Results tagged “Jobs” from Ultimate Politics

Think about this, what if this Oil spill, as tragic as it is, provides us with the wake up call about how we power our world? My first thought when the spill happened was, what if we had not gotten rid of the electric car of the 1990's (from the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?) and electric cars had grown in usage for the past decade? Would the drilling platform catastrophe still have happened? No one can be sure, but what we can be sure of, is that it will keep happening until we change our cars from gas/oil powered to electric powered. That's why this petition is so important - the Gulf Oil Spill Electric Car Credit. This petition asks for legislation to give a substantial credit for purchasing an electric car, and it has key provisions to put a lot of people to work, immediately - in a midterm election year. But we need to get support for this idea in the US House and Senate. That's where you can help... Here is what the petition says:

To: The US President and US Congress from Americans Concerned about the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill Gulf Oil Spill Electric Car Credit With oil prices expected to exceed $100 per barrel and millions of dollars of catastrophic damage occurring to U.S. coasts, wildlife, and coastal economies, all due to the 2010 Gulf Coast Oil Spill, it is time for a new direction for transportation in America. In response to the Gulf Coast Oil Spill, this petition asks the U.S. Congress and Senate to introduce legislation and for the President to sign into law a bill that will do the following: 1) Increase the electric car tax credit for any American made Electric cars to 70% of the purchase price. 2) Provide a tax credit for consumers equal to the cost of labor to convert their gas engine vehicle to an electric engine vehicle. 3) To require that all Federal Agencies must use American made Electric cars for 70% of their vehicle fleets beginning January of 2011 and thereafter. This will create instant demand for U.S. made electric cars, which will put Americans back to work, boost the American economy, reduce the demand for Oil, and will give the American people a choice to drive an affordable vehicle that is clean and does not pose a threat to our coastal economies or our wildlife. Sincerely, The Undersigned

It may seem impossible to ask for a 70% credit on a car - but, if credit rebate like that is offered,for a set period of time, in the same way the Cash for Clunkers program worked, it will cause a huge increase in production, and ultimately drive down the costs per vehicle long term. That means, you the consumer, could buy a $50,000 Tesla for $15,000 or a $40,000 Volt for $12,000. And with the Chevy Volt, the Government could likely negotiate a lowered cost for the Chevy Volt with GM, since the US now owns a majority share of 60% of GM's stock. Also, the mandate for government fleets to consist of 70% Electric cars will ensure a steady customer base for companies like Tesla or General Motors, also reducing costs. Cash for Clunkers program was very popular. That is because unlike the unpopular multi-Trillion dollar Bank Bailouts which give nothing to average citizens, this program would provide a tangible asset for American consumers. And this bill stipulates the cars be American made - thus employing more Americans. Heading into the mid-terms, the number one issue at this time is the job market. Imagine if GM announces they are re-hiring laid off workers or that a closed GM factory is re-opening? Also, Mechanics all across the country would suddenly have an increase in their work orders from people who want to take advantage of the tax credit to exchange their gas engine for an electric one. Imagine, you could exchange out your 1995 Impala gas engine for a 2010 Chevy Volt engine, and see your driving costs drop for transportation - for even less cost than purchasing a new electric car. We must act - especially since BP is already acting to make this oil spill become out of sight and out of mind, by dumping thousands of gallons of toxic dispersant chemicals on the Oil Spill, which is more harmful than the oil itself, but seemingly only so that the Oil Spill is not as visible on the surface of the Ocean. (greenwashing at it's worst) Certainly fines and regulations will be useful as a lesson to industry, and stopping new drilling will reduce accidents, but we must get to the cause of our oil use. To prevent this type of accident we must get to the source problem, and changing our cars is one way to do that - so let's make electric cars and new engines affordable enough for the middle class and promote their purchase. Now, I am not just looking for signatures on a petition, I am looking for you to call your members of Congress and the Senate to support this kind of legislation - and for anyone who might know a supportive legislator who would carry this type of bill forward. Contact Congress Here and Contact the Senate Here or simply call the general phone number (202) 224-3121 and ask your representative to support the Gulf Oil Spill Electric Car Credit. Add in the comments section which Congress person or Senator would be a good candidate to carry this bill forward. Sign the petition and get our leaders to support it in Congress. It's time to take the oil stains off our hands forever.

The Gulf Oil Spill is our wake up call. Sign the Petition for the Gulf Oil Spill Electric Car Credit

In parts 1-3 of this 'blogumentary' we covered the amount of renewable energy just waiting for us to tap, how local governments and people are getting involved, and how we need the federal government to change the laws to support renewable energy. (and a good bit of information from Dcoronata on Geothermal energy. Now for the bread and butter issue: jobs. With the economic forecast showing a continued housing slump and general signs of a recession, a decade long approach of offshoring jobs, bad unemployment numbers, and no real growth in any job sector except service jobs, there seems to be a lot wrong with our country's economic health. Fortunately, there is a solution for these problems, the emergence of green collar jobs. In this installment, we are going to be listening to Richard Eidlin from the Apollo Alliance, and Carmen Rhodes from FRESC.

Question - How do we get good jobs from Renewable energy and what does the Apollo alliance do? A- (Richard Eidlin) The Apollo alliance (whose slogan is: Good Jobs, Clean energy, Freedom from Foreign Oil) is a coalition of business, labor and environmental groups focused on growing the economy in a substainable prosperous way by investing in clean energy that will result in MILLIONS of good jobs across the United States. This includes jobs in the automotive industry, building and infrastructure, construction, engineering... that would impact electrical engineers, contractors, construction workers, marketing people, installation techs, bringing new jobs to the market.

(me) One of the tings you are hoping to do is to go into the urban sectors where jobs have been lost, and retrain and re-employ workers to make solar panels or intricate parts for wind turbines... (Richard Eidlin) Yes, particularly in the industrial midwest, there is a tremendous opportunity to create a manufacturing base once again. There are a lot of facilities lying dormant, many skilled workers - what we need now is the political will and capital to bring those jobs back. For instance, parts to wind turbines could be manufactured in parts of Ohio or Michigan if legislators would act on this.

Carmen, what is FRESC and what do you do? FRESC (whose slogan is Good Jobs, Good Communities) is a Colorado organization looking to create and retain good paying jobs, create and maintain low income housing with environmental sustainability in mind, and we really believe in connecting environmental sustainability with economic sustainability with workers. But, it is not going to 'just happen'. We have to be systematic and strategic about how that happens, so that people building things (like electric) light rail sysytems, that the work is done by construction workers who are making good wages and have health care. (me) you mentioned the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) in Denver moving in this direction. (Carmen Rhodes) Organized labor, like the building trade, are really training the next generation of construction workers to have the skills necessary to build with environmental sustainability. Here at the IBEW, they have installed solar panels as a training opportunity for their workers and now have also saved hundreds of dollars in energy costs.

Remember Millions of new jobs, and not jobs serving coffee or mopping floors, but engineering and manufacturing jobs, jobs that have been outsourced and that took a lot of the middle class livelihood with them. Get in touch with these individuals at www.apolloalliance.org and www.fresc.org.