President Obama proposed scrapping $4.5 billion in subsidies for oil companies in the State of the Union, suggesting the monies might be put to better use as incentives for clean energy. Presidents have been trying to do this for decades – even former oilman George W. Bush tried to shut off the spigot, but to no […]
What Obama needs to say on gas prices
I think there’s a real lack of progressive engagement with the most pressing issue to most people – gas prices. For people working 40 to 60 hours a week, looking for jobs, feeding their families, the latest EPA MACT rule isn’t even on their radar. They care about gas prices, which are really cutting into […]
Decline and displacement by authoritarian China
I saw this article while going through the news this afternoon: IMF bombshell: Age of America nears end And it’s a lot closer than you may think. According to the latest IMF official forecasts, China’s economy will surpass that of America in real terms in 2016 — just five years from now. It provides a […]
DoD tolerates human trafficking and foreign national abuse on US bases
I’m reading Sarah Stillwell’s article in the June 6th issue of the New Yorker. She spent months interviewing foreign workers on American military bases abroad. The Pentagon issues logistics contracts to big companies like Halliburton and Fluor that subcontract to smaller foreign companies. These companies then contract with recruiting firms in poor countries in Africa and South […]
Cleantech saves soldiers’ lives
The military is the one area where government spending on R&D is tolerated by the GOP. Republicans tried to gut the Department of Energy’s hugely successful ARPA-E program during the last budget fight, but left DoD’s DARPA virtually untouched. But Defense is picking up the slack by demonstrating a practical application of clean energy: to […]