The disaster in the gulf can not be traded for a few billion dollars worth of fines on British Petroleum, or Transocean, or Haliburton, nor should we simply accept a ban on off coast oil drilling.  We are falling for the same political games that cost us first, single payer, then the public option in HCR.  And now we'll loose reinstatement of Glass-Steagall, dismantlement of TBTF banks, banning of Credit Default Swaps..., in the finance reform bill.

THIS TIME IT HAS TO BE DIFFERENT!

If we accept an off shore drilling ban, we'll have sacrificed the wildlife and unique ecologies of the Gulf of Mexico for what?  For time to wait for the next oil tanker to go aground and cause more carnage?  So we can move the next ecological disaster off to someone else's shore?  So we can wait for a cat 5 hurricane to take out one or more existing rigs?  So when something goes wrong with Fracking technology in the Natural Gas industry and we lose a large underground aquifer in the eastern U.S.?

The use of fossil fuels is devastating our environment, lack of access to them will crush our economy, and it's a national security risk to our nation.

U.S. military warns of serious shortages 

We must not settle for anything less than a fully funded and legislated commitment to a Manhattan project approach to transition our nation from a fossil fuel economy to a completely renewable/sustainable economy.

The military says we have about 2 years to reach Peak Cheap Oil.  Dr. James Hansen, and many other climate scientists say we are at a tipping point of irreversible damage to our climate and a human population crash;

Global Warming Tipping Points 

This may be our last chance to really do something that will be REAL CHANGE!  Our last chance to actually prevent the global catastrophe of Global Warming that is racing toward us like a speeding freight train.
Transitioning from the dooms day resulting usage of fossil fuels, to a sustainable usage of renewable energy is a POLITICAL problem, not a technical problem. Al Gore promotes his solution at Repower America and many others have proposed other workable solutions.
The Environment the Economy, and Energy, can no more be separated than Goldman Sachs from a good bonus deal.  We can not address the coming Global Warming catastrophe without thinking about the type of energy we use and the economic consequences of it running out.  We can not build our economy on rapidly depleting fossil fuel energy which destroys our society with it's environmental damage. We can not continue to use energy sources that are running out, destroying our environment, and causing our economy to crash when access to them is denied.
We must have a comprehensive plan to transition America's economy from  fossil fuels to renewable energy, and we must have it NOW.  We are rapidly running out of time and NOTHING less will do!
The President should redirect the Department of Energy to change it's mission to a goal of transitioning America to a majority renewable energy society by 2025.  The Transportation Department should be directed to research, develop, and promote mass transit technologies while requiring 50mpg CAFE standards by 2025.  The Department of Defense should be required to direct 20% of it's budget to research and develop renewable fuels to reduce it's fossil fuel usage by 25% by 2025. And on and on...
But most of all, the President should go before the American people and explain to them the economic and environmental disaster that lies in our future with Peak Cheap Oil and Global Warming.  He should then call for sacrifice as the comprehensive plan to put America on a sustainable future is implemented and payed for with the end of the tax subsidies for the fossil fuel industries, and even a carbon tax to help us move quickly. 
We can not let the story of the disaster in the Gulf be pushed aside by trading glitches on the New York Stock Exchange, or even Sovereign Debt problems in Europe.  This may be our best chance to save our environment and our economy by pushing for a comprehensive, fully funded plan to transition America to a renewable energy society and economy.
We can not settle for the political bones that were tossed to us with HCR and now with Financial Reform.  This time it's different!
Call your members of congress and demand the comprehensive plan and not to settle for the piecemeal approach.  Email your favorite columnist (Krugman, Friedman, Rich ...) and ask them to write about a comprehensive solution to the disaster in the Gulf. 
Change is supposed to come slowly with 3 steps forward and 2 back.  We can no longer have 3 disasters for every 2 successes.
Planet Earth is too big to fail!

The Public Option became so important to so many progressives that they will most certainly withhold their support for ALL Democrats financially, and at the voting booth.  This withholding of support won't just effect the 2010 elections, it could have policy implications that could turn the United States into a 3rd world country, and may very well prevent things like meaningful climate change legislation that will condemn your children to an unimaginable horror.

At a time when the already radical Republican party is morphing into some monstrous combination of the KKK, John Birch Society and Jim Jones Kool Aid drinkers, many progressives are willing to withhold their support for Democrats and hand over power to these incredibly destructive radicals.

The Republicans that gave us this great economic depression will be replaced by Republicans who will literally dismantle the American Government.  No more public education, no more environmental protection, no more regulation on industry, no more labor unions, no more hate crime laws, no more poverty programs, no more Medicare and Social Security...

Not only will there be a complete dismantling of the gains progressives have made in the last 100 years, the Robber Barron policies they will implement will condemn 10's of millions of American families to extreme poverty and will be cemented into place for many decades by radical judges that will be spread like a killer fog throughout the judicial system.

And then there's Global Warming.  When the new Republican congress is seated in 2010, and then President Palin is sworn in 2013, all the incentives that have been put in place to help America transition to a non fossil fuel economy to a renewable energy based economy, will be removed.  30 years from now, as cities throughout the world are abandoned from lack of water, or too much water, and as wars break out as terrorism spreads from the massively growing refuge camps, our children will look back at 2010 as the time the radicals took over and condemned the future of the world.  And they will ask how did this happen.  And just like 1968 when the liberals handed power to Richard Nixon, and 1930's Germany when the German people voted to support the Nazis, our children will curse us for letting this happen.

