Get on the Bus: Opening the Door to New Jobs

 The White House  wrote:

Friday, August 19, 2011   This week President Obama traveled to the Midwest where he met with Americans in rural towns and communities in Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. The purpose of his trip, dubbed the Economic Rural Tour 2011, was to talk to people from different walks of life about what is happening in our country right now. The President was there to talk, but also to listen. In town halls, county fairs and an economic forum, Americans shared their hopes for the future and their concerns about the economy and what it means for their businesses and their families. Throughout his trip, the President proposed a series of common sense steps Congress can take immediately upon their return to Washington that will start rebuilding our economy. These include: Extend the payroll tax cut so that middle class families have more money in their paychecks next year.  If you've got more money in your paycheck, you're more likely to spend it, and that means businesses of all sizes will have more customers. They'll be in a better position to hire.  Extend unemployment benefits so that millions of workers who are still pounding the pavement looking for jobs can support their families Pass a bipartisan road construction bill. There are over a million construction workers out of work after the housing boom went bust, just as a lot of America needs rebuilding.  We can put these workers back to work by rebuilding our roads and bridges and railways.  Pass the patent reform bill to help our innovators and entrepreneurs get their job creating ideas to market faster. Pass the trade agreements that will help businesses sell more American-made goods and services to Asia and South America, supporting tens of thousands of jobs here at home. Put our bright, talented and skilled veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to work. The President has proposed several initiatives to make sure our veterans are able to navigate this difficult labor market and succeed in the civilian workforce, including the Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits, and his challenge to the private sector to train or hire 100,000 unemployed veterans. As President Obama said this week, "there is nothing wrong with our country, there is something wrong with our politics…When this country is operating off a common ground, nobody can stop us. But when we're divided, then we end up having a whole lot of self-inflicted problems." Check out videos and highlights of all of the events from the Economic Rural Tour: Monday August 15, 2011: Townhall in Cannon Falls, MN Townhall in Decorah, IA Tuesday August 16, 2011: White House Rural Economic Forum in Peosta, IA Wednesday August 17, 2011: Townhall in Atkinson, IL Townhall in Alpha, IL P.S. - On Tuesday, President Obama gave a few words in his closing remarks on how his bus trip through rural America reminded him of why he wanted to get into public service in the first place: Sometimes there are days in Washington that will drive you crazy. But getting out of Washington and meeting all of you, and seeing how hard you're working, how creative you are, how resourceful you are, how determined you are, that just makes me that much more determined to serve you as best I can as President of the United States.  Watch the full video of his remarks.   Facebook Twitter YouTube Flickr iTunes   The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111

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Solar Storm

 Expert Predicts Massive Power Grid Meltdown

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In all the years we've been working to develop solutions for self-reliant, independent people such as yourself, I've never
been as worried as I am right now, and that's because of the interview in today's edition of Off The Grid Radio.

Our guest today is John Kappenman, the owner and Chief Analyst of Storm Analysis Consultants. John has a resume and list
of professional accomplishments the length of my arm and is one of the world's leading experts on the dangers from
geomagnetic storms, or what is commonly known as an ElectroMagneticPulse (EMP).

His testimony before the US House of Representatives was so compelling that the House voted unanimously to accept John's
new recommendations to protect the grid, and yet the legislation appears dead in the US Senate. Think about that-unanimity
in the US House of Representatives. Even Ron Paul supports this.

If our leaders fail to act, John and others experts have predicted that:

A solar storm of extreme strength will hit within the next few yearsThe entire global electric grid could go downThe most
at-risk components are hugely expensive and take years to replaceWe may live without electricity for 4-10 years

And tens of millions of people will die as their medications expire and are not replaced, as food rots on the farm and
hospitals turn into morgues.

Just imagine waking up tomorrow to discover that the electricity is off and isn't coming back on. City water will run out
within a day or two. Grocery stores will be out of food within 72 hours... if it lasts that long. No banks are open. Gas
stations can't pump the gas they have, and nothing more will be delivered. There are no telephones, TV and Radio stations
are off the air, there's no internet. And your local hospital is overwhelmed with the sick, injured and elderly...imagine
the ER without electricity, medicine or a reliable way to sanitize equipment. It's horrifying.

In short, we're talking about an apocalyptic time machine that will take us back 100 years, and while your grandparents
may have been accustomed to life before modern technology, polling here at OffTheGridNews.com suggests that even those of
us who are aware of and working towards total independence have a long way to go. (One poll showed that half of all
readers estimated they would starve within a month!)

What about the hundreds of millions in our own country who are blindly stumbling forward through life, oblivious to the
coming darkness.

