“If you look at job creation over the last 20-25 years in America, you’ll notice that we haven’t been able to create any jobs in what is called the “tradable sector” of the economy - those jobs that are subject to global competition. The only jobs we’ve really created have been in industries like health care, government, and construction, which are basically local industries shielded from global competition. You can’t outsource the building of a New York skyscraper to a Chinese worker.
America hasn’t been able to create jobs in any sector that’s subject to global pressures. As a result, there is a huge sense of disillusionment, disappointment and pessimism among Americans.
None of the Republicans are addressing this problem centrally. They’re simply talking about cutting government spending as if that is going to solve the problem of creating new industries, opportunities and jobs. Simply cutting government strikes me as a very inadequate response to a massive challenge.
Hopefully during the general election, we’ll have a substantive national debate about how to create jobs in America.” - Fareed Zakaria
One thing is for sure, cutting government is not an end all be all fix to our economic woes. A fix for that will take grandiose ambitious steps. One such step is a policy I’ve been advocating, using policy to force complacent industries into the future. America is a leader in technology and it’s one of the few areas we can compete on but not for long. That’s why we must take a moon shot-esque approach to our economy.
My policy:
You make the sale of gasoline/diesel powered vehicles illegal in the United States immediately. You also make sure that American auto makers have to produce electric cars for the masses, something under 15,000 that meets safety requirements.
This has cascading benefits. One you’ll have to retool the power grid, modernize it, remove its dependency on fossil fuels. Solar, thermal, wind power will provide the limitless renewable energy for our sustainable cars. Two you make an even bigger leap, mining the moon for Helium3. A source of almost limitless energy with amazing potential. A train car full of helium3 in helium3 reactors can power the entire United States for a year.
Lastly, reworking the interstate system to incorporate coiled wireless transfer technology means electric cars can drive from New York to LA without ever having to stop.
This probably sounds like some sort of green manifesto. But it’s not. It’s the future, it’s technology that other countries will develop and become leaders in. If not now when. Why not now. Become leaders in these technologies, lead the world into the next technological age and create millions upon millions of mew jobs. The right extremists who don’t want to argue reason will say oh this will cost the government too much 1. Not if we close corporate loop holes but unfortunately the GOP is bought and owned, 2. It won’t because policies that force industries to take action are cheap. Exxon, GE, they’re sitting on piles of cash now it’s time they start investing it.
