Democrats Host Green Jobs Summit
On an historic day which proved America’s spirit during the Revolutionary War, the spirit of America was again proved. As news came that Nevada’s unemployment rate hit a record high of 11.3 percent, Senate majority leader Harry Reid addressed the people whose roles are instrumental in helping America survive: CEOs of renewable and clean energy businesses from around the country, several Fortune 500 company leaders, labor union representatives, environmental leaders, renewable energy trade association representatives, and community college presidents.
While the opposition may have changed from the battle at Bunker Hill, the spirit of revolution remains. America is looking forward. Tired of the oppressive reign which the world of oil has had, we are beginning, now more than ever, to fight back, to free ourselves.
“Today we are besieged by a century’s worth of energy policies that have endangered our environment and a decade’s worth of economic policies that have endangered the middle class. We find before us the intimidating inheritance of the past few years, and are just beginning to fight back,” Reid said as he addressed the summit.
He referred to the insecurity of American jobs and to the insufficiency of American paychecks. But, he said, “the good news is that we already have the tools at our fingertips to create new jobs,” green jobs. Renewable energy is everywhere. “Capturing just one week of the sunshine in my state of Nevada could provide enough energy to power every car and every truck in the United States for one year,” he said. We just need to harness it.
“Harnessing that energy through green jobs can help our economy bloom once again,” Reid continued. But the battle will be hard fought. The energy crisis wasn’t created in a week, nor will it take a week to solve it. The inertia of change is great. “We would like to live as we once lived, but history will not permit it,” he said quoting Kennedy.
Nor will the future. America already trails in a race where a green economy is the finish line. “Only a handful of the world’s top solar, wind and advanced battery manufacturers call the United States home. China’s investment in clean energy is twice our own,” said Reid. The time is at hand to start the revolution. We can’t sit on our hands or twiddle our thumbs while we wait for the revolution. We need to incite it.
“This year we will renew our fight for a national Renewable Energy Standard, one that will create new industries, new technologies and new jobs – and save consumers money in the process,” he continued before referencing a new energy bill that will reduce dependence on oil, curb global warming, and give families and businesses tax incentives to be more energy efficient.
And as the Summit commenced, the words that Abigail Adams penned to her husband on that historic June 17 echoed in the hearts of the those in attendance:
Perhaps the decisive day is come on which the fate of America depends.
Read full text of Senator Reid’s remarks.
More: What are Republicans saying about the energy crisis?
Photo Credit: greenforall.org via flickr under Creative Commons License
It’s interesting to see the sign “Green Economy = Stable Economy” in light of the comments from Don Carli in my June 28 post supporting this very point. “Sustainable” means just that — sustainable — which by definition means less dependent upon other economies that impact supply chain reliability and cost.
That loser with the sickle and hammer shirt seriously needs to get out of the picture.
@Marshall - I think the shirt completes the photograph’s message.
Maybe we should look at the results of Spain’s green job boom (add “www.” to link below):
worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=102752
Eye candy provided by Reid.
The playing field around the world has become a bit more level over the years and it is no longer true that just being born in the US is a guaranteed passport to an easy life. By easy I am referring to easy as in comparison to much of the world.
People have to learn and do better than others if they want to stay even or move ahead. The time you can sit still, play stupid and depend on a union to get that new house for you is over.
Education is the key to most new jobs. The last thing we need is a new generation of UAW members. Most (not all) of those jobs were labor - some requiring some physical skill but little thinking.
If someone wants to sit back without an education and depend on others then they should be collecting bags so they will be prepared when time comes for them to pick through mounds of garbage like a person with similar qualifications does in India.