I want to urge you to take an hour out of your time, right now, to listen to this life-changing interview with John
Kappenman, and after you've heard it, forward this email to everyone you know. There is no charge to listen, but the price
of ignorance could be beyond imagination. This crisis is right around the corner, and history has shown us it's not a
matter of 'if', but when, so please, click through and listen. 

Imagine the lights going off suddenly

Regards,

The Team at Off The Grid Radio

Help a friend by forwarding this newsletter to them! 

This newsletter is a free weekly service of Solutions from Science. You can reach us at: 

Solutions from Science
815 W. Main St.
P.O. Box 518 
Thomson, IL 61285 
Email us at info@solutionsfromscience.com

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MSD Hearings & St Louis, Missouri Water

• If you are opposed to sewage running in streams in your community's parks, sewage backing up in your basements, and our streams being incorporated into our region's sewer system as if that is their sole purpose, please weigh in at the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) rate hearings

Donate Now   Become A Member   Volunteer      Follow us on:     Facebook       Twitter Ignacia Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division, Richard Callahan, US Attorney, and Karl Brooks, EPA Region VII Director announce the MSD Consent Decree.   St. Louis,   If you are opposed to sewage running in streams in your community's parks, sewage backing up in your basements, and our streams being incorporated into our region's sewer system as if that is their sole purpose, please weigh in at the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) rate hearings. These hearings are about clean water- Do we want it? Are we willing to pay for it? Is it cheaper than dirty water? Are we ready to enter the 21st century and leave the 19th century behind?   Here's What the MSD Clean Water Rate Hikes Are About:  It's $4.7 billion and 23 years of blue collar and engineering job stimulus for our region. It's kids splashing in streams, chasing fish, frogs and crawdads when the work is done. It's basements that are dry...and not filled with disease-causing sewage after every rain. It's smallmouth bass in Deer Creek again - remember those days? It's swimming in Maline Creek and knowing it's not filled with germ-laden sewage when the work is finished. It's your family's property values preserved because the flooding and sewage back ups are gone. It's this generation taking responsibility for our right to clean water and building a clean water infrastructure for our children and their children.   St. Louis deserves clean water. MSD public hearings- 3 left!    South County 8/20- Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Cliff Cave Branch Library, 5430 Telegraph Road North County  8/22-Monday, 6 to 9 p.m., Florissant Valley Branch Library, 195 S. New Florissant Road North City 8/24-Wednesday, Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club, 2901 N. Grand   And the final one in September: Monday, Sept. 26, Metropolitan Sewer District, 2350 Market St.   The Rate Commission can approve MSD's proposal, modify it, or reject it entirely. Now is your time to be heard! The Commission will make its recommendation in October to the MSD board.   The proposal will be up on our website next week. It would raise monthly wastewater bills about $3-4 each year in the years between 2012 and 2016 and use bond financing for the investments in new sewer infrastructure.  The projects would take 23 years to complete and cost approximately $4.7 billion.    On a related note  You'll recall that it was our work that prompted the EPA to finally take action on the more than 200 illegal sewer overflows that dot the entire St. Louis region. After four years in settlement talks, we have signed a Consent Decree with MSD and the Dept. of Justice that requires MSD to make the infrastructure investments to elminate its illegal sewage overflows and reduce overflows to waters in the combined sewer area.The Consent Decree includes a commitment for funding a green infrastructure pilot project and $100 million for green infrastructure to help reduce sewage flowing into the Mississippi River. Thank you for helping us advance clean water and jobs in the region. Upcoming Events   August 23-  Maryland Heights Residents for Responsible Growth anticipates a hearing August 23rd at 7 p.m. at the Maryland Heights Government Center (11911 Dorsett Road, Maryland Heights, MO) on the zoning application for Maryland Pointe, a "retail destination" development proposal adjacent to Creve Coeur Lake Park. See our blog for details.    Audubon Center at Riverlands & the Missouri Botanical Garden Premier "Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for our Time" Friday, August 26 from 6:30pm Missouri Botanical Garden, Monsanto Hall 4344 Shaw Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63110 Movie begins at 6:30pm with a cocktail reception following at 8:00pm. Cost: $20 per person.

Forward email This email was sent to scottscontracting@gmail.com by moenviron@moenviron.org |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Missouri Coalition for the Environment | 6267 Delmar Blvd., Ste. 2E | St. Louis | MO | 63130

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Contract for the American Dream

We, the American people, promise to defend and advance a simple ideal: liberty and justice . . . for all. Americans who are willing to work hard and play by the rules should be able to find a decent job, get a good home in a strong community, retire with dignity, and give their kids a better life. Every one of us – rich, poor, or in-between, regardless of skin color or birthplace, no matter their sexual orientation or gender – has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That is our covenant, our compact, our contract with one another. It is a promise we can fulfill – but only by working together.

