Bill Moyers' memo to Obama: backbone, Man

My apologies and correction: Thank you to Bill Moyer of the Backbone Campaign who came and corrected me here in a comment. This letter was written by him, not Bill Moyers. I appreciate the correction, and I apologize for the mistake, which he says happens pretty often.

I noticed that Bill Moyers suggests Lester Brown for a new "Secretary of Sustainability" post, along with other suggested progressive thinkers for help in the new administration. I'm posting the whole piece from Tikkun and have added links.

Bill Moyers on Progressives for the Obama Administration

For the last five years I have led an organization that has called on citizens and elected officials to show “backbone” for progressive values and policies. We work from the axiom that “If the people lead, the leaders will follow.” As one would expect, we placed ourselves squarely in the way of regressive Bush Administration policies such as preventive and preemptive war, modern xenophobic crusades, domestic spying, torture, terrible Cabinet and Supreme Court appointments, etc.

Sadly, our leaders rarely followed. Whatever their reasons for lagging behind, convoluted political calculus or political cowardice, they squandered and dissipated energy that could have saved our nation and our world from many offenses and setbacks. At this important juncture, my sincere desire is that we are able to transform our movement from serving as an emergency brake against regression, to being an accelerator for progress. My hope is that your Administration will match Americans’ appetite for change with the boldness and vision to move forward together.

Throughout the five years I have followed your progress, I have admired your oratory and demeanor while yearning for you to say more, take stronger positions, and risk rocking the boat. As you guide our nation and inspire our world to face multiple and intersecting crises, I hope that you will allow yourself at key moments shake off the restraints of caution that may have served you in your ascent to this position. For as much as we need unity, we also require genius and bold decisive action.

Poetically, your inauguration will come the day after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Celebration. Many will mark that day with speeches about “The Dream” and dwell upon your election as a fulfillment of his prophetic vision. I ask you to resist that indulgence and look for inspiration in a yet more challenging and powerfully prophetic speech: "Beyond Vietnam".

In "Beyond Vietnam", Dr. King spoke of the “giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism” and said that “we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values.” He proclaimed that “we must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society.” And that “Our only hope today lies in our ability to recapture the revolutionary spirit and go out into a sometimes hostile world declaring eternal hostility to poverty, racism, and militarism.” “Change we can believe in” must be grounded in that prophetic call.

This is a time when prophets and visionaries are needed, and there seem to be too few of those in your immediate circle of advisors. Therefore, I would like to use this opportunity to suggest a few people who will not be hounding your transition team or submitting applications on your website:

First and foremost I urge you to draft former Pentagon analyst Franklin “Chuck” Spinney into your inner circle. Chuck’s 33 years in the DoD, (7 in the Air Force, 26 as an analyst in the Pentagon) his relentless intellect, expertise in fourth generation warfare, grand strategy, military history, and the dysfunctional procurement process—combined with impeccable integrity—make him a perfect advisor in a time of transformation.

Secondly, I urge you to make Sanho Tree the new “Drug Czar” to re-craft our nation’s failed, and destructive drug policies. Sanho’s international and domestic expertise, intellectual integrity, and concrete experience enable him to offer you the best advice for effective new policies to improve public health, address disproportionate negative impacts on people of color and our poor, while reducing violence here and abroad.

Next, I propose Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute for a new Secretary of Sustainability post and the creation of a new national service organization—a Sustainability Corps. Professor Brown has led the way toward understanding current realities and proposing positive responses since his book Building a Sustainable Society (1982), and through his annual State of the World Reports and now his book Plan B 3.0. He and [L.] Hunter Lovins, [co-]author [along with Paul Hawken and Amory Lovins] of Natural Capitalism, could make a wonderful team, working closely with other agencies to craft an integrated response to climate change and other ecological crises.

Besides the above I also suggest:

• Lori Wallach to help you redesign our nation’s approach to trade agreements.

• Emira Woods as an assistant Secretary of State for Africa

• Stephen Zunes to revamp our Middle-East policy

• Tom Goldtooth to address environmental justice concerns of our First Peoples from the Dept. of Interior

• Eric Cooper to initiate a national dialogue on racial and economic disparities from the Dept. of Education

• Dan Kammen to lead our nation’s transition to green and clean energy from the Dept of Energy

• Angela Glover Blackwell to assist Tom Daschle at Health and Human Services

• Baldemar Velasquez to work with Gov. [Janet] Napolitano to institute a fair and humane immigration policy.

Most of these are areas where vested interests stand in the way and political courage will be necessary to implement the changes most Americans believe are necessary. As Educator in Chief, partner with us, a movement for change that stands beside you, behind you, and yes, in front—leading you forward to transform the political debate and manifest change we can believe in. Because together—we most certainly can!

Bill Moyers is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Backbone Campaign. See www.backbonecampaign.org.

Where will the auto industry be a year from now? Well, how about next week?

electric Chevy Volt at the 2007 North American Auto Show in Detroit

As Midwest Credit Unions offer $10 billion in new car loans, GM offers discounts, and some car dealers offer two-for-one deals, my university's business professors chime in on the auto bailout (squashed yesterday). Below is the press release in its entirety (my bold). I wonder what kind of "unexpected directions" John Revitte has in mind.

