The New Deal: Leadership can make it happen again.
An urgent economic challenge needing to be addressed is how to create more
wealth. What exactly is wealth? There are
many opinions.
For me, wealth is the ability to do things: grow crops, make products, move goods, improve efficiency, help others, buy new things.
To do things takes energy, so it follows that creating more energy and using it more efficiently will create more wealth.
I like to dream every now and then. I ask you to please take a moment and dream with me below the fold.
I believe the American people are looking for something big they can participate in to improve their lives. Now they feel a whole host of problems are beyond their control and drastically affecting them. These are big problems requiring national if not global solutions. They yearn to have a plan allowing them to participate in solving these big problems.
It is well known that our economy is based on fossil fuel. It is also well known that we are highly dependent on foreign sources for our supply.
This dependency affects our national security and foreign policy. No one can really doubt that some of the money we send overseas to buy oil winds up funding the terrorists we are fighting against. No one can really doubt that our need to obtain oil from foreign countries limits our foreign policy options. No one can really doubt that this dependency fosters the need to put our soldiers in harms way. No one can really doubt that our dependency drains critical resources needed elsewhere.
Adding to these negative impacts is the fact that burning fossil fuel is polluting and changing our environment.
To date the energy issue has been a sideshow. It needs to be the issue that is woven into every facet of American public opinion. The American people need to be sold on an "Energy New Deal" to fight our "War on Terror". The American people need to be sold on an "Energy New Deal" to tackle climate change. The American people need to be sold on an "Energy New Deal" to retool our economy for a green energy future. The American people need to be sold on an "Energy New Deal" for a healthier, cleaner environment. The ideas are endless. It’s the focus that is needed.
A look back in time to the American economy during WWII reminds us what this country is capable of accomplishing when united in a common cause. I have a dream we will do it again!
But for right now that dream will have to wait for reality to play itself out. And the reality of today seems to be pointing in a much different direction. We have a President pursuing an "all of the above" energy strategy.
As reported in the UK Guardian this last Friday:
Barack Obama’s grand vision of action on climate change shrank to $200m a year to fund research into clean fuel cars, with signs of retreat on the big environmental issues of the day….
But on the most immediate environmental decision in his in-tray — the future of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project – White House officials indicated on Friday that Obama’s green and liberal supporters would be in for a disappointment. Officials signalled that the president was inclined to approve the project.
And the
Washington Post reported:
The Obama administration is leaning toward revising its landmark proposal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants, according to several individuals briefed on the matter, a move that would delay tougher restrictions and could anger many environmentalists.
As Climate Progress reported:
The White House appears utterly clueless about the importance of these issues and the self-destructive nature of its “all of the above” energy strategy.
As the White House official quoted by the Guardian made clear:
The official dismissed environmental groups’ contention that building the pipeline would open up vast deposits of the Alberta tar sands, and so increase the emissions that cause climate change. “There have been thousands of miles of pipelines that have been built while President Obama has been in office, and I think the point is, is that it hasn’t necessarily had a significant impact one way or the other on addressing climate change,” the official said.
He added that Obama’s environmental policies would more than make up for any negative impacts from the Keystone XL project. “There’s no question of that.”
What there is no question of is my dream will be just that for the foreseeable future.
The Church of the Holy Shitters will post articles on our holy S.H.I.T. day ( So Happy It's Thursday)
Last week 3/14/13: Thinking About Change and Progress
Next week 3/28/13: Religion Motivates
Hoping to add some humor, provoke thought, spark debate, deepen understanding, and shed some light on the fecal side.
Remember: "If we really want to straighten out all this crap we really need to think about shit." ( Shitbit by Poop John the First of the Church of the Holy Shitters)
Church of the Holy Shitters
A secular environmental religion, scientifically based, with a focus on the psychology of it all. Our ego is the culprit when it comes to dealing with climate change. We cannot save the planet. We can only save ourselves. Our current egotistical self-perception makes that prospect a dubious one at best. Meekness, humility and a realization that our shit does stink, guides us on our path to true sustainable living and climate equilibrium.
Cross posted at http://holyshitters.com/