My Lame Gulf Oil Spill Project…

An Open Letter To President Obama: “One Solution For Many Problems – A Strong Case For Transitioning Into A Green Economy”

Dear Mr President,

As you are aware, FDR led the charge toward our involvement in WWII with a “total mobilization of manpower, industry, and logistics” by committing ALL of our available resources toward the war effort, while a decade earlier, he initiated The New Deal through creating public programs toward relief, recovery, reform, and beautification. I think you would agree that FDR’s policies were no less than instrumental in transforming the US into one of the most powerful and respected nations on the planet.

So, with regard to the various crises our nation is experiencing, my questions to you are as follow:

– Being that the future of our nation, our children’s future, and all of life on Earth may very well be on the line, would you take a firm stance to implement constructive programs and policies similar to that of FDR which could ultimately reunite the people under a unified cause, and again infuse our nation with a sense of purpose and pride?

– And, do you have the political courage, conviction, and will to resist: corporate hegemony and greed; the short-sighted, lying, and self-interested Right; the career-minded political establishment; and the oft innate desire to preserve one’s own career, even if it’s at the expense of a greater good?

If so, I ask that you take a moment to please consider the following…

It is my belief that within three to five years, the US could effectively solve many of the problems it currently faces by strategically hurling one, bold stone. This ‘stone’ would be to commit to a fearless and resolute transition away from a Fossil Fuel dependent economy into a Green economy, while concurrently stating to the American people, in a confident, calm, and clear tone, how such an effort would effectively be beneficial, if not altogether profitable, to everyone in both short order and over the long run.

A committed effort to transform our economy into one that is sustainable would:

1. Breath life into and grow a newer, cleaner manufacturing base.

2. After a training period, put millions of people to work almost immediately, while giving them a set of increasingly valuable knowledge and skills, and improving our collective purchasing power.

3. After an initial investment, it would enable the US to pay off our national debt and reduce our annual deficit.

4. Encourage our universities, Silicon Valley, and the likes of Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook, and private enterprise to participate in this noble and profitable venture.

5. Enable the creation of a cooperative government network (similar to Homeland Security) through partially reconfiguring the missions and responsibilities of The National Guard, The Coast Guard, The Army Corps of Engineers, Americorps, The EPA, The Department of the Interior, The Department of Forestry, The BLM, HUD, The Department of Transportation, The National Parks Service, and The Department of Education, so as to treat the preservation of our natural environment as a national security concern.

6. Reduce our over-reliance on the private automobile and the unnecessary and redundant distribution of resources and infrastructure over great distances through encouraging compact, mixed-use, transit-oriented development and regional farming.

7. Eventually result in much cleaner food, water, land, and air, which would ultimately engender a healthier population.

8. Germinate an entirely new economic sector of frontier technologies, products, and services that would be in demand the world over while making the US the go-to nation, balancing our trade deficit, and making the US the industrial pioneers by which other nations would soon follow.

9. Enable the US to become energy independent while minimizing the necessity for newly extracted fossil fuel resources, which too would reduce our artificial need to exploit and/or commit war on other regions.

10. Disable energy monopolies through decentralizing and democratizing access to energy.

11. Improve additional national security concerns through implementing #9 and #10.

12. And halt, if not altogether reverse Global Climate change over the coming decades, thereby reducing costs as well as damage to lives and properties as a result of natural disaster and rising oceans.

Mr President… Americans have once and again proven that we can accomplish anything if we commit our hearts, minds, and bodies to the task. We’ve done it before, during both the industrial and technological revolutions. We can do it again. All that we need is a strong, visionary leader to pave the way.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Craig Morse