A public option is essential to creating the cost-savings necessary to offset the cost of providing all Americans access to affordable health care.

By giving the FDA adequate resources and authority to both prevent outbreaks and intervene once they appear, we can support the administration's efforts to reassure the parents of America that the food they feed their children is the product of the safest system in the world.

Individual companies now have the voluntary responsibility of recalling their own products. While many companies have acted properly and swiftly to recall contaminated goods, the delay between the identification of tainted foods and the company's decision to recall those foods leads to the needless sickness of too many Americans.

With the continued support of citizens who refuse to accept inaction at the expense of future generations, we will lead the world toward a sustainable future.