Two issues that are central to my campaign for Congress have been prominent in the news recently.

1. People are fed up with Congress.  A new Gallup Poll found that an all-time high of 81% of the public is dissatisfied with our legislative branch.  More than 2/3 have little or no confidence in the current members of our national legislature and half feel the same way about everyone seeking elected office.  The Gallup poll is here: http://www.gallup.com/poll/149678/Americans-Express-Historic-Negativity-Toward-Government.aspx
2. The listeria outbreak related to cantaloupes is likely to be linked to more deaths.  This is the issue I wish I were wrong about.  When I began talking to folks several months ago, I was the only candidate making food safety an issue (in fact, when I wrote the Issues portion of my website two months ago I didn't even include any mention of listeria).  My career in insurance has taught me that a problem that occurs repeatedly is often the prelude to a catastrophic event (in insurance circles we say frequency breeds severity).  If we do not fully address the problems with our food production and delivery systems, I fear that the next outbreak could have hundreds or thousands of victims.  The time to improve our laws is now.

These two issues are really linked.  Many people have told me that the "cost" of getting into Congress is raising more than $1,000,000.  As long as this is true, corporate lobbyists, whether with the food industry or the financial industry, will be much more satisfied with how Congress operates than the majority it supposedly serves.