The Stimulus: What's In It For You?

There's been a lot of talk and build up of this stimulus package. What is it exactly? A combination of tax breaks, direct aid to the needy, and spending on various projects that will hopefully spawn job creation. In total, $787 Billion dollars will be signed into law today by President Obama. All tax breaks and benefits become effective immediately.

What's it in for the American people? Here's a quick breakdown of how you may benefit.


1. The unemployed may continue to see their benefits continue.
2. An extension or improvement in COBRA benefits, allowing for the continuation of health coverage after a layoff.
3. A Tax credit to individuals of $400, or $800 for couples filing jointly for 2009-2010.
4. AMT relief, with the exemption raised to $46,700 for individuals and $70,950 for couples.
5. First time home buyers receive a 10% tax credit on the purchase of a new home in 2009, up to $8000.
6. Plug in hybrid vehicle buyers will receive a $7500 tax credit.
7. Financial incentive to weatherize your home ( details coming soon).

Good news for power programs and the environment: there is lots of spending and tax breaks for energy investments and the promotion of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. Finally, a nod towards green!

All in all, a nice big package that hopefully has enough punch to jump start progress towards the future. Take full advantage of all these benefits and support the promotion of clean green technologies! Read more!

The Gilded Age Turns Green

Don't blink. The world we live in is an unprecendented state of flux. First off, our planet is in serious trouble. Ice sheets are melting quicker than originally predicted. Stronger than usual weather patterns have caused a disturbing series of damaging storms. Without immediate intervention, the future is unknown.

Next is the U.S. economy, which is crumbling before our very eyes. Thanks to corporate greed and regulation "lite" from our government agencies, Americans are likely to experience a rather unpleasant recession in the coming months and perhaps years. We, the taxpayers are now financing the bailout to the tune of $700 billion dollars. The bright light in this is the fact that we, the people will not lose everything and jump out of windows like in 1929.

Lastly is government. We have all had the great misfortune of living under a joke of leadership aka the Bush Administration, and the upcoming election is a very serious one. Both candidates look vastly different from where I'm sitting. The one that understands the importance of investing heavily in green technology rather than offshore and Alaskan drilling is the one who can solve a host of issues in one simple shot. It is imperative that we ban together and make the right choice.

Yes, the world is changing quickly, and we are headed back to basics. The Gilded Age of corporate greed, excessive lifestyles and lavish spending will slowly but surely come to a crawl. Over the next decade, I believe that we will witness a shift among corporate leaders towards global corporate responsibility. We have seen it already with T. Boone Pickens and he is just one of the first to emerge. With the failure of Lehman, Bear, Fannie, Freddie Mac, AIG and others, executive pay will be more closely scrutinized by shareholders, regulators and the press. At long last, corporate leadership will be held accountable and will earn a fair wage, not the lottery. Wall Street as we knew it last week, won't exist. The jury is still out in terms of what it will look like, but the huge bets, the huge amounts of leverage and the complete lack of regulation will be things of the past.

The current economic climate already negatively impacts families across our great country. Many jobs have been lost and consumer spending continues to decline rapidly. As a result, and purely by default, the main tenants of green living such as saving money, saving energy, reducing, reusing and others will be adopted. Consumers will look to cut corners, and by doing so will embrace green living more than ever. SUV's are being exchanged for smaller more fuel efficient vehicles, travel has been cut back and we (me too!) look to break out last season's fall handbag rather than buy a new one. Simple pleasures are back in style...a rainbow, a sunset, and an afternoon with your family. Count your blessings, not your cash.

Our new goverment leadership should be working for the people and leading us towards energy independence. This road will bring untold riches to our country in terms of jobs for both the white and the blue collars, the savings from being "off" foreign oil, and the ultimate benefit of seriously reducing greenhouse gases. The U.S. can and should be the world leader in green technology, and by doing so, help other nations adopt clean energy and ultimately, protect our planet. Read more!

Thoughts about the Conventions

I know this is a green blog but I just have to give a shout out to my former fav Presidential candidate, Senator Hillary Clinton. As a woman, I can really appreciate her accomplishments, especially as a champion for the rights of women and children. She has the unique ability to understand the needs of our nation, government and world, all while raising (quite successfully I might add) a lovely daughter. She delivered a kick-butt speech to the Democratic delegates last month and I am sorry to see her off the ticket, as I'm sure many others are as well. I smell a prominent cabinet position, probably related to universal health care, and a campaign debt reduction deal to boot. Thankfully, the party seems fully committed to reducing our dependence on foreign oil and developing green collar jobs and that guy, Barack is not such a bad choice either. He may be a "freshman" but he seems to exercise good judgment when important decisions need to be made. His selection of a running mate certainly helped combat his weaknesses of lack of experience and foreign policy. Anyway, with or without Hillary, he's a heck of a lot better than the crypt keeper and his freshman. Read more!

Get Your Free Organic T-Shirt

...with your $30 contribution to the Obama campaign!

