White House Health Care Summit

Watch the White House Health Care Summit live on C-Span here.


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Obama's Health Care Plan

Many people from across the political spectrum are asking "What's in Obama's health care plan?"

Certain factions (seemingly motivated by fear of change or a visceral hatred for President Obama) have mis-characterized the Administration's health care plan so loudly that honest information-seekers are genuinely confused.

You can read the full plan at Whitehouse.gov; here are the bullet highlights.

If You Have Health Insurance

• Ends discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions.
• Limits premium discrimination based on gender and age.
• Prevents insurance companies from dropping coverage when people are sick and need it most.
• Caps out-of pocket expenses so people don’t go broke when they get sick.
• Eliminates extra charges for preventive care like mammograms, flu shots and diabetes tests to improve health and save money.
• Protects Medicare for seniors.
• Eliminates the "donut-hole" gap in coverage for prescription drugs.

If You Don't Have Insurance

• Creates a new insurance marketplace – the Exchange – that allows people without insurance and small businesses to compare plans and buy insurance at competitive prices.
• Provides new tax credits to help people buy insurance.
• Provides small businesses tax credits and affordable options for covering employees.
• Offers a public health insurance option to provide the uninsured and those who can’t find affordable coverage with a real choice.
• Immediately offers new, low-cost coverage through a national "high risk" pool to protect people with preexisting conditions from financial ruin until the new Exchange is created.

For All Americans

• Won’t add a dime to the deficit and is paid for upfront.
• Requires additional cuts if savings are not realized.
• Implements a number of delivery system reforms that begin to rein in health care costs and align incentives for hospitals, physicians, and others to improve quality.
• Creates an independent commission of doctors and medical experts to identify waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system.
• Orders immediate medical malpractice reform projects that could help doctors focus on putting their patients first, not on practicing defensive medicine.
• Requires large employers to cover their employees and individuals who can afford it to buy insurance so everyone shares in the responsibility of reform.

New American Agenda

Last night, President Obama outlined a new American agenda with special emphasis on three areas critical to the well-being of the citizenry - energy, health care, and education.

In reference to a sustainable energy policy, Mr. Obama remarked:

"It begins with energy.

We know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21st century. And yet, it is China that has launched the largest effort in history to make their economy energy efficient. We invented solar technology, but we've fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it. New plug-in hybrids roll off our assembly lines, but they will run on batteries made in Korea.

Well I do not accept a future where the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root beyond our borders - and I know you don't either. It is time for America to lead again.

Thanks to our recovery plan, we will double this nation's supply of renewable energy in the next three years. We have also made the largest investment in basic research funding in American history - an investment that will spur not only new discoveries in energy, but breakthroughs in medicine, science, and technology.

We will soon lay down thousands of miles of power lines that can carry new energy to cities and towns across this country. And we will put Americans to work making our homes and buildings more efficient so that we can save billions of dollars on our energy bills.

But to truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy. So I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America. And to support that innovation, we will invest fifteen billion dollars a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power; advanced biofuels, clean coal, and more fuel-efficient cars and trucks built right here in America."

Click here for a transcript of the entire address courtesy of Talking Points Memo, or watch the speech in its entirety on C-SPAN.

"The Party Now is Over"

Obama on stimulus. Check out the news conference in its entirety. The link to C-Span.

Tripple Word Score

This week's newspaper article:

Debate over the national stimulus plan is coming to a head. The proposal - yet to be passed by both bodies of Congress and signed into law by the President – stands as a combination of tax cuts and funding for projects designed to create jobs.

Tax cuts are a foregone conclusion; we can all use a few extra dollars in our pockets.

But some, singing the tired old song that “the best government is the least government,” have suggested that any attempt to stimulate the economy through job creation at the federal level is destined to fail. They say that any money spent on job creation by the federal government is just throwing money away. Thus, the remedy for an ailing national economy involves permanent tax cuts. Period.

In other words, “more of the same, only more of it.” Those people must be terrible Scrabble players.

In the classic board game, the way to score big is by targeting the bonus squares and creating as many words as possible in as many directions as possible in one move.

Scrabble is a two dimensional game. Looking for opportunities to make a play that is both sideways and up-and-down is a winning strategy. Thinking one-dimensionally, meaning every word stands alone, puts a cap on the effectiveness, and almost always results in the bottom end of the score.

Let’s look at a couple of the proposals at play.

The plan calls for weatherizing millions of homes, putting Americans to work in every part of the nation. These jobs, unlike many over the past few years, cannot be outsourced to China.

The bonus? Buildings suck up almost half the energy we use in this country. Inefficient buildings are the worst culprits. Once weatherized, homeowners save money each month on their energy bills (adding up to a tidy sum by the end of the year), and the country is less dependent on dirty and foreign sources of energy.

