Two-Way Dialogue

Representative government is a two-way street.  It requires dialogue between those of us elected and those we represent.  I’ve gone to every county, every year I’ve represented Iowa in the Senate for back-and-forth communication with constituents.  This month-long recess of Congress is an opportunity to continue that effort.  I've been speaking to people at work in factories, plants and offices, and taking questions at service organizations and schools.  I've spent parts of several days at the Iowa State Fair showing a steer in the governor's Charity Steer Show and pouring iced tea at the pork tent. I also had dialogue with more than 100 Iowa community action employees about the services and support they offer to those in need.

It’s important to hear from a broad cross-section of Iowans during my county visits and on a regular basis.  This month, I've heard from Iowans in various setting on a number of different subjects including jobs, debt and deficit, immigration, renewable energy, taxes and health care reform.

In addition to holding constituent meetings in all 99 counties, I answer every letter, fax, email and online correspondence from Iowans that comes into my office.  If you don’t get a response, I hope you’ll write me a nasty letter telling me that you didn’t get a response, because I want to know if anything falls through the cracks.

For my part, I want information about where I stand and what is going on in Washington easily accessible to Iowans.  Anybody can call my office, visit my website, and find me on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. In addition, I hold a monthly cable call-in show and regular telephone town-hall conference calls.

I look forward to hearing from more Iowans, and encourage everyone to participate in the process of representative government.  I will continue to keep in touch.