I am a candidate for Congress in Eastern Washington's Fifth District because I believe Congress is doing a better job of listening to lobbyists in Washington D.C. than listening to us. And Congress and the President are dealing poorly with the major issues that are important to those of us who live and work in Eastern Washington.
I am extremely concerned that Congress is:
* Making decisions that result in higher fuel prices for each of us, but allow record profits for oil companies and big business.
* Making decisions about agriculture and farming that will make us dependent upon foreign countries for our food.
* Making health care decisions that keep many of us from having access to medical care when we need it and making it harder for our doctors and nurses to help us stay healthy.
* Making decisions that threaten our families' financial futures by weakening Social Security.
* Making decisions that place the men and women in our military at risk, yet not providing the services that they need when they return home.
* Making decisions that threaten our national security by not adequately protecting our borders and ports.
As a representative to Congress, I will work to end lobbyists' influence and deal with the issues in a way that works for us. I'll work to revitalize the Eastern Washington economy through developing renewable resources. I'll work to protect Social Security and pensions, and I'll support expanding services to veterans.
I grew up on a ranch in Okanogan, graduated from Okanogan High School and from Haverford College near Philadelphia. I received a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of California and a postdoctoral fellowship in neurobiology at Harvard University Medical School.
I returned to the ranch in 1973 with my wife, Georgia. We raised five children there. I've run cattle, raised wheat and developed a small research facility to breed new strains of wheat. Some of those strains are growing strong right now across the state. I was asked to serve the state as Agriculture Director in 1993, and I've served on the Board of Regents at Washington State University from 1995 to 2005.
In 1999, I co-founded Agriculture and the Environment, a group dedicated to ensuring the ecological and economic health of agricultural lands and rural communities.
Georgia succumbed to cancer after the children were grown, but she left a wonderful spirit in the children, and I'm proud to say that each of my kids has completed or is attending college. I was blessed to later meet Wendy, and we were married in 2004.
My decision to leave the ranch and pursue public life was not taken lightly. I couldn't leave the ranch with a clear conscience until I knew that it would be managed well. Fortunately, I was able to find a great husband and wife team to help at the ranch while Wendy and I moved to Spokane to enter this race.
From the first day of my campaign, I have pledged to accept no money, no gifts, no meals, no travel, nothing of value from lobbyists. I have urged my opponent to take that same pledge. So far, she has chosen not to do that.
I am also committed to keeping our promise in providing full Social Security services to retirees. I'll fight to protect full benefits, and I'll work to make sure that the money that is set aside for Social Security stays in the fund.
Our veterans have been placed in harm's way to protect our way of life, and I believe we owe a great debt of gratitude for their heroism as they return. I believe that if we can find the dollars to send them into combat, we must find the dollars to care for them when they return. I support restoring full medical services that have been cut for veterans in my district and around the country. Our nation is truly secure only when we secure the promises we've made to our veterans.
As a business owner, I know the challenge of providing health benefits for my employees and paying the health costs for my family. I'll seek the creation of insurance pools for small businesses, ranchers and farmers, so they will have the economic leverage that larger companies have when negotiating health insurance rates. And I'll push for public hearings on why health care costs are so high, particularly when our health care workers are working harder for less reward.
And as a grower, I know the challenge of making ends meet when fuel costs go up and crop prices go down. Our nation faces nothing less than a fuel crisis, and we're paying billions to continue the flow of oil from foreign sources. I believe the government must recognize biofuel crops as national security crops. We have the potential to turn our heartland into both a breadbasket and a fuel tank to secure our energy future. We need government to set a clear policy and direction, to partner with growers in developing locally grown, locally processed, and locally used fuels.
As I talk with people in the district, it's clear to me that we are ready for assertive change in Eastern Washington. I am listening to your voices, and I'm eager to represent your interests with my experience, energy and ideas.
A vote for Peter Goldmark is a vote for:
* a leader who listens to voters, speaks out for their interests, thinks independently,
* a leader who asks tough questions and faces tough issues head-on,
* a leader who has run an successful business and ranch,
* a leader who knows the challenges of running a family farm and making ends meet.
* a leader with integrity and ethics who will work hard for the Fifth District.
Just like working at the ranch, there are always more campaign tasks than hours in the day, but we're making progress every day. I anticipate having positive, perhaps even surprising fundraising numbers to report on August 30. Our second television ad is running on Spokane and district television. An article in Spokane's weekly Inlander has given us some good local exposure. We've even had some national attention with an article in Roll Call and a radio interview on a San Francisco program about
"How to unseat an incumbent." I hope that's a good sign of things to come.
I appreciate your interest in my campaign. You can learn more about my campaign issues, my background, view videos and get involved at my website:
www.VotePeterGoldmark.com.
I will be available to answer questions for about 90 minutes today. -PG