The emotions of the Public Option have grown well beyond it's actual value.  The political ramifications of passing HCR without the P.O. far, far, exceeds the value of HCR itself.  The importance of preventing a party so extreme as what the Republicans are morphing into is far, far, beyond any benefit that would be gained by passing this HCR bill.

We absolutely can not split the progressive movement over this issue.  We must kill this bill in a way that will allow us to heal our wounds and to lay the blame squarely where it belongs with the Republicans and conservative Democrats who are working against the people and for the Robber Barron industries who continue with their tight grip on America.

It's time to let Joe Lieberman, the conservative Dems, and the Republican party kill HCR.  And it's time to make conservative obstructionism the main issue of 2010.  They are holding a gun to America's head and the public needs to know it.

This is a turning point for the progressive movement.  The scorched earth approach of those who will refuse to actively support the Democratic party in the future many not be understandable to many, but it is real.  It is far more important to reunite and save the progressive movement than any benefits that might come from this bill.

It's time to put the Public Option back in the bill and let Joe Lieberman, the other conservative Dems, and the entire Republican party kill this bill.

New York Times has a nice article about one of the jobs programs under consideration by the administration.
cash for caulkers

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John Doerr, the Silicon Valley venture capitalist, and former President Bill Clinton have separately suggested versions of the idea to the White House. Mr. Doerr calls his proposal, which would give households money to pay for weatherization projects, "cash for caulkers." Rahm Emanuel, President Obama's chief of staff, told me, "It's one of the top things he's looking at."

The idea has a lot to recommend it. The housing bust has idled contractors and construction workers, who could be put to work insulating homes and caulking air leaks. Many households, meanwhile, would save substantial money -- not to mention help the climate -- by weatherizing their homes, research by McKinsey & Company has shown. All in all, a cash-for-caulkers program seems like a promising part of the jobs program for 2010 that Mr. Obama has suggested he is planning.

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This is good news from the administration.

The 2 main problems facing the world are;

Peak Cheap Oil and Global Warming.

The typical highway/bridge repair jobs programs are counterproductive with very limited economic payback.  This new approach of investing in long term savings for the nation, while reducing CO2 omissions, is the type of change we really need.

If they expand the program to include all government buildings and solar installations, they'll finally have it right.

For anyone who things Senator Snowe's lock is a real trigger, I'm posting something I posted a couple days ago on a different site.

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I just read that Senator Baucus is going back to the drawing board to increase the subsidies for premiums in his plan.  I then read the Snowe trigger and noticed that the numbers in the Baucus subsidies and the Snowe trigger are the same.  After reading it several times, it appears that the Snowe trigger could NEVER get pulled!

Am I reading this wrong?  What do you think?

1st lets look at the Baucus proposal to provide subsidies for premiums to individuals with lower and middle incomes.  I've bolded some key points.

"Beginning in 2013, tax credits would be available on a sliding scale basis for individuals and families between 134-300 percent of FPL to help offset the cost of private health insurance premiums. Beginning in 2014, the credits are also available to individuals and families between 100-133 percent of FPL. However, individuals subject to a five-year waiting period under Medicaid or CHIP are eligible for the tax credit beginning in 2013. The credits would be based on the percentage of income the cost of premiums represents, <strong>rising from three percent of income for those at 100 percent of poverty to 13 percent of income for those at 300 percent of poverty.</strong> Individuals between 300-400 percent of FPL would be eligible for a premium credit based on capping an individual's share of the premium at a flat 13 percent of income. For purposes of calculating household size, illegal immigrants will not be included in FPL. Liability for premiums would be capped at 13 percent of income for the purchase of a silver plan."

<a href="http://taxvox.taxpolicycenter.org/blog/_archives/2009/9/17/4324475.html">Baucus subsidy</a>

Now the Snowe Amendment:

"This amendment establishes a non-profit government corporation through which a "safety net" plan would be provided in any state in which affordable coverage was not available in the Exchange to at least 95% of state residents. An individual would be deemed to have affordable access if either of two conditions is met. First, two or more plans are offered with premiums - the cost of which does not exceed a specified percentage of the individual's adjusted gross income (AGI), after deducting any available tax credit or employer subsidy from the cost of such premium. The percentage contribution shall range from 3 percent of AGI at 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, to 13 percent at 300 percent and above. ..."

So in order for the Snowe Amendment to trigger the public option, 5% of a states population has to not be able to afford private insurance premiums "after deducting any available tax credit".  But if the Baucus proposal provides a "tax credit" to everyone, at the same level that Snowe defines as affordable, how can anyone fall below the affordable level defined by Senator Snowe?

Maybe I'm reading this wrong.  Can someone explain how anyone could fall below the Snowe affordable criteria when the Baucus tax credit would make sure you're above it?

A simple counter proposal to the trigger mechanism that will kill the public option.

An opt-out "killer trigger".  Let the public option start from day 1.  A set of criteria is set up to allow the insurance companies the chance to prove they can hold down costs and premiums and cover everyone.  If after 5 years the insurance companies prove they are more competitive than the public option, the public option is dropped.

Those who say they want to give the insurance companies the opportunity to prove themselves, will have their desires met by this trigger.  The public option can be designed for 2 phases. The 1st phase might be a full price buy-in, where the costs of implementation are fully funded by premiums payed into the system.  If the trigger is not pulled, the 2nd phase of subsidized premiums kicks in for those who are unable to pay full price premiums.

The only reason to oppose an opt-out trigger would be that you know a public option will provide health care much better and cheaper than private insurance companies and you want to design a trigger that will kill a public option before it gets started. 

Let the trigger discussions begin!