Keep Obama Honest on Economic Justice

As we all know now, the economy is the one issue on the top of our minds. The US has now been in a recession for a year, and there are still concerns that we may slip into a depression.

Already, President-Elect Barack Obama has said he wants to take action on the economy as soon as he's sworn into office. But will he support the real solutions that our economy needs? Well, that's where we step in.

Now is the time for us to ensure that Obama's campaign promises come true. And now with everyone worried about the economy, now is the time to institute the real reforms and investments that are needed to fix what's broken. So where should we begin?

How about the one problem that is actually making our businesses less competitive? And the problem that is squeezing the working class, as people pay so much for so little? Yes, I'm talking about health care. Believe it or not, instituting universal health care can stimulate our economy. With businesses spending less on health care expenses, they can afford to hire more workers and produce more product. And with individuals spending less on inadequate health care, they can have more livable income. We must make universal health care happen, as this can do plenty to improve our people's and our economy's health.

Another great way for us to stimulate the economy will be to invest in infrastructure. And if we want to solve the climate crisis and fix our energy problem while also stimulating our economy, we should start building our green economy infrastructure. Think about it. We need new American jobs, and we need renewable energy. So why not build the solar panels and wind turbines and geothermal plants here so we can accomplish both? Contrary to what the "conventional wisdom" says, good environmental policy can actually go hand in hand with good economic policy. And right now, we need both for the new jobs and the investment. Blue Green Alliance gets it, and so should the new Administration.

And finally, no economy functions properly without a functioning middle class. And for far too long, the corporate right has attacked the middle class. We need to change this, and we can begin by ending the assault on the unions that helped create the American middle class. We must ensure that the Employee Free Choice Act becomes law, so that workers will once again be able to choose to form unions. We also must reform the global trade regime to make "free trade" fair as well. Our trade policies must be fair to our workers so they can keep their jobs, but we also must make sure that they are fair to the workers in the developing world. After all, how good is "free trade" if half the world can't afford it?

So there you have it, a more well-rounded economic rescue plan. We need to remember that Wall Street "rescue funds" and Detroit automaker loans are only part of the solution, and so do the incoming President and Congress. Please tell President-Elect Obama to fulfill his pledge to us, and please ask your members of Congress to do the same. They promised change we can believe in, and now's the time for that change to be delivered.

The McCain Myth: Environment & The Climate Crisis

As we've all heard, John McCain is described by the corporate media as a "maverick" and a "moderate". And for some reason, we are actually expected to believe this BS. One HUGE example is with the environment and the climate crisis.
We've been told that McCain is "pro-environment", and that he understands the severity of global warming. But upon further observation, this whole notion of "McCain the Lovable Greenie Maverick" comes into question. Just how "maverick" is he on environmental issues?


When he actually judge McCain's actions against his rhetoric, he falls short. Go ahead, take a look at what McCain has actually proposed this year. Why won't he even support the Warner-Lieberman "Climate Security Act", the most watered down and pro-polluter climate change bill currently in the Senate? And why won't he even propose to do as President what the Lieberman-Warner bill proposes? McCain's current "plan" would set in place a very weak cap-and-trade system with hardly any mandate to lower carbon emissions, no guarantee of 100% auctioning of carbon credits, and no plan to build a "greener economy". McCain currently opposes the Boxer-Sanders plan in the Senate that most climate experts believe is the best legislation in Congress now that's tackling the climate crisis, and his proposals fall far short of what Hillary Clinton proposed as a Presidential Candidate and what Barack Obama is proposing now.


And wait, it gets worse. In case you haven't heard, McCain now supports offshore oil drilling! Now how the heck does offshore drilling lead to a cleaner and greener energy future? Oh yes, and if McCain didn't look like enough of a pushover for oil companies, get a load of this: He recently announced that he opposes any windfall profits tax on Big Oil that would help raise the revenues needed to invest in real clean energy solutions! Now how in the world is that "eco-friendly"?! I don't get it.

So go ahead, compare and contrast what McCain thinks on environmental issues to what Barack Obama thinks. Don't you see a rather BIG difference? McCain talks tough, but doesn't deliver. That's why the League of Conservation Voters gives McCain a lifetime green score of 26%, a full 70% lower than Obama's lifetime score of 96%. Now who really sounds like the earth-friendly candidate in the race? Need we ask Al Gore?

For me, for "The Goracle", for Hillary, for the environmentalist community... For all of us, the answer is clear. John McCain may be better on environmental matters than much of his Republican Party, but he's still not much different from Bush & Cheney. He's all talk, but little action. And when we have an entire planet in peril, we don't need any more nice talk... We need real action.