Use stimulus money to...
1. Create a comprehensive network of high speed rail lines in low atmosphere tubes for commuting and commercial use. This technology is faster, cheaper and more efficient than air, truck or ship travel and building it would provide jobs.
2. Rewire the US for 'the Grid' (the new internet created by CERN) to upgrade our communication and commerce network and, again, create jobs.
3. Rework the electrical grid so that it can withstand the 'ups and downs' associated with many alternative energies as well as wiring on streets and highways for low cost recharge parking spots and recharge stations - more jobs and an upgraded grid prepared to handle new energies and electric vehicles.
4. R&D and development of the best alternative energies for various US regions such as the 'wind belt' in the south-west, etc.
5. Upgrade gas stations as recharge stations where car batteries are not recharged on site but traded out for 'juiced up' batteries - saving time and making electric recharge wait times a problem of the past.
6. R&D and development of compostable toilet and kitchen technology - the technology already exists but offer incentives for people to upgrade to this technology to reduce solid waste.
7. R&D and development of regional, large scale sort and recycle centers that not only collect all waste, sort, reuse, refurbish and recycle materials but even mine landfills for resources. This industry can replace part or all of the mining industry and provide raw materials for manufacturers.
8. Upgrade existing buildings and homes with passive solar and other 'alternative' energy saving technologies with tax incentives while setting high standards for new construction in terms of internal air quality and energy efficiency.
9. Upgrade roads and bridges for general safety and improved transportation and commerce.
10. Complete and pass the health care legislation that has been prepared so that all Americans are covered and protected. This type of security allows Americans to be more confident to pursue an education or open a business without fearing a lapse in coverage for themselves or their families.
11. Upgrade school facilities to support a 21st Century education. Well paid, professional teachers that challenge students to think creatively and critically, consider interdisciplinary and global problems, persevere in their academic pursuits and take risks in their thought as opposed to preparing them for tests on content that anyone can find on the web in 5 minutes - they don't need information - they need thinking skills. They don't need tests, they need to be reflective.
12. Random old ideas that have circulated on the right and the left - legalize guns but require background checks, psychological tests and training, support family planning, legalize marijuana and decriminalize millions of Americans while raising tax revenues, streamline the government and minimize waste thereby stabilizing or lowering taxes, support mandatory 2 year military service and mandatory 2 year public works service home and or abroad, make war a last resort in all situations and criminalize companies that promote war when they stand to profit from it.
So, what do we get for this? Jobs for Americans in multiple sectors for the next few years. An upgraded infrastructure for communication, transportation and commerce - paving the way for a cleaner and more efficient tomorrow. These incentives improve the environment, the economy, our overall health and quality of life - as a whole, these secure conditions are the foundations upon which a free market economy can flourish.
There's more, but I'll wait for my invite to the White House to share!
Thanks! This is a great start!
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