The proposed stimulus package calls for the construction of the first phase of a national energy “smart grid.” Just like the railroads of the nineteenth century, the interstate highways of the mid-twentieth century, and the Internet of late, this new infrastructure will foster millions of well-paying jobs for decades to come.

The added dimension? Once the smart grid is in place, homegrown renewable energy can be transported from renewable hotspots –wind in the Midwest, solar in the Southeast – all across the country resulting in permanent American jobs, energy security, a clean environment, and lower energy costs for all Americans.

When government proposals are one-dimensional, they may very well be destined for failure. But all of the major proposals by the Administration have multiple dividends, and once accomplished, serve a valuable purpose well into the future.

I don’t know this for a fact, but I suspect President Obama is a very good Scrabble player.

Green Light on Green Energy

If Congress follows President Obama's blueprint for the upcoming stimulus package, this spring will have a considerably greener hue.

From yesterday's Remarks by the President on Jobs, Energy Independence, and Climate Change :

"At a time of such great challenge for America, no single issue is as fundamental to our future as energy. America's dependence on oil is one of the most serious threats that our nation has faced. It bankrolls dictators, pays for nuclear proliferation, and funds both sides of our struggle against terrorism. It puts the American people at the mercy of shifting gas prices, stifles innovation and sets back our ability to compete."

And he went on to say:

"Now America has arrived at a crossroads. Embedded in American soil and the wind and the sun, we have the resources to change. Our scientists, businesses and workers have the capacity to move us forward. It falls on us to choose whether to risk the peril that comes with our current course or to seize the promise of energy independence. For the sake of our security, our economy and our planet, we must have the courage and commitment to change.

It will be the policy of my administration to reverse our dependence on foreign oil, while building a new energy economy that will create millions of jobs. We hold no illusion about the task that lies ahead. I cannot promise a quick fix; no single technology or set of regulations will get the job done. But we will commit ourselves to steady, focused, pragmatic pursuit of an America that is free from our energy dependence and empowered by a new energy economy that puts millions of our citizens to work.

Today, I'm announcing the first steps on our journey toward energy independence, as we develop new energy, set new fuel efficiency standards, and address greenhouse gas emissions. Each step begins to move us in a new direction, while giving us the tools that we need to change.

First, we must take bold action to create a new American energy economy that creates millions of jobs for our people. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan before Congress places a down payment on this economy. It will put 460,000 Americans to work, with clean energy investments and double the capacity to generate alternative energy over the next three years. It will lay down 3,000 miles of transmission lines to deliver this energy to every corner of our country. It will save taxpayers $2 billion a year by making 75 percent of federal buildings more efficient. And it will save working families hundreds of dollars on their energy bills by weatherizing 2 million homes.

This is the boost that our economy needs, and the new beginning that our future demands. By passing the bill, Congress can act where Washington has failed to act over and over again for 30 years. We need more than the same old empty promises. We need to show that this time it will be different. This is the time that Americans must come together on behalf of our common prosperity and security.

Second, we must ensure that the fuel-efficient cars of tomorrow are built right here in the United States of America. Increasing fuel efficiency in our cars and trucks is one of the most important steps that we can take to break our cycle of dependence on foreign oil. It will also help spark the innovation needed to ensure that our auto industry keeps pace with competitors around the world."

From NPR: Green Energy Scores Big In Obama's Stimulus Plan

California Dreamin'

The State of California's proactive policies regulating the emission of CO2 is paying off.

Emissions per person are down even as the state's economy has grown. And the green sector of the economy has shown the most impressive growth rising 10 percent annually.

A new report by NEXT10 - a non-partisan organization focused on the convergence of energy, the economy, and lifestyle - exposes as myth the idea that "environmental stewardship comes at the expense of business."

The group's 2008 Green Innovation Index summarizes that "since the 1970s when the state government first started requiring more energy-efficient buildings and appliances, California has grown more prosperous and added jobs even as its citizens cut the amount of energy they use and the greenhouse gases they produce."

A focus on conservation along with higher standards for energy-efficiency in buildings and appliances means Californians are paying much less for energy than their the rest of the country. And aggressive incentives for developing and installing clean green energy systems has attracted record amounts of venture capital investment for green business start-ups. As a result, California leads the nation in patent applications for renewable energy and green products.

This morning, President Obama announced that he is ordering the EPA to reconsider it's opposition to states setting higher standards for auto emissions. Unconscionably, under the past administration, the Environmental Protection Agency prohibited states from raising local environmental standards higher than those set by the agency.

