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NEWS
Memo to Charlie Wilson: There is no such thing as “Clean Coal”
November 1, 2008
Who came up with the term "clean coal"? It is the most
toxic phrase in the greenwash lexicon. George W Bush, or Charlie Wilson, by promising
to pump hundreds of millions of dollars into the pursuit of advanced "clean" coal technologies, certainly popularised it.
But I'd love to know where it came from. Any thoughts out there?
It is, of course, oxymoronic. Coal is about acid rain and
peasouper smogs, asthma and mercury contamination, radioactive waste emissions and ripping apart mountains, killing trees,
lung cancer and, of course, global warming.
Coal emits more carbon dioxide for every unit of energy
generated than any other fuel. Sure you can clean it up a bit – though the toxins you've taken out of the ground have
to go somewhere. But clean coal? Just say no.
This phrase "clean coal" has developed a life of its own
thanks to remorseless commercial propagandising. This year a coalition of US coal mining companies and electricity utilities
called Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (and recently renamed the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity) is paying
the advertising agency R&R Partners $35millon to promote "clean coal" through advertising and other promotional activity.
This is up there with the safe cigarette and "atoms for
peace". The industry is fighting back against growing scientific calls to outlaw coal burning, and the rejection of dozens
of coal power plants proposals by communities across the US, with several states effectively banning them.
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Charlie Wilson Offers no Solutions
for the 6th District
October 31, 2008
At the Lisbon, Ohio Candidates’ forum earlier this week, Incumbent CONSERVATIVE
Democrat Charlie Wilson said, “We have Issues.”
And that’s the problem with Charlie Wilson. He is old-schooled. He can recite the issues facing Congress and
how he’ll try to work with the new Congress, but he OFFERS NO SOLUTIONS TO THE ISSUES.
When we sent Charlie to Washington 2 years ago with a mandate to get us out of Iraq,
He failed to act and this war continues to bankrupt our economy.
Charlie Wilson is truly a do-nothing Congressman who makes $169,388 dollars a year, collects over $460,000 in PAC Contributions,
and offers NO SOLUTIONS to the problems facing average Americans.
Of course, Charlie Wilson is a millionaire, so he is clueless to the problems facing average Americans. To all the
local politicians who think they will get federal grant money help from Charlie Wilson, keep dreaming. Charlie hasn’t
given you one red cent in the past and he won’t give it to you in the future.
Can we afford to keep another DO-NOTHING CONGRESSMAN LIKE CHARLIE WILSON IN D.C. OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS?
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Charlie Wilson is proud to be a CONSERVATIVE, do we need him in D.C. for another 2 years?
October 30, 3008
At last night’s candidates’
forum in Lisbon, Ohio, Charlie Wilson said he was proud to be a conservative and to dismantle federal programs.
Is this the type of compassionate conservatism
we need in Washington for another 2 years after 8 years of such leadership from George Bush?
Charlie Wilson is proud to bail out Wall
Street for 700 Billion dollars but believes Universal Health Care is a bad investment.
Charlie Wilson is proud to bail out his
Wall Street campaign contributors who gave him over $460,000 over the last 2 years but believes there is no need to clean
up the environment.
Charlie Wilson like all conservatives believes
21st century green technology is digging up more green grass and mountaintops and depleting our fossil fuels like
coal. And he also believes coal is clean like all good conservatives.
Can we afford to keep Charlie Wilson in
Washington blocking progressive ideas and innovations over the next 2 years?
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars
Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal
Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
We Need a Federal Commitment to the Apollo Energy Program. October 29, 2008 As Green Party Candidate
for Congress in the 6th district, I firmly support a Federal Commitment to the Apollo Energy Program. Last week Randy
Swisher, the executive director of the American Wind Energy Association, notified us that his organization's board of directors
agreed to support The New Apollo Program. With its endorsement, AWEA became the 48th organization to sign on to the Apollo
Alliance's national clean energy, good jobs economic development strategy. "We view the program as incredibly compatible with
our agenda and look forward to working with you to make it a reality," wrote Swisher. Swisher's message came just
days after the Apollo Alliance finished its six state town hall tour to roll out The New Apollo Program. Our recommendations
for how to scale up clean energy tools and techniques to get America's economy back on track were greeted enthusiastically
everywhere we went. In Detroit, Senator Debbie Stabenow captured the sentiments of nearly all the speakers who participated
in the roll out events. "The New Apollo Program is the kind of bold program we need. We have to be bolder than we've been,"
she said during a program that included our President Jerome Ringo, and representatives of the governor's office, the state
Legislature, union leaders, and business and environmental leaders. "The next Congress will take up proposals to curb global
warming, to seek a system of cap and trade, to invest in biofuels and alternative energy." "The $50 billion a year
that The New Apollo Program proposes to invest just doesn't seem like that much money," Stabenow continued. "It's not a lot
of money to spend on our future, especially when you consider the $700 billion that we just spent to bail out our banking
system." In Columbus, Ohio Governor Ted called The New Apollo Program a "win, win, win, win, win strategy." Representative
Jay Inslee declared in Seattle, "To those who say over the next few months we should be passive, they're wrong. The antidote
is action. The antidote is The New Apollo Program. That's how we solve economic doldrums in this country." Senator
Barbara Boxer joined Apollo Alliance Chairman Phil Angelides at the first event in San Leandro, California, where he memorably
declared: "We are closing a chapter on policies that didn't work and opening a new chapter of those that do." The
solution is a dramatic change in how the United States and the world develop and use clean energy. While America's credit
and stock market crisis has drained value out of industrial stocks, including shares of clean energy companies, it's temporary.
Policy responses reflect that. New Jersey this week completed a clean energy master plan designed to accelerate the
development of a new way to power the Garden State. Hawaii this week approved a new energy policy designed to produce 70 percent
of the state's power from clean sources by 2030, the most ambitious program of its type in the country. California's energy-efficiency
policies created nearly 1.5 million jobs from 1977 to 2007. The missing piece is a federal commitment to investment
in clean energy equivalent in scale and urgency to the original Apollo program to land a man on the moon. ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer
Affordable Healthcare Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak
for Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers, Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign
site: [ votespisak.org]
Green Collar Jobs Can Rebuild the 6th District
October 28, 2008 Green-Collar
Jobs Campaign is making huge strides in Oakland and throughout California. As you may have heard, the launch of Oakland's
first-ever Green Jobs Corps happened last week. The inaugural class of 40 young people will get comprehensive, job-linked
training in green careers with solid, long-term potential. With proper leadership, we're turning our vision of a green
economy that's strong enough to lift people out of poverty into reality. But there's still more work to do. Ella Baker
Center has become a local, statewide, and national example of how solutions to the climate crisis benefit our communities,
the sagging economy, AND our planet. Our Green-Collar Jobs Campaign has had the opportunity : · Help other cities
in the Bay Area launch green career training programs. · Expand the statewide coalition of community organizations,
environmentalists, labor unions, green business leaders and others who are calling for green jobs and green economic growth.
