Stimulus. The mere mention of the word makes one want to yearn to be interested. It sure has gained the attention of the nation. Republicans just can’t get over the failed notion that tax cuts for the rich produces jobs through “trickle down” economics. All that has done for us is produce greedy Wall Streeters and spiraling debt. Democrats refuse to turn their backs on the social giveaways of the 1960s that lead to more dependence and less initiative. The Stimulus package consisting of over 600 pages. What one comes away with after perusing the bill is much of the bill attempts to pick up the detritus that is transforming the American economy. Many decry the fact the bill doesn’t have enough stimulus in it. The reality is the bill is attempting to ease the suffering of those who are collateral damage in this economic crisis. Much of the funding goes to state and local governments who are buckling from the weight of the meltdown. Maybe the bill is a finger in the dyke. This stimulus package appears to be more a bridge for those who are suffering than job creation measure. Most would like to see more infrastructure spending in the bill. This fact brings me to number two on the things Barack Obama should do as President.

Infrastructure and the Green Economy

If one spends anytime in places like Singapore or Oslo and then compares them to Chicago or Jacksonville it will become apparent that the United States is losing our edge. Singapore is using the interest they make off of US loans and investing in their infrastructure. Their modern airport has internet portals and kid play zones. American airports are functional but dated, dark and dingy. Look at the images when people are stuck in them during a snowstorm.  The Katrina episode pointed to the fact of how antiquated our infrastructure is. The bridge collapse in Minnesota highlighted this notion again. The complacency of America is in full swing. The innovation in the manufacturing sector has gone the way of its workers: overseas. For a nation to be truely viable, it needs to have something to trade. Trade was the instrument on which this nation was built. In large part Britain’s obstruction of unfettered colonial free trade played a large role in the Patriots telling old England to take a hike.

Infrastructure and trade work like a hand and glove. As the manufacturing sector has continued to migrate from the US, its infrastructure has continued to decline as well. At the height of the US’s industrial power following WW II (we were producing 60% of the world’s products), Eisenhower began the most significant infrastructure project of the 20th century; the establishment of the US highway system. American industrialism demanded it. It reminds me of the fact that the roads built by the Romans in their heyday continued to be the avenues by which the Europeans traveled during the Renaissance. Granted, the comparison is not as drastic but our infrastructure is in vital need of repair. For the better part of four decades American money has been bleeding towards overseas ventures. Defending Europe during the Cold War, maintaining hegemony over Japan in East Asia, the Vietnam War, payoff money for attempted Middle East peace in the 70s, the Gulf War, $3 billion a year to Israel, and the war in Iraq to name the biggies. Overseas trade is good but the hemorrhaging of American money is not.

To make the US energy independent should be near the top of President Obama’s list. If this nation can utilize its ingenuity and meet all its energy needs without using Middle Eastern oil, we can make that entire violent region superfluous. A shift away from ultra-militarism and more toward redefining the US economy is the only way to reignite America’s greatness. We have the capacity to develop a green sector in this country. Boundless reaches of this nation are ideal for wind turbines. The Southwest is  perfectly suited for solar energy and with huge investment, both through government incentives and private development, we have the brainpower to create energy in ways we can only dream about as long as those entities with competing interests will not be allowed to interfere. We saw this with the killing of the electric car in the 1990s. President Obama has openly stated he intends to proceed with a new energy agenda. Let’s just hope the economy will allow him to add it to his plate.