Yesterday, President Obama spoke in Savannah, GA, on his desire to see the US be a leader in the global economy to the benefit of ordinary workers in this country. He went on to highlight specific programs that would have both job creation and energy savings benefits. Emphasis mine:
... Because I'm convinced that the country that leads in clean energy is also going to be the country that leads in the global economy. And I want America to be that nation. I don't want us to be second place or third place or fourth place when it comes to the new energy technologies; I want us to be in first.
... Here's how it would work. We'd identify the kinds of building supplies and systems that would save folks energy over time. And here's one of the best things about energy efficiency -- it turns out that energy-efficient windows or insulation, those things are products that are almost exclusively manufactured right here in the United States of America. It's very hard to ship windows from China. So a lot of these materials are made right here in America. ...
That sounds good. (Okay, maybe not the other bit in the speech about money-wasting nuclear energy development, but no one's perfect.) Obama wants the US to lead the world in the emerging clean energy sector, and he's looking at a very broad spectrum of possible benefits to the public. Great! Let's win this race! Let this be the case where DC Beltway rhetoric isn't just another cover for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory! Let's ... oh, hell.
Eight years ago today, two planes flew into the World Trade Center, another crashed into the Pentagon, and a fourth landed in a Pennsylvania field. The raw power of that day came to be symbolized by a date composed of three numbers. Three numbers that evoked the shock of being attacked, the horror of the sounds and images on our television sets, and the heroism of so many men and women. Three numbers that framed the events of the last decade and seemed like they would define my generation.
But eight years ago, many in my generation couldn’t vote. We didn’t choose the President, his wars, or his policies. In fact, young Americans have largely rejected the politics of fear and division that dominated those formative years of our political consciousness—voting 2 to 1 in favor of Barack Obama. Today we remember the victims and honor our heroes, but we also have a new President, new crises, and three new numbers: 3-5-0. 350.
STATE BLOGS