· Advocate for green job training and employment opportunities in the state capitol and across California. Earlier
this year -- California's biggest green jobs bill almost all the way through the state legislature. Now they are putting together
an improved version for 2009, which will invest over $2 billion in green career education and training throughout California.
By electing Green Party Candidates we will help the Green-Collar Jobs Campaign extend our reach and strengthen our
role as a valued partner in building green jobs throughout Ohio as well. Your support will also help us boost the success
of programs that will prepare thousands of people for clean-energy careers. Now is the time to invest in solutions
that protect our planet's natural resources and benefit our communities' "natural resources" -- its people. ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer
Affordable Healthcare Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak
for Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers, Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign
site: [ votespisak.org]
Time to Rebuild America and not re-elect Charlie Wilson
October 27, 2008
Conventional
wisdom holds that America has to get the federal budget deficit under control. John McCain and many conservatives have vowed
to impose a government-wide spending freeze (excluding spending on the military, veterans, and entitlements). But cutting
federal spending during a recession is a recipe for depression. To climb out of the hole that conservative economic ideology
and policy has thrown us into, we need federal spending to reinvigorate economic growth. We should use this moment to make
investments that will improve our future. It is time to rebuild America.
* We are looking at a deep and potentially
long recession. America has lost nearly a million private-sector jobs since the beginning of the year. Home values are declining
at record rates. Exports, which have been rising recently, will begin to sink as the economic downturn spreads across the
globe. State and local government employment, which has also been rising, will certainly decline as layoffs are made to compensate
for rising state-budget deficits. The manufacturing sector never recovered from the last recession. Consumer confidence recently
plunged at the fastest rate ever. Sources
* To avoid a deeper downturn, we have to kick start our economy. The consensus
among economists, even “deficit hawks” like former Clinton Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, is that we need another
fiscal stimulus to jumpstart economic growth. To be effective, a growth package will have to have a value of about 2-3 percent
of our gross domestic product, or at least $300 billion. Congressional Democrats are looking to enact part of that—a
$150 billion stimulus—before the end of 2008. Sources
* The most effective stimulus would focus on making the
investments we need to generate jobs. The stimulus payments distributed this summer didn’t help get the economy growing.
Americans spent some of that money to pay down debt and some on goods made abroad, yielding little bang for the buck. To be
more efficient, a stimulus plan should focus on making or sustaining public investments. First, it should provide aid to state
and local governments to forestall deep layoffs. Second, it should extend unemployment payments and raise food stamp benefits,
providing help to those who will spend the extra money. Most importantly, it should include investments that are vital to
improving our future: modernizing infrastructure, promoting green buildings, and developing clean-energy technology. These
investments would create jobs here in America. Economists say that such a stimulus package will yield the greatest return
on the investment. In contrast, stimulus plans centered on tax cuts for the wealthy—like those proposed by Bush and
McCain—tend to pull money out of circulation, generating the opposite of a stimulus effect. Sources
The conservative
economic strategy risks another depression. The conservative response to our current recession is denial. John McCain said,
“The only action I would take [to respond to the recession] is to correct what’s got us into it. What’s
got us into it? Out of control spending.” That’s virtually the same prescription President Herbert Hoover gave
as he led America deeper into the Great Depression. Like McCain, he said, “We must have insistent and determined reduction
in government expenses.” History emphatically shows that a short-sighted and narrow focus on deficit reduction leads
to economic disaster. Sources
Progressive Solution
This is an emergency, so we have to do whatever it takes
to fight our way out of recession. Conservatives balk at the short-term costs of a national growth program. But the costs
of a severe recession—both short- and long-term—would be far greater.
A stimulus should be sufficient,
strategic and sustained. An economic stimulus has to be of sufficient size to make a positive impact on our $15 trillion economy.
It must also be strategic, making investments that are vital to our long term future. And it must be sustained, consisting
not only of one-time rebates, but of years of investments that put people to work. By fostering economic growth, such a stimulus
program will generate tax revenue that will help bring the budget into balance (though we’ll still have to deal with
Bush’s top-end tax breaks, which generated record deficits even while the economy was growing).
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS
SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running
against a Conservative Democrat and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable
Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: [votespisak.org]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charlie Wilson offers no new solutions
October 26, 2008 In
a recent article regarding the race for the 6th Congressional District, Incumbent Charlie Wilson continues to offer no new
solutions to issues facing the district. Is this the type of leadership we want and need in Washington? Read the article
and tell me what solutions Charlie Wilson will bring to the 6th District? Then ask yourself what solutions Dennis Spisak will
bring to the district? Charlie Wilson is not worthy of re-election to Congress this year. Dennis Spisak is worthy of representing
the 6th district in 2009. Wilson challenged by Spisak, Stobbs By PAUL GIANNAMORE, Business editor- Steubenville
Herald Star Voters will choose among three candidates for the 6th House District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives
Nov. 4. Incumbent Democrat Charlie Wilson of St. Clairsville faces a challenge from Republican Richard "Dick" Stobbs of Dillonvale
and Green Party candidate Dennis Spisak of Struthers. The candidates responded to an e-mail questionnaire. Experience
Wilson, 65, was elected to his first term in Congress in 2006. Prior to that, he was a state senator from 2004-06
and a state representative from 1996 to 2004, serving as minority whip in 1998 to 2000 and assistant minority leader from
2000-02. He was president of Wilson Funeral and Furniture Co. Inc. from 1966 to 2006 and served as a welder, painter and assembly
line worker from 1961-65. Stobbs, 62, is a past Belmont County sheriff and served 13 years in federal government,
including three years with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington as a criminal justice specialist. He also cited a
lifetime of public service including service as a volunteer firefighter and member of emergency squads, and various civic
and community activities. He earned the Bronze Star for service with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam. Spisak,
49, was one of the first Green Party members elected in Ohio to the Struthers board of education in 2005. He has served as
principal of Southern Local High School in Columbiana County among his 23 years of experience as an educator. Why
cast a vote for you? Spisak: "I am not afraid to call for health care for all Ohioans, economic justice and nothing
less than a renewal of America's sense of community and promise of equal opportunity for all citizens." Spisak said the
area's representative must address "the issues facing regular citizens, not lobbyists or corporation PACs." Stobbs:
"I believe my record of service and honesty, along with my desire to 'change business as usual in Washington' makes me the
best suited to represent the 6th Congressional District." Wilson: "My goal is to always do whatever I can to stand
up for working families. To that end, the focus of my first term in Congress has been the economy, energy and health care."
