Showing posts with label gas prices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gas prices. Show all posts

Saturday, May 07, 2011

President Obama: ‘Clean Energy Will Help Us Out-Compete and Out-Innovate the Rest of the World’

Yesterday, while taping his weekly address at Allison Transmission -- a hybrid-vehicle transmission company in Indianapolis, Ind. -- President Barack Obama explained how investments in a clean-energy economy are the only solution to high gas prices over the long term.

"The clean-energy jobs at this plant are the jobs of the future -- jobs that pay well right here in America," said Obama. "And in the years ahead, it’s clean-energy companies like this one that will keep our economy growing, create new jobs, and make sure America remains the most prosperous nation in the world.

"Allison Transmission is also part of the ultimate solution to high gas prices. We know there are no quick fixes to this problem. In the short term, we’re doing everything we can to boost safe and responsible oil production here at home -- in fact, last year, American oil production reached its highest level since 2003.

"But over the long term, the only way we can avoid being held hostage to the ups and downs of oil prices, is if we reduce our dependence on oil. That means investing in clean, alternative sources of energy -- like advanced biofuels and natural gas. And that means making cars and trucks and buses that use less oil.

"Other countries know this, and they’re going all in to invest in clean-energy technologies and clean-energy jobs. But I don’t want other countries to win the competition for these technologies and these jobs. I want America to win that competition. I want America to win the future..."

To read the full transcript of President Obama's weekly address, go to: http://1.usa.gov/Transcript050711.

To view the video of the President's weekly address plus a downloadable infographic on his short- and long-term approach to high gas prices, go to: http://1.usa.gov/Video050711.

To learn what the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy [EERE] is doing to invest in clean-energy technologies that strengthen the economy, protect the environment, and reduce dependence on foreign oil, visit: http://www.eere.energy.gov/.

GoodBiz113's Take
We're all about win-win-win-win. President Obama's pragmatic and sustainable clean-energy policy will yield wins for small businesses, consumers, the environment, and the U.S. economy.

His leadership is precisely what America needs to truly win the future. If his actions happen to inspire other countries to follow our lead, all the better.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Energy, The White House [official photo by Pete Souza]
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Monday, July 21, 2008

Al Franken Kicks Off Weeklong Statewide Tour, Offers New Solutions to Ease the Middle-Class Squeeze

This morning, U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken unveiled new common-sense solutions to ease the squeeze on Minnesota's middle class. Franken discussed his new proposals at a campaign rally that attracted hundreds of people outside the locally owned Harvest Moon Coffee House in his hometown of St. Louis Park, kicking off a week of traveling the state to contrast these common-sense solutions with the disastrous Bush-Coleman economic legacy.

"Norm Coleman wants to stay the course with the Bush economic 'plan,'" said Franken. "But that 'plan' has put Minnesota's middle class into a deep hole – and it's time to stop digging.

"The solutions I'm proposing today will help Minnesotans care for their kids and aging loved ones, balance work and family, and save for retirement. Easing the middle-class squeeze isn't just about helping those who are suffering in the Bush-Coleman Recession. It's about restoring the sense of hope and opportunity that my family enjoyed when I was growing up in St. Louis Park."

After sharing a few horror stories he's heard along the campaign trail -- e.g., one about an independent trucker who now nets just $200 per week, thanks to astronomical gas prices -- Franken offered three new proposals:
* Kitchen Table Tax Relief: A set of tax credits designed to ease the burden on families caring for children or elderly loved ones
* 21st Century Family Leave: A new family leave policy to address 21st-century family structures
* The 401[U]: A revolutionary new type of retirement account to help every Minnesotan develop long-term financial security

More details on these proposals is available at www.alfranken.com/easethesqueeze.

Franken's next stops on this week's statewide tour include the following:
* July 22, 11:00 - 11:45 a.m.: Duluth -- Beaner's Central Concert Coffeehouse, 324 N. Central Avenue
* July 22, 3:00 - 3:30 p.m.: Cambridge -- DFL Offices, 237 2nd Avenue SW
* July 23, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Rochester -- Rochester Labor Center, 11 4th Street SE
* July 23, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.: Burnsville -- Ironwood Electronics, 11351 Rupp Drive, Suite 400
* July 24, 1:15 - 2:15 p.m.: St. Cloud -- Mississippi Bean & Tea Co., 819 W. Germain St.

GoodBiz113's take: Skol to you, Al Franken! Your innovative proposals deserve serious consideration and buy-in by citizen-voters, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and current and would-be elected officials at all levels of government. The very fact that you chose a small business from which to announce these solutions to help lift the beleaguered middle class, speaks volumes about your purely good intentions and actionable ideas for much-needed change. Minnesotans are fortunate that you're willing to represent them in the U.S. Senate.

SOURCE: Al Franken for Senate
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