Check out the Los Angeles Times story: Obama clearing way for California emissions waiver

And just for kicks: The Mamas and the Papas

The Purpose Driven Stimulus Package

In his first weekly YouTube address as president, Barack Obama outlines the Administration's plan for the forthcoming stimulus package which he hopes will be signed into law within a month.

From the Whitehouse.gov website:

"(T)he plan will update our electric grid by laying more than 3,000 miles of transmission lines; weatherize 2.5 million homes; protect health insurance for more than 8 million Americans in danger of losing their coverage; secure 90 major ports; renovate 10,000 schools; and triple the number of science fellowships."

A link to the full transcript and video:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/president-obama-delivers-your-weekly-address/

New and Improved Whitehouse.gov

Change has come...to Whitehouse.gov, the official website of the US President. The new tech-savvy Administration posted a newly designed site yesterday as Obama took office outlining policy positions and Administration activities.

An excerpt:


ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The energy challenges our country faces are severe and have gone unaddressed for far too long. Our addiction to foreign oil doesn't just undermine our national security and wreak havoc on our environment -- it cripples our economy and strains the budgets of working families all across America. President Obama and Vice President Biden have a comprehensive plan to invest in alternative and renewable energy, end our addiction to foreign oil, address the global climate crisis and create millions of new jobs.

The Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan will:

* Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.
* Within 10 years save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined.
* Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars -- cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon -- on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America.
* Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
* Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

Energy Plan Overview

Provide Short-term Relief to American Families

* Crack Down on Excessive Energy Speculation.
* Swap Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to Cut Prices.

Eliminate Our Current Imports from the Middle East and Venezuela within 10 Years

* Increase Fuel Economy Standards.
* Get 1 Million Plug-In Hybrid Cars on the Road by 2015.
* Create a New $7,000 Tax Credit for Purchasing Advanced Vehicles.
* Establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
* A “Use it or Lose It” Approach to Existing Oil and Gas Leases.
* Promote the Responsible Domestic Production of Oil and Natural Gas.

Create Millions of New Green Jobs

* Ensure 10 percent of Our Electricity Comes from Renewable Sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
* Deploy the Cheapest, Cleanest, Fastest Energy Source – Energy Efficiency.
* Weatherize One Million Homes Annually.
* Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology.
* Prioritize the Construction of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline.

Reduce our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80 Percent by 2050

* Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
* Make the U.S. a Leader on Climate Change.


Click on http://www.whitehouse.gov/ for what promises to be an interesting and engaging (and ever-changing) update on Administration activities and policy initiatives.

Inauguration

Today, its' all about the presidential inauguration. Full coverage on C-SPAN.

http://www.c-span.org/

Shaun Donovan at HUD

After eight years of atrophy and neglect, things are looking up for the future of housing in the US.

Shaun Donovan, currently the Commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development in New York City, has just been nominated for the post of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Donovan is an architect by education with both bachelor and masters degrees from Harvard. Expect some innovative ideas and some aggressive action from HUD in the next few years.

In stark contrast to the previous Administration's world view that "government is the problem," Donovan brings a decidedly proactive attitude along with intellectual vigor to the post.

Santa came early this year.

A link to Obama's weekly YouTube message about housing and the Donovan nomination:

http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/secretary_of_housing_and_urban_development_announced_in_weekly_address/

Proposal Ties Economic Stimulus to Energy Plan

The United States lost a net 533,000 jobs last month insuring that an economic stimulus package is eminent. Right now, that package is being formulated among members of Congress and the new Administration and it looks like the stimulus plan will be holistic in nature - that is, it will be tied to developing a cleaner and more sustainable national energy system.

From the New York times: Proposal Ties Economic Stimulus to Energy Plan

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/us/politics/04green.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

Obama Bikes

Look for a more emphasis on active transportation options as the US transitions to an Obama presidency.

AP photographer Alex Brandon spotted Obama riding a bike in Chicago with family and friends after the election - a good sign that Obama will be sympathetic to issues surrounding urban biking.

From his campaign platform:

As president, Barack Obama will re-evaluate the transportation funding process to ensure that smart growth considerations are taken into account. Obama will build upon his efforts in the Senate to ensure that more Metropolitan Planning Organizations create policies to incentivize greater bicycle and pedestrian usage of roads and sidewalks, and he will also re-commit federal resources to public mass transportation projects across the country. Building more livable and sustainable communities will not only reduce the amount of time individuals spent commuting, but will also have significant benefits to air quality, public health and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Bike on!

Election Day

Well, it's here - Election Day!

And I'm getting ready to go out and vote. Let's see - top hat, cane, boutonniere, spit-shined shoes, cleaned and pressed tuxedo - now what have I forgotten?

Oh yeah, cuff links. Can't wear the every-day appointments today, best to pull out the special studs for this election.