Wilson pointed to his vote in favor of the first minimum wage increase in more than a decade, as well as hard work to
be sure the nation's energy plan includes "our area's most vital resource - coal." Wilson said he will continue to fight
for common sense health care policies including support for children's insurance, despite two vetoes by President Bush. What
is the most pressing need for the district, and what can you do to see that this need is met? Stobbs: "I propose initiating
a Jobs Action Team, composed of members from chambers of commerce, industry, agriculture, labor organizations, clergy, local
government officials and interest citizens. As U.S. representative, I would seek out CEOs and corporate executives to visit
the district, meet with the Jobs Action Team, encouraging them to locate in the 6th District." Wilson: "The best service
I can provide as a member of Congress is to help foster an economic environment that will lead to business expansion and job
creation. Our current economic crisis has come home to roost on Main streets all across the Ohio Valley, and I am proud that
I stood up to do something about it." Spisak: "Democrats and Republicans legislate for corporations. I would legislate
for the American citizen. The Democrats and Republicans got $120 million from CEOs and corporations last year. Incumbent Congressman
Charlie Wilson got over $450,000 from lobbyists and corporate PACs last year. Who does Charlie Wilson truly represent in Washington?
The time has come for a candidate that cares less about corporations and more about you. I am that candidate that is concerned
about regular Americans and will make this country a better legacy for our children." Spisak said he will not accept lobbyist
or corporate PAC money if elected. Wilson has spoken often about making the Ohio Valley the new energy corridor for
future employment and to serve the nation. The three men presented their responses to that concept. Wilson: "Alternative
energy is not only a challenge, it's an incredible opportunity for our region. I work every day to make sure that the rest
of the country understands that we have two resources in abundance: A dedicated work force and coal that can be cleanly used.
I firmly believe these resources are key to creating an energy corridor along the Ohio River." Wilson said an energy corridor
would not only provide jobs and boost the local economy but also would provide "domestically produced energy to a country
eager to wean itself off foreign energy." Stobbs: "I do not agree with the 'energy corridor' concept, that is just
a 'political buzz word' to distract voters from the incumbent's non-action as a legislator for the past 12 years. That approach
is too narrow-focused and seems designed to take credit for the two significant energy projects currently under development
in the southern part of the district." Stobbs said steel and transportation, as well as agriculture, all present potential
for the district. "The future depends on the leadership of community and government leaders marketing the skills and resources
of the district to bring in new business and industry to revitalize the district," he said. Spisak: "I believe our
area can become an energy corridor except I disagree with the way Mr. Wilson wants to do it." Spisak accused Wilson of
being paid $18,000 by the coal industry to support the plant. "Burning coal-to-liquid fuel is arguably the dirtiest, most
expensive energy gamble we could take. The truth is that liquid coal is plagued with economic and environmental downsides
from the time the coal is mined until long after the liquid is removed from the coal," he said. Spisak said nearly twice
the global warming emissions are emitted by liquid coal than by gasoline and huge inputs of energy are required to make coal
into a synthetic fuel. He also said replacing just 10 percent of the nation's transportation fuels with liquid coal would
require a 40 percent increase in coal mining, which would jeopardize long-term prospects for coal including its use as a major
electricity source. "I believe in building an energy corridor based upon renewable energy companies and manufacturers
who will build and produce green jobs such as solar and wind component plants. Blue-collar jobs - to put our people back to
work," he said. Spisak described the New Apollo program (put together by the Apollo Alliance, a group of business, labor,
environmental and community groups) which calls for a $500 billion over 10 years with the potential to create more than 5
million green energy jobs. "It will accelerate the development of the nation's vast clean energy resources and move us
toward energy security, climate stability and economic prosperity," Spisak said. "And it will transform America into the global
leader of the new green economy." (Giannamore can be contacted at pgiannamore@heraldstaronline.com.) ELECT!!!! DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE
CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer
Affordable Healthcare Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak
for Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers, Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign
site: [ votespisak.org]
===========================================================
UPSET THE SETUP!
Elect Green Party candidate Dennis Spisak to U.S. Congress-
District 6th!
The democrats and republicans just handed Wall Street a $700 BILLION BAIL OUT but they want us to believe
that UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE is a bad investment.
Dennis Spisak believes that Americans should no longer have to worry
about losing coverage if they lose or change their job. Employers should no longer have to worry about the ever-increasing
costs of health care.
The democrats and republicans are willing to spend $700 Billion to clean up the mess that their
greedy campaign contributors on Wall Street created but they drag their feet on cleaning up the environment. Both major party
presidential candidates support nuclear power and off shore drilling.
Dennis Spisak believes that we must depend less
on fossil fuels in the future and more on renewable energies sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal energy. He supports
efforts “green economic efforts such as the New Apollo Program which is a comprehensive economic investment strategy
to build America's 21st century clean energy economy.
Vote GREEN! ~www.votespisak.org~Vote GREEN!~www.votespisak.org
Qualifications and Experience:A former High School Principal Dennis Spisak is a member of the Struthers Board of Education.He
has served on the OASSA Athletic Committee on the OASSA Legislative Committee, and on the committees to design, create, and
develop the constitution and by-laws for the Inter-Tri County League.Dennis Spisak has experience and knowledge in the areas
of budget development and management, school/community relations, human resource development and evaluation, negotiations,
construction, levy and bond issue passage.
Democrats and Republicans legislate for corporations. I would legislate
for the American people. The Democrats and Republicans got $120 million dollars from CEOs and corporations last year. Incumbent
Congressman Charlie Wilson got over $450,000 from lobbyists and corporate PACs last year. Who does Charlie Wilson truly represent
in Washington? I will not accept any Lobbyist or Corporate PAC money if elected to Congress.Vote GREEN! www.votespisak.orgVote
GREEN! www.votespisak.org Vote GREEN!
============================================================
US’s First Feed-In-Tariff For Solar Power Could Be Adopted by Gainesville, Florida, Why not Ohio?
October
21, 2008 reported by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 10.17.08 Now that the legislative dust seems to have
settled and the issue of renewable energy tax incentives resolved, at least for the time being, in the United States it might
be tempting to overlook the following announcement coming out of Gainesville, Florida, but you shouldn’t. In a plan
outlined on Monday, Gainesville has indicated that it is considering adopting feed-in-tariffs for renewable energy along the
lines of the program which has enabled Germany to become a world leader in the industry. If adopted, the plan would be
the first of its kind in the nation: Utility Guarantees Price for 20 Years Under the program Gainesville Regional Utilities
will buy all of the electricity produced by solar PV systems at a guaranteed rate per kilowatt-hour for the next 20 years.
