Recent Comment
Share
The US's new President has a lot on his plate. An unsustainable and unstable energy supply, a crumbling economy with skyrocketing unemployment, and an environmental crisis the likes of which have never been seen.
And, I suppose, he could take on all of these issues one by one...but that just wouldn't be in the spirit of things. Obama seems to have a "one plan to cure them all" kind of attitude and, so far, I'm a fan.
According to his weekly YouTube address, shown above, Obama plans to add three million jobs to the American economy by doubling renewable energy production and vastly improving the efficiency of existing buildings. Jobs, Energy and Environment in one sentence! And if he's including hydro-electric in his renewable energy production numbers, than this is a HUGE commitment. Of course, he doesn't say when it will be done, so we should all reserve judgment until we get a few more specifics.
Of course, this approach is dangerous. By focusing on all three, it's possible that none of them are going to be addressed adequately. Indeed, this plan might be the worst way of all to create jobs and deal with our environmental crisis. But that's not the way it looks to me.
By focusing on efficiency, Obama guarantees energy savings for his buck, and also the creation of infinitely employable jobs retrofitting existing buildings. This creates a very high number of jobs per dollar spent, and they are jobs that can never be outsourced.
Additionally, by setting high but achievable goals for renewable energy production, he creates the foundation of a long-term energy strategy in which we don't just use less, but we replace existing power generation with clean sources. And, theoretically, this plan might breathe a little life into the all-promising growth sector of renewable energy.
Now, I could be wrong about this, I might just be a fanboy with very little economic training (OK, I definitely am.) But I think the time is ripe for a real domestic energy strategy that utilizes the innovation and dedication of the American people.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
written by wscott, January 04, 2009
-
- +0
-
-
written by sherry, January 04, 2009
Bail America out of its dependence on foreign oil. Wouldn't that make more sense?
-
- +0
-
-
written by Niels, January 05, 2009
Sorry for being a bit sceptical. I love Obama for his ambitions, and I'm curious about the outcome of his plans.
-
- +0
-
-
written by Greg, January 05, 2009
Why have weekly addresses if you aren't saying anything of substance. All I heard was propaganda and fear mongering. Sorry.
-
- +0
-
-
written by bobbobberson, January 05, 2009
Obama should concentrate on one thing at a time, and the first thing is energy efficiency in gov't buildings. Many of them are very old and inefficient. This will have the most immediate financial impact (jobs immediately and less gov't energy usage).
-
- +0
-
-
written by Hil, January 05, 2009
-
- +0
-
-
written by Greg, January 05, 2009
-
- +0
-
-
written by EV, January 05, 2009
Obama plans to add three million jobs to the American economy by doubling renewable energy production and vastly improving the efficiency of existing buildings.
Yeah. I'll believe when it happens, not before. Especially with all the extra taxes and regulations he's said he wants add onto businesses that will drive the cost of doing business up.
-
- +0
-
-
written by Loosely_coupled, January 05, 2009
Anyways, I can't wait for Bush to be gone and Obama to be official!
I am not a "small-government" advocate, but I completely agree that the vast federal government agency map needs to be consolidated and streamlined. We should be able to modernize all the agencies using new I.T. to organize it better and cut out the redundancies. All of the domestic aide programs, like welfare/general assistance, subsidized housing, healthcare assistance, etc should be brought under one roof, and modernized so we can track the progress of individuals receiving help and get rid of the waste and abuse. That would not only reduce costs, but end up helping a lot more families who really need help.
Overall, I think Obama is on the right track. His economic recovery plan is pretty balanced, with a good combination of biz tax credits for creating jobs, citizen tax credits for the middle class, and a ~$350 billion outlay for improving schools, starting green energy projects, fixing transportation infrastructure, among other things.
-
- +0
-
-
written by Loosely_coupled, January 05, 2009
Anyways, I can't wait for Bush to be gone and Obama to be official!
I am not a "small-government" advocate, but I completely agree that the vast federal government agency map needs to be consolidated and streamlined. We should be able to modernize all the agencies using new I.T. to organize it better and cut out the redundancies. All of the domestic aide programs, like welfare/general assistance, subsidized housing, healthcare assistance, etc should be brought under one roof, and modernized so we can track the progress of individuals receiving help and get rid of the waste and abuse. That would not only reduce costs, but end up helping a lot more families who really need help.
Overall, I think Obama is on the right track. His economic recovery plan is pretty balanced, with a good combination of biz tax credits for creating jobs, citizen tax credits for the middle class, and a ~$350 billion outlay for improving schools, starting green energy projects, fixing transportation infrastructure, among other things.
-
- +0
-
-
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
I think instead of focusing and jobs and the environment, he should simply focus on making the renewable energy. If we have more plants we have more jobs, right? Plus using the renewable energy would help the environment anyways.
Hopefully it'll all come together like he says it will. We can't be a world power if we have no economic stability.