Of course things get stagnant; people get too used to their environment, but that's why I'm in my district every week, at meetings with my constituents.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I always try to keep my constituents as up-to-date as possible with what's going on here in Washington.
It's inevitable your environment will influence what you do.
All too often in tough economic times, it is the environment that gets left on the cutting room floors of Congress as everyone scraps for limited federal dollars.
I hate to lose the constituency that I've worked with, but I've got 170,000 people to meet in my new district.
It's the little things citizens do. That's what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees.
Most of us feel some kind of uncertainty, with the population increasing and resources decreasing. We have to face these issues.
I'm a latecomer to the environmental issue, which for years seemed to me like an excuse for more government regulation. But I can see that in rich societies, voters are paying less attention to economic issues and more to issues of the spirit, including the environment.
Every day things get better because politicians are addressing the fiscal challenges more aggressively.
I have seen the times when the grassroots has moved the Congress. We listen way more often to our constituents than the lobbyists. And the grassroots are going to have to do it.
I think there are changes in the environment. There are a lot of items to contribute to it.