Obama Fix

Obama can fix this economy (to some degree) by executive order. He needs to get federal money to build light rail lines in as many of the one hundred cities across the country that are currently looking into projects or already have plans laid out. The only thing missing from the equation is cash. This would accomplish too things relatively quickly. The first is that it would put many Americans back to work. We need to find jobs for about four million people right now. Light rail would not do all of that over the long term. Most of the work would be in construction. Maintenance and operation would employ far fewer people but if we could employ some for two or three years it would be great. And it would help get other people to work more economically once the lines are up and running than is possible now. Plus we should not underestimate how much this would do for the environment.

These people as they work would have the cash to buy cars. With some help from the federal government the Big Three could be propped up to stave off an economic crash in this country and around the world. The American auto industry is also going to have to restructure itself to be leaner and more efficient, more competitive.

Obama will probably not even flirt with such a big idea because of his own personality. Incrementalism has been bred into every cell of his body. He has hand-picked all these Clintonians because to his core he believes in the third way, triangulation-strangulation. In short, getting nothing done through being neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm. I spew you out. If we want to change the world we are going to have to take SOME risks. I would love to be wrong about Obama but so far he has shown himself to be the guy who is not going to do anything foolish. That's too bad. I'm glad he isn't going to do any of the foolish stuff Bush did (it was ALL foolish, unless you happen to be a Kurd) but it would be cool if he would do some of the foolish things that FDR and TR did. Hell, I'd be cheered if he would try a couple of big foolish things. Instead we are going to get his kind eyes and firm handshake, his good heart and a heavy dose of Clintonian sticking to our knitting, which worked great in the Gay Nineties when we rode one bubble after another.

TL