Today, the American Dream is under threat. Our veterans are coming home to few jobs and little hope on the home front. Our young people are graduating off a cliff, burdened by heavy debt, into the worst job market in half a century. The big banks that American taxpayers bailed out won't cut homeowners a break. Our firefighters, nurses, cops, and teachers – America's everyday heroes – are being thrown out onto the street. We believe:

AMERICA IS NOT BROKE

America is rich – still the wealthiest nation ever. But too many at the top are grabbing the gains. No person or corporation should be allowed to take from America while giving little or nothing back. The super-rich who got tax breaks and bailouts should now pay full taxes – and help create jobs here, not overseas. Those who do well in America should do well by America.

AMERICANS NEED JOBS, NOT CUTS

Many of our best workers are sitting idle while the work of rebuilding America goes undone. Together, we must rebuild our country, reinvest in our people and jump-start the industries of the future. Millions of jobless Americans would love the opportunity to become working, tax-paying members of their communities again. We have a jobs crisis, not a deficit crisis.

To produce this Contract for the American Dream, 131,203 Americans came together online and in their communities. We wrote and rated 25,904 ideas. Together, we identified the 10 most critical steps to get our economy back on track and restore the American Dream:

10 CRITICAL STEPS TO GET OUR ECONOMY BACK ON TRACK

I. INVEST IN AMERICA'S INFRASTRUCTURE

Rebuild our crumbling bridges, dams, levees, ports, water and sewer lines, railways, roads, and public transit. We must invest in high-speed Internet and a modern, energy-saving electric grid. These investments will create good jobs and rebuild America. To help finance these projects, we need national and state infrastructure banks.

II. CREATE 21ST CENTURY ENERGY JOBS

We should invest in American businesses that can power our country with innovative technologies like wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal systems, hybrid and electric cars, and next-generation batteries. And we should put Americans to work making our homes and buildings energy efficient. We can create good, green jobs in America, address the climate crisis, and build the clean energy economy.

III. INVEST IN PUBLIC EDUCATION

We should provide universal access to early childhood education, make school funding equitable, invest in high-quality teachers, and build safe, well-equipped school buildings for our students. A high-quality education system, from universal preschool to vocational training and affordable higher education, is critical for our future and can create badly needed jobs now.

IV. OFFER MEDICARE FOR ALL

We should expand Medicare so it's available to all Americans, and reform it to provide even more cost-effective, quality care. The Affordable Care Act is a good start and we must implement it — but it's not enough. We can save trillions of dollars by joining every other industrialized country — paying much less for health care while getting the same or better results.

V. MAKE WORK PAY

Americans have a right to fair minimum and living wages, to organize and collectively bargain, to enjoy equal opportunity, and to earn equal pay for equal work. Corporate assaults on these rights bring down wages and benefits for all of us. They must be outlawed.

VI. SECURE SOCIAL SECURITY

Keep Social Security sound, and strengthen the retirement, disability, and survivors' protections Americans earn through their hard work. Pay for it by removing the cap on the Social Security tax, so that upper-income people pay into Social Security on all they make, just like the rest of us.

VII. RETURN TO FAIRER TAX RATES

End, once and for all, the Bush-era tax giveaways for the rich, which the rest of us — or our kids — must pay eventually. Also, we must outlaw corporate tax havens and tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas. Lastly, with millionaires and billionaires taking a growing share of our country's wealth, we should add new tax brackets for those making more than $1 million each year.

VIII. END THE WARS AND INVEST AT HOME

Our troops have done everything that's been asked of them, and it's time to bring them home to good jobs here. We're sending $3 billion each week overseas that we should be investing to rebuild America.

IX. TAX WALL STREET SPECULATION

A tiny fee of a twentieth of 1% on each Wall Street trade could raise tens of billions of dollars annually with little impact on actual investment. This would reduce speculation, "flash trading," and outrageous bankers' bonuses — and we'd have a lot more money to spend on Main Street job creation.

X. STRENGTHEN DEMOCRACY

We need clean, fair elections — where no one's right to vote can be taken away, and where money doesn't buy you your own member of Congress. We must ban anonymous political influence, slam shut the lobbyists' revolving door in D.C., and publicly finance elections. Immigrants who want to join in our democracy deserve a clear path to citizenship. We must stop giving corporations the rights of people when it comes to our elections. And we must ensure our judiciary's respect for the Constitution. Together, we will reclaim our democracy to get our country back on track.

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Green Me UP-Scotty
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http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com
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