Current net metering and renewable energy rebate programs will be replaced with this feed-in-tariff. In touting the program,
assistant general manager for GRU strategic planning Ed Regan said “People are putting their pension funds into solar
panels, holding companies are investing in renewable energy. These are great investments because there’s a guaranteed
price backed by German credit; in this case GRU’s credit is probably just as good.” The Feed-in-Tariff Advantage While
it may seem to be splitting policy hairs, there really is a substantial difference both in theory and practice between feed-in-tariffs
and the more common net metering. Under a feed-in-tariff the cost of spurring innovation by guaranteeing a certain rate
for renewable energy is spread across all utility customers, with all of the electricity produced being feed into the electric
grid. In Germany, the cost of the feed-in-tariff program amounts to about a 2% increase to an average families monthly electricity
costs. Cheaper to Run, Symbolically Important Ultimately this results in the program being able to operate independent
of the tax system, cost less to administer than other renewable energy promotion programs, and provide a more stable investment
environment. It also important symbolically, as it represents a more significant communal commitment to renewable energy than
other promotion programs, which focus on the advantage to the individual first. A Sign of Things to Come? Anecdotally
it’s worth noting that the German program, which extends back into the 1990s, but has really come into its own in the
past five years or so, began at the municipal level and was only later adopted nationally. Hopefully this is a sign of things
to come in the United States. ELECT!!!! DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The
ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars
Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions
to: Spisak for Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers, Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign
site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
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Help Keep the Economy Rolling
October 20, 2008 First, I would like to thank all the voters
and supporters we met down in Athens, Ohio while campaigning down there this past weekend..... The $700 billion economic
rescue plan may have kept us from going over the edge, but we must look beyond the bailout to bring back jobs, reduce our
energy bills, or revive our crumbling factories. For that, America needs a long-term plan to turn our economy around. We
need a plan that features practical solutions to end our addiction to oil, reduce energy costs, and create millions of green
jobs. The Apollo Alliance has that plan – but you still haven't given it your support, Sign on to the New Apollo
Program – get America's economy back on track! It's easy to throw up our hands and think we can't do anything about
the economy, but we can. And right now, with the nation searching desperately for answers, we've got a window of opportunity. Thousands
of people like you have signed on to the plan already, and we're setting out to double our total by Election Day – so
we need you to take action and tell your friends. Here's how the plan works: 1. Rebuild America clean
and green, with energy efficient buildings and factories, mass transit, and renewable power sources. 2. Make
it in America – rebuild the U.S. auto industry to produce efficient cars and trucks, and create new green jobs in clean
energy manufacturing. 3. Help America compete, by investing in American-made clean energy technologies
– instead of falling behind countries in Asia and Europe. 4. In the process, we create 5 million
green-collar jobs – and train and educate people from across the economic spectrum to fill them. This is possible,
all of it. In fact it's already happening, from shuttered factories now producing energy efficient cars to Midwest cities
revitalized by wind energy. We've crunched the numbers. We've figured out how a "cap and invest" system can fund the plan.
And we've built an unprecedented coalition of business, labor, environmental, and community leaders who believe this is what
our country needs. Together we can make the green economy a reality. ELECT!!!! DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green
Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Solar Power/Wind
Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers,
Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
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We need more SolSil Plants in the Ohio Valley
October14, 2008 From the Marietta,
Ohio Times The proposed location of a new 150,000-square-foot, high-purity silicon production facility in Waterford Township
by Solsil Inc. is great news for Janee Pugh of Waterford. "It sounds fabulous to me; we're losing jobs faster than we can
bring new ones in. We need good-paying jobs," she said. "I also have two sons in their early 20s. One is in college, and
the other works for a printing company, but they both could use a good job," Pugh added. Solsil, a subsidiary of Globe
Specialty Metals, Inc., produces silicon that is used in photovoltaic solar cells. In August it was learned that the company
is considering a 47-acre site along Wells Road in Waterford Township to build the $56 million project that would provide 350
jobs within its first three years of operation. Since then, state and local officials have been working to make the proposed
facility a reality for Ohio. On Sept. 29, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher announced approval of a $10 million low-interest loan package
by the state Development Financing Advisory Council. "It's looking good, and the project's still not finalized, but we're
getting closer," said Mike Jacoby, executive director of the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority. "Our next step is for the
state Controlling Board to sign off on the deal, but that's more of a formality," he said. "If we've made it to this stage,
I don't expect any difficulties. "After the board approval, we have to close on the deal, but it's my belief that (Solsil)
has every intention of doing this project," Jacoby added. A local tax incentive financing package is also being assembled,
but has not been completed yet. "But that process is not as time-sensitive as the state financing," Jacoby said. He
said Solsil is negotiating a 20-year lease with the Southeastern Ohio Port Authority for the manufacturing, warehouse, office
and laboratory complex. Jacoby noted that Globe Specialty Metals, headquartered in New York, is also planning to reopen
a similar Solsil production facility in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Solsil supplies silicon to manufacturers of silicon ingots,
wafers and solar photovoltaic cells that are used to generate electricity from sunlight. Globe Specialty Metals acquired
81 percent of Solsil in January. Globe is among the world's largest producers of metallurgical and chemical-grade silicon,
with more than 40 years experience in silicon manufacturing. In 2006, the company bought Globe Metallurgical Inc., headquartered
in Beverly. Globe Metallurgical is the largest silicon metal manufacturer in North America and the largest specialty ferroalloy
manufacturer in the U.S. Solsil Inc. currently has its main offices and operations in a portion of the Globe Metallurgical
facility in Beverly. ELECT!!!! DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The
ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars
Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions
to: Spisak for Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers, Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign
site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
For now, for future, lead
energy crusade
October
16, 2008
In Monday’s Editorial,
The Des Moines Register wrote “For today's America, continued reliance on oil, some of it imported from unstable regimes,
increases the risk of economic disruption, terrorism and war. For generations unborn, continued reliance on oil and its sister
fossil fuels threatens the cataclysmic consequences of an altered climate, triggering flooding, drought and hunger.
Yet from this peril emerges
great promise: The nation that develops the successors to fossil fuels will become the economic leader of the 21st century
and could usher in the possibility of a more prosperous, peaceful world…
Commit to increasing energy
efficiency, developing affordable plug-in hybrid or electric cars, tapping wind and solar energy to produce electricity cleanly
and setting up a system that will cap greenhouse-gas pollutants and create a market for trading emission rights…
Increase national security
today by lessening oil dependence and will begin confronting the greatest scientific and technical challenge in the history
of mankind.”