MSU experts: More than money needed to bail out the auto industry
Contact: Kristin K. Anderson, University Relations, Office: (517) 353-8819, Cell: (517) 282-8881, mailto:Kristin.Anderson@ur.msu.edu?subject=MSU%20News&body=Title:
E-mail Editor
Published: Dec. 10, 2008
Story
EAST LANSING, Mich. — It will take more than money to bail out the Big Three automakers, say Michigan State University business, labor and economic experts.

With the economic future of the country at stake, any decision Congress makes in the next day or so regarding the auto industry will be historic. Solutions to fixing the auto industry are as varied as public sentiment.

Whomever President Bush might tap as the “auto czar,” MSU experts offer insights into what may be on that individual’s hubcap.

“Big-time restructuring at the industry level,” said Robert Wiseman, professor of management. “Individual auto companies have now fixed many of their internal problems, which had to be done. Historically, some companies which have come to a head with restructuring have also had to fight to regain their dominance in the industry.

“Whoever is selected will spend several months figuring out where the companies, as well as the industry, stand,” Wiseman said. “The person will have to look at what to keep, junk, sell or shut down. We may be looking at up to two years before we’ll have a better understanding of where we are in the marketplace. This person will have to have long-term vision and the ability to help the industry consolidate and remain competitive globally.”

"What happens in the auto industry in the next few days, and months, could be a turning point for the entire industry worldwide," said John Revitte, professor of labor and industrial relations.

"The auto-rescue bill and the bridge loans will raise new and unexpected issues beyond just the Detroit Three and their unions. Loans to the auto industry, and the conditions, will also influence relationships with suppliers, dealer networks and other original equipment manufacturers," Revitte said. "We could find the global auto industry moving in entirely unexpected directions."

“It’s important to help the industry, but it’s also important to help the consumer,” said Douglas Roberts, director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. “Restructuring means retooling, but that won’t help automakers move cars off the lots now, or provide people with financial incentives, for example, to purchase automobiles.

“Also, the shareholder versus stakeholder perspectives will have to be considered. A ‘green’ car that may prove economically responsible may not jive with what shareholders see as a company’s prime responsibility — to provide excellent return on their investments.”

Faculty available to speak to the auto bailout and other economic and labor issues include:

Charles Ballard, professor of economics in the College of Social Science, is a well-known source on business and the economy, including topics such as microeconomics, tax and expenditure policy, state-and-local public finance, taxation, and poverty and income distribution. Phone: (517) 353-2961 or e-mail him at ballard@msu.edu

Richard Block, professor in the School of Labor and Industrial Relations, College of Social Science. An expert in union administration, labor arbitration and government-sponsored training programs, he can discuss strategies announced by General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler in relation to product market and union issues. Phone: (517) 353-3896 or e-mail him at block@msu.edu.

John Revitte, professor in the School of Labor and Industrial Relations, College of Social Science, and in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities. He is an expert in auto industry issues, labor and politics, collective bargaining and dispute resolution. Phone (517) 353-8884 or (517) 282-2467 (cell), or e-mail him at revitte@msu.edu.

Douglas Roberts, director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, college of Social Science, and former Michigan state treasurer. He is an expert in tax policy, ethics, K-12 and higher education financing, and political strategy and presidential politics. Phone: (517) 355-6672 or e-mail him at douglas.roberts@ssc.msu.edu.

Robert Wiseman, Eli Broad Legacy Fellow of Management and professor of management in the Eli Broad College of Business, is an expert in modeling decision behavior under uncertainty and the role of risk in corporate governance and strategic decision making. He also can discuss the role of CEO risk preferences on firm performance and other aspects of the economic climate. Phone: (517) 432-3508, or (517) 980-1283 (cell), or e-mail him at wiseman@bus.msu.edu.

crashing

Mike Luckovich November 26.

not to be confused with Les Brown and the Band of Renown

Oh, I get so tired of the hype to make nuclear power acceptable. I see where people are coming from who say we should develop multiple ways of weaning ourselves from foreign oil. And, I am not an expert on it by any stretch. But when the primary ways they want to do that are to build new nuclear reactors and increase offshore oil drilling, I cringe. As someone who lived in İstanbul when Chernobyl exploded, I'm not too excited about nuclear power plants.

Lester R. Brown is an intelligent, concerned man who for decades has been turning out some of the world's best and most compelling ideas for efficient and respectful-to-our-mother-earth alternative energy resources.

In this article at his Earth Policy Institute site, he articulates the shortcomings of relying on nuclear energy, and how its economics are flawed, compared to the devlopment of technologies that rely on geothermal, solar and wind energy.

Among the problems he lays out:

• the cost of a nuclear reactor: $7 billion; ". . . reactors have an average life expectancy of about 40 years. According to a 2004 International Atomic Energy Agency report, the decommissioning cost for each reactor will range from $250 to $500 million, not including the cost of removing and disposing of the waste. 90 nuclear reactors are set to close within the next seven years. With only 36 new nuclear reactors under construction worldwide, Brown notes that world nuclear power generation could drop by 10 percent by 2015. With this "aging of the nuclear fleet," nuclear power generation could hit a sharp decline as more aging reactors close." - Brittany Schell at Common Dreams
• Uranium now costs $60 per pound, compared to $10 at the beginning of the decade.
• the cost of waste disposal and lack of any permanent waste storage sites
• 250 incidents last year of nuclear material being lost or stolen, and a lot was never recovered
• the danger of another accident like Chernobyl or Three Mile Island

"Wind is the most mature of the renewable energy sources," said Brown. "Emphasizing the creation of new jobs with investments in renewables and efficiency is the way we want to go."