Obama Wants Action on Energy

Count Me In!!!

Hey, I feel hope again for us, our planet and the world. Obama doesn't have much time though. If China should become the world's next leading economy by 2020, the standards by which a civilized world will go on might not be set on time to show results and become a lever in foreign policy like human rights are now. Governments who have traditions in oppression will most likely not care about the rest of the world, pollution and health. Sorry, this is a hybrid site, not a political one. Lets hope we'll see more energy efficient vehicles, household devices and systems in the near future.

I'm waiting for the venom-filled Ditto-head posts that occur anytime the word "Obama" get's in a title. Perhaps we'll hear more questions about our president's racial background, communist heritage, or Clinton associations...

I hope all this talk gets translated into actions. Congress seems to be making that rather hard....

@Boom Boom: What a stupid post.

So, if someone disagrees with the policy, he's automatically a racist dittohead? What a dreary little world must live inside your head.

AP it is true to say some Democrats are trying to add dumb things into the bill but some Republicans are trying to score points too. While there is some "pork" in this package I don't see some of the environmental measures as pork. Some in congress are mad b/c they want to add special protects for their constituents or to help their special interests groups. Some Republicans are trying to block or seriously alter this bill w/ their own alt. bill. Tax cuts vs government spending to increase job growth and actually how much time it would take to spend the money are some major concerns. What people don't realize is that takes more than just 1 year or two quarters of growth to fully get out of our current recession So while there is some spending that would run for say 2-3 yrs its not as wasteful as one may think...
Oh one last though AP many of the Democrats know who got them elected so I doubt they would bolt against Obama if it came down to a power struggle.

I think that the actions around this bill are showing that Obama truly is trying to get a consensus on the bill. The GOP in congress is taking a no compromise approach. The fact that he is getting no extra votes for it simply means that the GOP has found it's party loyalty. The Dems are equally unified. The GOP sees that it is to Obama's advantage to work together, since that makes Obama look like he's achieving his goals of removing partisanship, so they're pushing for gridlock. I think that, in the end, if this bill gets held up for weeks because of a lack of consensus, it will be just a damaging to the GOP in Congress as to Obama. I hope that doesn't happen.

AP, I agree with you on the possibility of President Obama using up all his political capital. With the economy in such “great” shape, the press is definitely going to hold his “feet to the fire”. Hopefully the reason the stimulus bill is taking longer is because the Senate, on a whole, is arguing for more stimulus and less pork (I am not naiveté; there is no way to get all the pork out with that many Senators’ “fingers” in the “pie”). That could allow for a long battle with both the Republicans and the Democrats, both between and within the parties. And I agree that if he can keep the Democrats together, more than one Republican senator will vote for the stimulus bill.

But he still seems to be able to rally the people. I think if the stimulus bill should start taking too long, President Obama may call on the people to hurry Congress along. He may become one of a few Presidents that relies on the fact that it is a government “for the people”, not the corporations.

I was once told by my macro economics professor that the scarcest resource in the world was good management. Way back then, I doubted him; but I now know just how right he was. How many stories have we heard of gross misspending and massive golden parachutes? Golden parachutes that actually paid more than the person would have actual earned working the full term of their contract. How many companies have cut their executives’ salaries and bonuses in poor times to keep workers employed? Not all management is “bad”, but enough to keep the economy from recovering as fast as it could. In most countries outside the US, the CEO, in general, only makes 30X to 50X* the lowest employee’s wages. I have heard that CEOs in the US earn an average of 85X* the lowest employee’s wages with some even earning 100X and 200X*. (*These figures change up and down over periods of time and are true only in general.)

I feel President Obama will be a good leader and manager of the country. But President Obama can not control corporations, nor would he want to. That responsibility falls on to the stockholders, many of which do not exercise that responsibility or right (just like many voters).