That is what this race
for 6th District Congress comes down to. Incumbent Charlie Wilson wants to continue using fossil fuels like coal
to keep America behind with 19th century technology.
Green Candidate Dennis
Spisak wants renewable energy manufacturing plants and companies to help create new jobs for the poor, working, and middle
class. He wants to end our dependence on fossil fuels.
The question to be answered
on November 4th is what path you want the 6th district to take for the future?
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS
SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party
Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District
The ONLY
PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running
against a Conservative Democrat and Republican!
Renewable
Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer
Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind
Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign
Contributions to:
Spisak
for Congress
548
Poland Ave
Struthers,
Ohio 44471
Campaign
donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site:
Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Apollo Energy Program Rolls Into Ohio, Where was Charlie Wilson?
October 15, 2008 COLUMBUS,
Ohio — Phil Angelides, the chairman of the Apollo Alliance, pulled into Ohio’s capital early last week to “raise
the banner of The New Apollo Program,” and called the organization’s 10-year, $500 billion plan a “sweeping
investment program to put Americans back to work.” Moments later Ohio’s Democratic Governor Ted Strickland
declared his unqualified support for the plan. “If we do what The New Apollo Program encourages the next president and
Congress to do we will see a renaissance in America’s and Ohio’s economy. I am happy to do what we can as Buckeyes
to facilitate this effort.” Representative Jay Inslee, a Democrat of Washington State, who is helping us roll out
The New Apollo Program in Seattle on Friday, also attended the event here. His view: Ohio is a logical place for clean energy
investment. The state uses more energy than all but five other states. It just approved a renewable energy standard for state
utilities, and enjoys robust capacity in its agricultural, research, industrial, and manufacturing sectors. Those are the
building blocks of a clean energy sector. Ohio also has history, reflected in the inventiveness of Thomas Edison and the Wright
Brothers, who were born and raised in Ohio, and characterized by the courage of John Glenn and Neil Armstrong, two more native
Ohioans. “This is the place for The New Apollo Program, and the time for Apollo,” said Inslee. “Some
may not think this is the time for bold ideas. But this is exactly the time. These are the moments that see the United States
rally around optimism and confidence. The New Apollo Program is the perfect challenge because it attacks the thing that challenges
us right now, our fear and our confidence.” The nation’s economy and the federal credit bailout were very much
on the minds of journalists and union members who attended the event, which was held at the IBEW Training Center on Goodale
Boulevard. Angelides addressed the point directly. “If we can afford $85 billion to rescue AIG,” he said, “we
can afford $50 billion a year to put our own people back to work.” Phil added: “There is every reason to believe
that Ohio can be at the forefront of these investment dollars. We think if we do this right, Ohio can create 400,000 green
collar jobs.” Indeed, unemployment is rising in Ohio, and currently sits at 7.4 percent, a 1.7 percent increase since
2007 and the highest it has been in the last decade. That means that over 444,000 Ohio workers are currently without
jobs. Ohio lost almost 7,000 jobs just in the month of August, and a total of 90,000 jobs have been lost since last
year. Manufacturing has been hit the hardest - Ohio lost over 15,000 manufacturing jobs in the last 12 months.
Additionally, over 5,900 construction jobs were lost over the past year. Still, there are bright spots. The U.S. Conference
of Mayors estimates that there are currently 16,884 green jobs in Ohio. These jobs are focused on renewable energy, biofuels,
and energy efficiency. They include jobs in the renewable power, agriculture, engineering, research, manufacturing, construction,
and government sectors. · A $500 billion federal investment in clean energy would generate an additional
$233 billion in ongoing economic stimulus (GDP, personal income, and retail sales). · Of the $500 billion
federal investment, $22 billion would go to Ohio. · A $22 billion federal investment in Ohio would
create 155,899 direct, permanent jobs over 10 years, including: o 42,855 on-site manufacturing jobs o 17,756
on-site construction jobs o 4,265 transportation jobs A broader calculation takes into account not
only direct jobs, but also indirect and induced jobs created. These include jobs such as materials transportation, retail
sales, business services, accounting, and other support services. Calculating the broader employment impacts, based on
data from the Center for American Progress: · Start with a proposal to invest $100 billion over 2 years,
with a $3.66 billion federal investment in Ohio. Scaled up to meet our proposal of a $500 billion federal investment
over 10 years, this would mean a federal investment of $18.3 billion in Ohio. · This $18.3 billion federal
investment would result in a total of 401,800 direct, indirect, and induced jobs in Ohio over 10 years. Sources: Bureau
of Labor Statistics, September 2008 Where was Charlie Wilson? Oh, Because Coal and Fossil Fuels were not mentioned,
Charlie’s coal lobbyists probably told him to stay home or in Florida. ELECT!!!! DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green
Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Solar Power/Wind
Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers,
Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Charlie Wilson does not deserve
Re-election to Congress
October 14, 2008
When asked by the Athens News Are you satisfied that the federal bailout of the financial
industry contains enough protections for the working people, taxpayers and homeowners? If not, what change would you like
to see to the package? Charlie Wilson answered:
Wilson: “Doing nothing was not an option, but we did not rubber-stamp the Administration’s
three-page proposal.” Congress worked to protect the taxpayers so that every dollar loaned to the financial sector would
be recovered, Wilson said. “I’m proud I took a tough vote to help stabilize our economy. I believe that Congress’
action will eventually help free up credit and ensure small business viability.” The bill also included tax incentives
for alternative energies that should create jobs.
What Charlie Wilson failed to mention is that because the bailout includes billions
of dollars in tax breaks for old-fashioned fossil-fuel processes such as liquefying coal and squeezing petroleum out of sand
and rock his vote placed these add-ons that will cost taxpayers more than $100 billion. “Thank Charlie Wilson for costing
the taxpayers more money for this bailout.”
Incumbent Congressman Charlie Wilson is partly responsible for this current
economic depression/crisis/and bailout that has ruined our country. He does not deserve re-election to Congress.