The last few Presidential elections, for me, were about picking the dog with the least fleas.

Not much has changed this time around, but the state of our planet and country are in complete disarray. This election requires our careful reflection and analysis. Because none of us have much time for that, here's a link to Grist, which offers a fact sheet on their home page for each candidate in regards to the environment.

The Obama camp has received the full support of the Sierra Club, as you may or may not be aware. I feel rather confident in my statement that I expect most, if not all of the remaining environmental groups to do the same.

Since the Democratic party has pledged that they are running the entire campaign on the pocket change of average Americans vs. special interest money (a rather noble gesture), I feel that it is my duty to help.

The Obama Camp is offering a "free" organic T-shirt to all contributors of $30 or more. There are several pages on his site to make a donation, but only this page offers the organic shirt. Click here for the Obama T-Shirt contribution page.

So if you are a supporter of the Earth or Obama, or you think you may be a supporter, or if you just like organic T-shirts, take one down for the cause. Read more!

Why is the Press Not Asking About the Environment?

I wish I had a good answer. I guess they have more interest in asking about non-issues like "Was Bill Clinton the first black President?" Ok I kinda enjoyed that one. But seriously, climate change is on the forefront of people's minds. All the polls agree, yet the press continuously stays away from it.

If you have been watching any of the debates, you will have noticed this trend. According to the Alliance for Climate Change, A League of Conservation Voters study found that ABC's George Stephanopoulos asked presidential candidates more than 767 questions -- only 5 of which were related to global warming. CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked more than 402 questions -- only 5 were about global warming. Sadly, other political commentators and reporters have shown a similar disregard for this key issue.

The climate crisis needs to be addressed, and the right leadership in Washington will be the first step in solving the issue. If you want to hear more from the candidates about the environment, please sign the petition from the Alliance for Climate Change, found below. Please cut and paste it in your browser. Thanks for your help.

http://www.climateprotect.org/presspetition Read more!

Pre-NH Blogger Debate - Obama or Hillary?

I know this is a blog about the environment but my choice for the next President happens to be Hillary Clinton. I agree with her stance on the environment, I like her voting record on it, and I do believe she cares about this huge issue. Bill certainly does. He helps to raise awareness of climate change frequently for his foundation, drives a hybrid SUV and they have greened their whole house.

One of the main reasons why I like Hillary is because she understand that the problems we face with the economy, jobs, the energy crisis and climate change can be bundled together and solved with the right incentives from government. Take a problem and create a solution - makes sense. Yet she is the only one who says so and has a plan to do it.


Now in regards to the televised debates this weekend, am I totally crazy, but isn't she CLEARLY the most knowledgeable, the most focused, the most experienced, and with a proved resume of "change"? Didn't she come across extremely well to the public, both smart and thoughtful, highlighting important details about her position on a host of topics? That's what I watched. Yes, she is tough, thankfully. I also watched as the #1 seeded candidate, Barack Obama, was like a parrot, echoing sentiments from other candidates that sounded good rather than stepping up with his own policies and input. Is it "change" for the hell of it, or "change" for the better? And John Edwards, who is obviously an intelligent, passionate person, stands for change as well, but the cowboy mentality of defeating the "bad guys" isn't enough. And can someone PLEASE tell him that every time he says "The U- nited States of America", which was at least 4 times that night, he sounds like a real dope which clearly he is not? It's a turn off.

Can you see Barack Obama meeting with the Russians or Musharraf? I can't. Talk about electing another guy who has his cabinet run the country for him because he has no idea what he is doing. It didn't work for these 8 years, and it won't work again. Also, another great point came from Rudi Giuliani, who said Obama never ran a city, a state, or even a company so how the heck can he run the country? Exactly.

So can someone please tell me why this left wing man of color is the favorite in conservative white states?? I have to say I admire him for making it happen, but I still don't get it. I like Hillary, and her "thighs of steel" too, and I would love the opportunity to hear why she is NOT electable? Anyone? McFly? Read more!

Clinton Reveals "Thighs of Steel" to Ensure Iowa Victory

Read more!

The Presidential Candidates on the Environment and Climate Change

There have been several televised debates as well as YouTube debates featuring the Democratic and Republican candidates. I try my best to watch them, or TIVO them, but it's difficult finding the time. Luckily, I found a great site that I would like to share with you.

The Election Guide 2008, by the New York Times in their Politics section summarizes each candidate's stance on climate change, what they would do if elected, and what their past actions have been on the issue, including Bill sponsorship and voting records. I found this tremendously helpful in determining who cares and who just pretends to care. Based on my light analysis, it seems that the Democrats care more about this issue, which isn't much of a surprise. You be the judge.

Copy and paste this text in your browser and it will take you directly to this page:

http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/issues/climate/index.html

Climate change and the environment is on my "Top 3" list of issues. It is absolutely critical that we vote someone in office that cares about this monumentally important issue. Unite greenies! Read more!