each county in the state on an annual basis.  That is wonderful and we hope you continue this process.

Apparently I was one of the "shy" ones in the audience in that my ticket was called and I had no prepared talking points.  This is my opportunity and below is my question.

My question is about climate change.

How do you think the Senate will be most effective in the coming years in addressing the outcomes of climate change?  

I do not expect the legislative bodies in this country (fed,state, county, local) to solve the climate change problem, nor do I have any expectations that climate change will not continue at least at its current rate.  I believe that the federal bodies will continue to respond to emergencies around the country on a more recurring frequency and that more "Sandy" type bills will be passed through congress in the near future.  Personally I expect the weather to be completely different that it was 60 years ago when I was a child in Polk County and find the weather wisdom passed down from the 5 generations of Farmers that have lived on our farm to be less relevant that it was a decade ago.  Weather is going to be much more extreme and we feel so fortunate that we live in the parts of Polk County that will not be devastated by the rising sea waters or even river waters.  

Our lives are good and we love the people in our community and seek to improve their lives are we improve our own.  I'm active in Polk County related groups and feel a part of my community like never before.  

Please continue to seek out others whose views differ from yours,  offer the hand of friendship and compromise and give this congress a reason to be proud of the 2nd decade of the 21st century."