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers,
Ohio
Area Residents want a cleaner, brighter
energy future
October 13, 2008
This is a letter I received last week from
an area voter who wants to see a cleaner, brighter energy future:
October 9, 2008 Dennis Spisak 548 Poland
AvenueStruthers, OH 44471 Dear
Mr. Spisak: I am writing to ask your support for an energy policy that will provide
a cleaner, greener, and more competitive
economy for our children's future. Climate change is a serious concern for me and I urge you to support an energy policy that will: INVEST IN CLEAN ENERGY. Critical to any serious energy policy, wind and
solar energy represent homegrown
sources of electricity that can do the job now. We need to extend tax credits for wind and solar project for
ten years and build the infrastructure
to get power from where it is produced to our population centers. MAKE CARS CLEANER. We
need to increase the corporate average fuel economy to 60 MPG and create strong incentives for consumers to buy plug-in hybrids. BUILD EFFICIENT BUILDINGS. Invest in making existing buildings
use half of the energy they use
now and move to zero-emissions for new buildings. A 2007 report by the US Department of Energy found that energy efficiency measures can reduce our nation's energy demand growth by 50 percent
by 2025. More ambitious studies by the Rocky Mountain Institute report we can achieve 75 percent by 2020. CREATE GREEN JOBS. Implementing these recommendations will create thousands of good jobs in the United States which cannot be outsourced. Buildings can't be made efficient by workers overseas, solar energy can't be outsourced, and all Americans benefit when a clean energy policy delivers jobs, energy security, and a clean environment all at once. LEAD LARGE-SCALE, RAPID DEPLOYMENT OF RENEWABLE ENERGY. States,
businesses and homeowners need
a rapid expansion of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. This will not be possible unless the
federal government leads the way,
providing infrastructure and investment opportunities commensurate with the scale needed to stop the climate crises. STOP DRILLING OFF
THE COAST. America's coastlines and protected areas should remain pristine and accessible to all. Subsidies should be transitioned from the oil and gas industry to renewable energy and the green jobs it brings. NO NEW
COAL PLANTS. From carbon dioxide to mercury emissions, coal is the number one polluter in this country.
It is time to confront the climate crises, scrap our plans for new coal plants, and instead invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy. NO LOAN GUARANTEES FOR NUCLEAR PLANTS. Nuclear power has not proven itself to be a sound investment without government-backed loan guarantees.
Now
is not the time a new generation of risky nuclear power plants. We can get our energy from cleaner sources which do not produce radioactive
waste and threaten our communities. Now is the time to support energy legislation that will solve the climate crises, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, revitalize our economy,
and create good jobs in America. I hope I can count on your support. As Green Party Candidate
for Congress, you can count on my support. Dennis Spisak
Dear Charlie Wilson: 5 Dirty Aspects of “Clean Coal”
October 12, 2008 Clean
coal has been getting a lot of attention lately. Congressman Wilson considers it to be an important piece in his energy plans.
Even the recent $900 billion bailout package included $1.5 billion for clean coal. Because coal is so plentiful and relatively
cheap in the US, the notion of clean coal is particularly appealing. Unfortunately, clean coal is a myth. Here’s
why clean coal is so dirty: 1. Clean Coal Requires More Coal 30% more energy is required to pump carbon underground
for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). The captured carbon dioxide has to be compressed to 100 times the atmospheric
pressure, transferred to an underground storage reservoir and then pumped in the ground. All of this requires large amounts
of energy, thus the coal plant must burn an additional 30% more coal to generate the same amount of usable electricity. 2.
High Expenses Make It Unfeasible $5.2 billion in taxpayer money has been spent to foster this technology in the US, yet
the results are dismal. A recent government report found that of the 13 projects examined, eight had extended delays or financial
problems, six were years behind schedule, and two had gone bankrupt. 3. Commercial Carbon Capture Unlikely by 2020-Sorry
Wellsville Plant A study from Australian energy consultancy ACIL Talisman states that CCS will not be available in the
short-term to generate electricity with low carbon emissions and that technology breakthroughs are still needed to make this
technology feasible. The study does however find that concentrated solar, geothermal, and wind energy already are or will
be in commercial use by 2020. 4. Unproven Technology No commercial scale examples exist. The FutureGen plant in Illinois
was to be the showcase for clean coal technology. A total of $50 million was spent, $40 million of which was federal funded.
The price tag for the $1.8 billion plant had nearly doubled. The government pulled support for the project due to concern
that costs would continue to climb. 5. Coal Mining is Very Harmful The US averages 30 coal mining deaths annually, while
China averages a staggering 8,000. Mountaintop removal mining, a method that is common in Appalachia, destroys ecosystems
and has permanently buried over 1,200 miles of streams. Coal mining causes water pollution and lowers the quality of drinking
water in neighboring communities. Unfortunately, clean coal technology does not address the many negative impacts of coal
mining and could even require large amounts of coal to be mined because of the additional energy needed to sequester carbon
emissions. Sorry, Charlie. Clean coal is a myth. That’s why we need a congressman in Washington who believes
in real renewable energy resources for the 21st Century. This is why Charlie Wilson should not be re-elected on November 4th. ELECT!!!! DENNIS
SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against
a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Solar
Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers,
Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
When a Liberal Voting Bill hits the hill, Charlie Wilson hides by “Not Voting”
October 11, 2008 When a liberal, progressive house bill comes to the floor of Congress, Charlie
Wilson shows his true Conservative George Bush colors by being absent for the vote. Here are the following progressive house
votes Charlie Wislon has skipped since coming to Congress: NV= NOT VOTING 06/26/2008 Public Transportation and Alternative
Fuel GrantsHR 6052 NV Bill Passed - House 01/23/2008 Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007
(CHIP)HR 3963 NV Veto Override Failed - House(260 - 152) 11/01/2007 Hardrock Mining and Reclamation ActHR 2262 NV Bill
Passed - House(244 - 166) 10/25/2007 Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 (CHIP)HR 3963 NV
Bill Passed - House(265 - 142) 10/10/2007 National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007HR 2895 NV Bill Passed - House(264
- 148) 10/10/2007 Tax Collection Responsibility Act of 2007HR 3056 NV Bill Passed - House 10/31/2007 Trade and Globalization
Act of 2007HR 3920 NV Bill Passed - House(264 - 157) 10/16/2007 Reporter's Source Confidentiality GuidelinesHR 2102 NV
Bill Passed - House(398 - 21) 10/16/2007 Sense of the House on Classification of Information on Corruption in IraqH Res
734 NV Resolution Passed - House(395 - 21) Better public transportation and alternative fuel grants, Children’s
insurance programs, Better housing for the poor, better trade and jobs for more workers, corruption in Iraq, Chartlie
Wilson fails to show up and tell the people who he is supposed to represent exactly where he stands on progressive, liberal
positions. Charlie Wilson continues to hid the fact from his citizens that he is a closet Republican. If we want progressive
issues passed, it’s time to vote for a progressive candidate into Congress. ELECT!!!! DENNIS SPISAK FOR
CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a
Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for Congress 548 Poland
Ave Struthers, Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign site: [ votespisak.org]
October
9, 2008
Written by Reenita Malhotra
The green economy shows signs of rebounding faster than others shaken by the global
financial turmoil. There are several indicators pointing to the fact.