Therefore he is left with trying to stimulate economy through credits, reimbursements, etc. (the stimulus bill). I think President Obama is satisfied at the debating, but not the time that it is taking. I think we all know that the economy will not start recovering until the stimulus bill does pass. And it will take at least until the end of the year before it stops falling and starts climbing out of the economic hole we are in. And my bet is that it will be a slow economic climb for 3 to 5 years after this year before anything gets close to being “normal”.

President Obama has to start on his energy policy. And including some of that policy in the stimulus bill only makes sense. Credits and reimbursements for energy savings and gas savings only make sense since this will help sell new products that translate into jobs. This is why credits and reimbursements for hybrid cars and electric cars are so important. Car manufacturing is a major part of this nation’s industry. When someone buys a car, they pay for a lot of people’s wages. President Obama wants those cars to make us less dependent on oil, both foreign and domestic, along with stimulating the economy.

And for anyone that thinks I am a President Obama fan, my presidential candidate was knock out of the race early in the primaries. President Obama knows how to talk well; now we will see if he can “walk the talk”. If it comes down to management (choosing the right person for the right job) and integrity, so far he is doing fairly well.

Lost Prius to Wife, I hope you're right (that he can hold his reputation together), because he has many tasks on his plate. As near as I can figure, the reason corporations pay executives as much as they do is that they can. Let's face it; the whole salary structure in the US is out of whack when we criticize someone who makes $20M/year running a large company, but applaud Shaq for making $30M/year playing basketball. Everything is based on what someone else might pay the person you are trying to keep. However, when that person is running a bank into the ground, I would think that you shouldn't be trying to keep them, anyway.

Note that the car CEO's are already working for $1/year.

As for comments that the Republicans shouldn't propose a bill of their own, I believe that's exactly what they should do. They shouldn't criticize unless they have a better idea, which they are doing. It would have been better still if the Democrats had consulted at all with the Republicans before presenting the bill. From what I understand, Pelosi and Reid don't even take advice from many Democrats - much less Republicans. I think the country would be much better off without such closed-minded leaders in Congress.

AP said: (also to RandalH's comments)
"I've heard people accuse Limbaugh and Hannity, for instance, of being racist. But I've listened to them, and what they preach is responsibility for your actions and an equal chance at success, regardless of race, creed, or color."

Hannity is an idiot plan and simple, talking point all the way with no ideas of his own, just lesson to a Conservative Radio Station for one day on a long drive the same talking points are recycled including the local idiot someone hands these guys things to say each day.

As for Limbaugh how can you say such things when he was cheering on that racist song about Obama oh I'm sorry wink wink nod nod non racist song. Limbaugh said "I hope Obama fails", you say he gives equal chances??? He does the same kind of stuff with gay women, environmentalists and talks down anyone who he believes is wrong. Both these people you mention are just talking heads to try to get people to subscribe into narrow minded ideologies w/c I know you don't believe in b/c of your idea w/ the Gasoline Tax. But make no mistakes Liberal radio stations do the same thing in trying to push people into believing everything they want them to believe.... The point is their only purpose is to divide people and get people to agree with these narrow ideas even if it is against someones ideals or self interests or say being a idiot and voting straight party lines.

Also what is different from what the Republicans are saying and what they wanted the last 8 years? Tax cuts Tax cuts w/ being a crusader sound that bell for political points as being somehow now fighting gov. "pork" or waste all of a sudden w/c that may include things that may better our environment, that's whats on their list so not sure I'm all cheery about some of the things they are calling waste w/c they want out of the bill.

As for Samie's comments, you took the words right out of my mouth pal. Limbaugh is a bigot and a racist. There are plenty of republicans and conservatives who are not, but they don't support Limbaugh either. The true conservatives in this country wisely distance themselves from him.

Rush Limbaugh hopes President Obama's policies fail because Obama is a liberal, not because he is black. He did the same for Clinton (who is white). I don't agree with Limbaugh - I don't want to see Obama fail, because he is our president. I only hope he doesn't go overboard with liberal policies.