Wait a minute. Maybe I'm being a bit inappropriate. Don't want to draw attention to myself. After all, this day is all about the candidates.

Yep, better wear a coat with tails. Good thing I hung it out...just in case.

Where are my spats?

Go out and vote!

Presidential Candidates on Transportation, Smart Growth

The Brookings Institution has a side by side comparison of Barack Obama and John McCain on transportation issues including funding priorities, public transportation, fuel efficiency, passenger rail (Amtrak), and smart growth.

http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2008/0826_transportation_puentes_opp08/0826_transportation_puentes_opp08.pdf

Presidential Candidates: Energy

Concisely, this Reuters article lays out Obama's and McCain's positions on the future of energy policy in the US.

http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed7/idUSTRE49T6W020081031

Candidate's Auto-Carbon Footprint

How many cars do the presidential candidates have? A Newsweek article - All the Candidate's Cars - indicates that John McCain and his wife own 13 automobiles; Barack Obama and his wife own 1.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/160091

Barack Obama

Barack Obama, evangelist of change, spells out chapter and verse on his vision for America’s Energy and Environmental policy.

On Energy.

Obama’s position paper, entitled “Barack Obama’s Plan To Make America A Global Energy Leader,” covers wide-ranging (but integrally important) topics such as building efficiency standards, investment in new energy technologies, and re-thinking the energy grid.

Although this description barely skims over the mountaintops, the campaign sums up the Energy plan as follows:

Obama’s comprehensive plan to combat global warming and achieve energy security will:

Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the level recommended by top scientists to avoid calamitous impacts.

Invest $150 billion over the next ten years to develop and deploy climate friendly energy supplies, protect our existing manufacturing base and create millions of new jobs.

Dramatically improve energy efficiency to reduce energy intensity of our economy by 50 percent by 2030.

Reduce our dependence on foreign oil and reduce oil consumption overall by at least 35 percent, or 10 million barrels of oil, by 2030

Make the U.S. a leader in the global effort to combat climate change by leading a new international global warming partnership.


On the Environment.

Again, Obama addresses this issue with great detail. Clean air, clean water, climate change – all covered. But that’s just the start.

Here are some of what I found to be his most interesting proposals:


Create a Green Job Corps:

Obama will create an energy-focused youth jobs program for disconnected and disadvantaged youth. This program will provide participants with service opportunities to improve energy conservation and efficiency of homes and buildings in their communities, while also providing practical experience in important career fields of expected high-growth employment. It will also engage private sector employers and unions to provide apprenticeship opportunities. The program will also work closely with Obama’s proposed Clean Energy Corps to help participants find additional service opportunities after they complete the Green Job Corps.


Build More Livable and Sustainable Communities:

Reform Federal Transportation Funding: Barack Obama will re-evaluate the transportation funding process to ensure that smart growth considerations are taken into account and he will also re-commit federal resources to public mass transportation projects across the country.

Require States to Plan for Energy Conservation: Barack Obama will require governors and local leaders in our metropolitan areas to make “energy conservation” a required part of their planning for the expenditure of federal transportation funds.

Use Innovative Measures to Dramatically Improve Efficiency of Buildings:

Set National Building Efficiency Goals: Barack Obama will establish a goal of making all new buildings carbon neutral, or produce zero emissions, by 2030. He’ll also establish a national goal of improving new building efficiency by 50 percent and existing building efficiency by 25 percent over the next decade to help us meet the 2030 goal.

Establish a Grant Program for Early Adopters: Barack Obama will create a competitive grant program to award those states and localities that take the first steps in implementing new building codes that prioritize energy efficiency. He will also provide a federal match for those states with public benefits funds that support energy efficiency retrofits for existing buildings.

Flip Incentives to Energy Utilities: Barack Obama will work to provide incentives for energy conservation by ensuring utilities get increased profits for improving energy efficiency, rather than higher energy consumption. This decoupling of profits from increased energy usage will incentivize utilities to partner with consumers and the federal government to reduce monthly energy bills for families and businesses. Obama will provide early adopter grants and other financial assistance from the federal government to states that implement this energy efficient policy.

And I could go on and on. Really. I urge you to dive into these two outlines of Senator Obama’s Energy and Environmental policy. It may not be hellfire and brimstone, but policies like this may just keep us from experiencing it on earth.

On Energy:

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/pdf/EnergyFactSheet.pdf

On the Environment:

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/pdf/EnvironmentFactSheet.pdf

This Week: Presidential Candidates Views...

...on Energy and the Environment.

Ron Paul – Monday
Mike Huckabee – Tuesday
John McCain – Wednesday
Barack Obama – Thursday
Hillary Clinton – Friday