Government
Guaranteed Revenues for Large Renewable Energy Players
Unlike other industries, renewable energy has government-guaranteed revenues. However
it is likely that as the credit crunch plays out, the re-bounders will be big utilities who are not reliant on banks for short
term loans rather than start-ups who do.
“Even if utilities do have to borrow, they can do so cheaply as government-regulated
businesses with guaranteed rates of return which can pass on costs to consumers”, said analyst Pavel Mulchanov at Raymond James & Associates in Houston who hints that the larger wind and solar
companies might be recession proof even though their stocks have been yo-yo-ing.
Tax Credits
For Wind and Solar Energy Industries
The highly contentious $700 billion bailout was finally signed into law on October
3rd after a series of revisions. Known officially as the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, it includes production and investment tax credits for the wind and solar energy industries. About 60,000 Americans are already employed by the solar energy industry,
the extension of tax credits will further help to create thousands of jobs while providing clean, affordable, carbon-free
energy to citizens. Clearly a win-win situation.
4.2 Million
Green Jobs by 2038
According to a study released last week for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the U.S.
economy now has about 750,000 green jobs that include renewable energy or green engineering, legal or research support. As
the economy recovers and focuses on developing energy efficiency and alternative fuels, it can generate 4.2 million new “green”
jobs in the next 30 years.
Non Green
Companies Weigh In: Google Unveils a Plan For Cleaner Energy
Google Inc. has decided to fund green technology and leverage its brand power to lobby
for policy change. The world famous web search company plans to wean the United States off burning coal and oil for power
by 2030, and cut oil use for cars by 40 percent. That will cost trillions of dollars, but Google believes it should ultimately
save money.
What will the U.S. Economy look like in the foreseeable future? Are we entering a green
revolution? Did we actually manage to achieve more than a $700 billion bailout for the environment over the long term?
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Clean Energy can power economy and jobs
October 8, 2008
As the Green Party Candidate for
Congress in the 6th District, again I ask, why can’t this type of green energy production be used to return
the 6th district to economic prosperity?
Is it because current Congressman
Charlie Wilson is being held back by the coal lobbyists who gave him $18,000 over the past two years?
New Study Finds That Clean-Energy
Industry Can Power Northwest Economy, Job Creation, and Carbon Reduction
Report Finds Potential for 63,000 New Jobs in Oregon and Washington
Clean Edge and Climate Solutions’ Carbon-Free Prosperity 2025
Portland,
Ore./ Seattle, Wash. — October 6, 2008 — A new study concludes that five emerging clean-tech industry sectors
offer the Pacific Northwest one of the best opportunities for sustained economic vitality and job growth. It also charts the
course for private and public investment and leadership to capitalize on the opportunity.
Carbon-Free Prosperity
2025 is produced by two leading clean-tech organizations — research and publishing firm Clean Edge and research and
advocacy organization Climate Solutions. The study provides a comprehensive look at emerging green industries that are projected
to provide high-paying jobs and a vital new economic base for the region. It provides a grounded and realistic view of the
region’s potential role in an increasingly competitive global clean-tech industry. The report can be downloaded at www.cleanedge.com
and www.climatesolutions.org.
The study focuses on five clean-energy sectors that provide the best opportunities
for Oregon and Washington to build a leadership position in intellectual capital and job creation. They are:
• Solar PV Manufacturing, which is projected to provide up to 22,560 new jobs in the region by 2025;
• Wind Power Development, expected to reach up to 6,000 new jobs;
•
Green Building Design Services, creator of up to 16,834 new jobs;
• Sustainable
Bioenergy, which could account for 10,419 new jobs; and
• Smart-Grid Technologies,
an industry that could create up to 7,000 new jobs.
In all, the study find these industries have the potential to
create more than 63,000 new jobs in the Pacific Northwest by 2025 — a figure that matches the employment in Silicon
Forest during its height as a chip manufacturing center. The growth of these clean-tech sectors would position the region
as a leader in the dramatic global shift toward cleaner and more efficient forms of energy, transportation, and building systems
that reduce pollution and reliance on volatile imported fossil fuels.
The report provides an objective accounting of
the region’s assets and challenges, and provides a 10-point action plan for Oregon and Washington that includes:
• Limiting and reducing global warming pollution by putting a price on carbon;
• Ramping up public investment in clean technology funds;
• Passing
leading edge green building codes;
• Deploying clean energy workforce development
strategies;
• Providing effective clean energy tax credits;
• Building a 21st century smart grid.
“Clean energy is increasingly identified as the
sector with the largest growth potential in the U.S. economy, and offers the best promise of meeting the twin challenges of
economic and environmental decline,” said Ron Pernick, Clean Edge cofounder and managing director and report coauthor.
“This report is a case study for how the Pacific Northwest region can seize a leadership role in the clean-tech economy.”
Carbon-Free
Prosperity 2025 lauds the Pacific Northwest for its green lifestyle, proactive policies, strong natural resource base,
and abundant cheap electricity as attributes that give the region a head start in the quest for a strong clean-energy economy.
But the report also urges action on cultivating more venture capital in the region, updating energy grid infrastructure, grooming
managerial talent for growing clean-tech companies, and developing a comprehensive economic-development strategy for the region.
“To spark a real economic recovery, we need to repower America, and this region should be at the forefront,”
said Rhys Roth, Climate Solutions’ Director of Strategic Innovation. “This report is a blueprint for how the region
can become a global leader in clean technology – creating family-supporting jobs, regaining control of our energy future,
and delivering real climate solutions.”
The study is based on interviews with more than 50 industry, financial,
and policy experts in the Northwest, and leverages proprietary Clean Edge data on market sizing, employment figures, and other
key market factors.
About Clean Edge
Clean Edge, Inc., with offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland,
is a leading research and publishing firm that helps companies, investors, and policymakers understand and profit from clean
technologies. Founded in 2000, Clean Edge and its network of partners and affiliates offer unparalleled intelligence and insight
into the clean-tech sector. Among its many activities, the company publishes the annual Clean Energy Trends report, produces
the annual Clean-Tech Investor Summit (along with IBF), and maintains a number of clean-energy stock indexes. To keep abreast
of the latest clean-tech news, access industry reports, learn more about the company’s annual summit, or sign up for
Clean Edge’s free e-newsletter, visit www.cleanedge.com.
