Yes We Can! Long Island 2012Once Long Island was a leader in cutting-edge technology, such as aerospace, today China has taken the lead in manufacturing the equipment for wind turbines and solar panels. Yes We Can! LI sees this as an equivalent challenge to the race to space, and encourages business and political leaders to take up this new challenge and start creating jobs, jobs jobs, for a new clean energy future.
President Obama, in his State of the Union speech last week, sounded an alarm that the United States was falling behind other countries, especially China, on energy. “I do not accept a future where the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root beyond our borders — and I know you don’t either,” he told Congress.
Read the rest of this article from The New York Times.
Hopefully, the manufacturing of green-energy products, will only be a part of the revitalization of American manufacturing. We have become too dependent on other countries as sources of our manufactured goods and have developed a dangerously high level of debt to other nations. To compete with goods made by other nations, we may have to lower our wage expectations. The recent recession, however, suggests that jobs, even with lower wages, could be welcome.
In addition, the use of renewable resources has other domestic benefits:
· It reduces the amount of money sent abroad for fossil fuels.
· Helps conserve decreasing amounts of petroleum liquids for important tasks like chemical and lubricant feedstocks and fueling aircraft.
You are spot on. The stimulus will build high speed track between/among major cities. However, the engines and cars will be imported, my understanding.
Would it not make sense to have the auto companies shift to train cars as many industries retooled for WWII? Maybe by the time the track is laid we’ll have high-speed stock to use with it.
The world is interested in green technology. Will we provide it or argue whether it is needed. If we do the latter, we will fail.
Imagine trading our dependence on mid-east oil for Chinese renewable forms of energy! This is the choice that confronts us at this time.
Our disadvantage is that we are governed as a democracy (more and more debatable). China, among other dictatorships that govern centrally, is able to control its nation's priorities and resources.
Our advantage is that this nation has a history of rising to the occasion when its citizens common interests are threatened. Our creativity, work ethic and scientific resources work strongly in our favor.
The question remains, will Congress move beyond its infantile and greedy way of performing the role with which it is entrusted or can it evolve to a rational force that enables America to compete for energy by investing in sustainable energy and growing its economy.
Hence, campaign finance reform needs to happen, forcefully and soon. While this is may be a wildly idealistic perspective, it nonetheless looms far larger for us all than health care, energy policy, or any other issue. Without CFR this country will be governed by the Court (gag when I think of it) and special interests without boundless finances. Democracy, as envisioned by the authors of the Constitution, will cease as we expect and need it to be.
Campaign Finance Reform will be a top priority for Yes We Can! Long Island . . There is little chance of change without the support of grass roots progressives coming together to make democracy work for the people rather than the corporations.
In addition to business and political leaders I call on fellow environmentalists and community leaders to help build our economic future. Let’s not focus on the small problems that could arise from clean energy. Let’s instead focus on our children’s environmental and economic health. Without a vital economy, the deficit is likely to grow and crush our grandchildren’s future. Seniors and Boomers need to realize that without a vibrant economy our kids won’t be able to afford to carry the burden our social security and Medicare. Let’s unite and be strong.
Long Island’s leadership in aero space can be in-directly traced to an often forgotten president. President Eisenhower helped build the infrastructure that gave us 50 years of economic prosperity when he authorized the construction of a modern highway system. The suburbs were a direct outgrowth of the highway system and Long island was emblematic of those phenomena. Eisenhower did it at a time of economic crisis and didn’t worry about deficits because he expected a big economic pay back in the long run and provided jobs during a period of high unemployment.
In the 1950’s, gasoline and other petroleum based energy sources were extremely cheap but we didn’t know about the consequences of the related pollution: urban sprawl and pollution. But the highway system helped us in so many other ways due to our vastly improved economy which improved living standards, increased life expectancy, improved education (the suburbs), improved local environment. It left us with two significant problems: reliance on fossil fuels from unfriendly foreign governments and global warming. Clean energy can help lead us out of both problems and help restore Long Island and the nation to an economic leadership role in the world.