Limbaugh's song parodying "Puff, the Magic Dragon," was inspired by an African-American writer for the LA times, who called Obama the epiphet in Limbaugh's song. It's a double standard to criticize Limibaugh for using it and not to criticize the originator of the name. I believe he is trying to point that out by using it.

I really do think that conservatives are less racist than liberals, because conservatives believe everyone is capable of making it on their own. Liberals are always painting conservatives as racist, but I see very little from conservatives I know. I work with people from all races and countries, and we all get along on skill and determination.

To me, being for affirmative action is somehow assuming that African-Americans are not as capable, which I don't believe. The government has become the "father" for far too many in Detroit, for example. I hope that President Obama can use his unique background to help this, not so much with cash, but with inspiration, focus, and goals.

Since I lean conservative, I do think a lot of what Limbaugh says is right. But I don't like his double-standards when it comes to making excuses for conservatives who commit the same "sins" that liberals do. His argument that "global warming can't be man-made because we would be arrogant to think that we could affect the planet" is stupid, though I have to say from the evidence I've seen, that the evidence is still spotty.

That said, I don't care whether global warming exists or not, because either way, we need to do more to conserve energy resources. We are stewards of this planet (a Christian value that Limbaugh conveniently forgets), and our country must reduce its political dependency on unstable nations. Personally, I think that's why Obama is soft-peddling the "global warming" issue right now. Take away that talking point, and the other side cannot argue against you. Use the things both sides can agree on.

I also don't agree with Limbaugh that the "free market" does the best job in every case. For the most part it does, but with petroleum, which is really a strategic resource, it fails. Uncertainty in its price kills the certainty of profits for small cars from domestic manufacturers (one of which I work for). For me, a higher fuel tax (to reduce price volatility) is necessary to not only help the US become more politically free, but to save the auto industry.

I agree that Sean Hannity is an idiot, but he is also not racist. At least he realizes that very few of us are here by heritage and that we all have to get by using our own skills and hard work. He also points out that we have to reward people who take risks to better things, which is anti-socialism. He is right that Americans are becoming so afraid of taking risks that it is stifling our creativity and innovation.

I listen to both ends of the spectrum, and don't agree with everything from either side. But it pays to hear both of them so that when you hear them mis-characterized, you know it. There are also some good ideas from both, which we shouldn't discount just because of the source. We need to be pragmatic.

I agree that the last 8 years weren't good for the US, but it wasn't because of too much conservatism. Bush was not a fiscal conservative at all, except for reducing taxes. He allowed way too much spending, probably making a deal with the Democrats that he would allow the spending as long as they funded his wars (much like Reagan did with SDI). That, and too much easy credit set us up for disaster.

Good luck to Obama on this one, but the Democrats biggest opponent in the past, and perhaps in the future, often seems to be themselves. They can never seem to agree amongst themselves, let alone bring on board the opposition. There is one thing the Republicans always had going for them, relative solidarity.

I wish he would start by using solar energy to power government offices and public schools, at least those in the best locations (for sun) in the south. Government offices and schools are mainly used during daylight hours! The weekends (and summers for schools), can provide a much needed clean energy boost to the economy, and make solar a less expensive option for the public to purchase!

The American people trust that Barack Obama shall effectively address energy issues.

LONG LIVE PRESIDENT OBAMA!

Obama is a racial-minority individual and does not like racism:

There is bad news about George Herbert Walker Bush.

What if basically all racial-minority people would subscribe to the interpretations that George Herbert Walker Bush committed monstrous, racist, hate crimes while he was the President of the United States?

It will eventually come out: it is only a matter of time.

Respectfully Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang, J.D. Candidate
B.S., With the Highest Level of Academic Honors at Graduation, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993

(I can type 90 words per minute, and there are thousands of copies on the Internet indicating the content of this post. And there are thousands of copies in very many countries around the world.)
_________________
‘If only there could be a ban against invention that bottled up memory like scent & it never faded & it never got stale.’ It came from my Lower Merion High School yearbook.