About Climate Solutions
Climate Solutions is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to accelerate practical
and profitable solutions to global warming by galvanizing leadership, growing investment, and bridging divides in the Pacific
Northwest. Since its inception in 1998, Climate Solutions has been the foremost champion of Northwest climate and clean energy
leadership that generates economic opportunities for Northwest businesses and workers. Working with a broad array of partners
from business, rural, government, and the public-interest community, Climate Solutions helps to advance a new sustainable
prosperity in the Northwest that accelerates the technologies, policies, and enterprises that can deliver climate solutions
to the world. Climate Solutions has offices in Seattle, Olympia, Portland and Missoula. To learn more, visit www.climatesolutions.org.
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Tax Incentives for Renewables
Restored in Bailout Bill.
October 7, 2008
By Jim Abrams, AP, October 4, 2008. "Millions of taxpayers, thousands
of businesses and groups as diverse as solar power developers and natural disaster victims will see tax relief with the House
vote Friday to approve and send to the president a $700 billion financial rescue plan. The tax relief package attached to
the rescue bill promotes renewable energy development and extends dozens of tax breaks from the critical research and development
tax credit to breaks for such narrowly focused groups as motor sports racetrack owners, film producers and bicycle commuters...
The renewable energy incentives include an eight-year extension of investment credits for solar energy, as well as breaks
for wind, geothermal and other alternative sources. The solar industry says extension of the credits through 2016 would produce
an extra 440,000 jobs and more than $230 billion in investments."
As the Green Party Candidate for Congress, this is the type of Green Bailout we need to get this county moving again
in providing jobs for the poor, working and middle class in renewable alternative energy programs.
However, the bailout include
billions of dollars in breaks for old-fashioned fossil-fuel processes such as liquefying coal and squeezing petroleum out
of sand and rock, dirty coal processes our current Congressman Charlie Wilson has been paid over $18,000 by coal lobbyists
since 2007 to support. Although House members were adamant that the overall tax provisions remain revenue-neutral, the add-ons
will cost taxpayers more than $100 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Thank Charlie Wilson for costing
the taxpayers more money for this bailout.
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
California adopts the goals of
the Apollo Energy Program. Why Not Ohio?
October 6, 2008
California turned policy into law consistent with the goals of The New Apollo Program. The state enacted
a new statute, AB2855, that establishes green-collar job training academies to prepare high school students
for careers in building the clean energy, good jobs economy. Among the technologies that will be taught in the new academies:
energy audits, retrofitting and weatherization, energy efficiency, installation of energy conservation equipment, renewable
energy design and installation, next generation vehicle maintenance, and pollution prevention. The California Apollo Alliance and the State Building Trades Council of California co-sponsored the legislation and
helped secure its passage and enactment.
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
How can Charlie Wilson Know So Little About Renewable Energies?
October 5, 20008
Charlie Wilson is a member of the Science and Technology Committee and there serves on the Subcommittee on Technology
and Innovation.
As a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, Congressman Wilson has been tapped to be a part of the
Blue Dog Innovation, Capital Markets, and Financial Services Task Force. The task force will focus on developing policies
that encourage capital formation and investment in America's next generation technologies and the industries.
Then why does Charlie Wilson fail to mention any renewable energy technologies for the future of America except for
turning Coal into Liquid Fuel?
Why is Charlie Wilson not on the forefront of solar power, wind turbines, and geothermal renewable energy if he sits
on two Technology and Innovation Committees?
Could it be Charlie Wilson is in the back pockets of Electric Company and Coal Company lobbyists and PACs? The Coal
Industry has given Charlie over $18,000 since he got to Washington in 2007.
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Does Charlie Wilson really fight
for you and me?
October 4, 2008
During the 2006 campaign, Charlie Wilson’s
little country jungle ended by saying “Charlie fights for you and me.” But
does Charlie really fight?
In two years, Charlie has passed only ONE
BILL Through Congress:
. H.RES.892 : Expressing support for designation of a "National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition
Day".
Sponsor: Rep Wilson, Charles A. [OH-6] (introduced 12/18/2007) Cosponsors (74)
Committees: House Oversight and Government Reform
Latest
Major Action: 4/29/2008 Passed/agreed to in House. Status: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution,
as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
That’s
right, Charlie passed a bill to pat himself on the back for being a Funeral Director.
Charlie
Wilson has taken over $460,000 from lobbyists and corporate PACs last year.
Charlie
Wilson legislates for corporations, he doesn’t fight for you and me.
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Green
Collar Economy
October
3, 2008
In The
Green Collar Economy, acclaimed activist and political advisor Van Jones delivers a real solution that both rescues our
economy and saves the environment. The economy is built on and powered almost exclusively by oil, natural gas, and coal, all
fast-diminishing nonrenewable resources. As supplies disappear, the price of energy climbs and nearly everything becomes more
expensive. With costs and unemployment soaring, the economy stalls. Not only that, when we burn these fuels, the greenhouse
gases they create overheat the atmosphere. As the headlines make clear, total climate chaos looms over us. The bottom line:
we cannot continue with business as usual. We cannot drill and burn our way out of these dual dilemmas.
Instead,
Van Jones illustrates how we can invent and invest our way out of the pollution-based grey economy and into the healthy new
green economy. Built by a broad coalition deeply rooted in the lives and struggles of ordinary people, this path has the practical
benefit of both cutting energy prices and generating enough work to pull the U.S. economy out of its present death spiral.
It’s
time to send a Green Party Candidate to Washington to help begin work on
Van
Jones’ Green Collar Economy. It’s time to send Dennis Spisak to Congress.
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Green the Bailout
October 2, 2008
As the Green Party Candidate for Congress in the 6th
District, I agree with New York Times editor Thomas Friedman who wrote last weekend that we need Green jobs to help bailout
America from it’s current economic problems: Many things make me weep about the current economic crisis, but
none more than this brief economic history: In the 19th century, America had a railroad boom, bubble and bust. Some people
made money; many lost money. But even when that bubble burst, it left America with an infrastructure of railroads that made
transcontinental travel and shipping dramatically easier and cheaper. The late 20th century saw an Internet boom,
bubble and bust. Some people made money; many people lost money, but that dot-com bubble left us with an Internet highway
system that helped Microsoft, I.B.M. and Google to spearhead the I.T. revolution. The early 21st century saw a boom, bubble
and now a bust around financial services. But I fear all it will leave behind are a bunch of empty Florida condos that never
should have been built, used private jets that the wealthy can no longer afford and dead derivative contracts that no one
can understand. Worse, we borrowed the money for this bubble from China, and now we have to pay it back — with interest
and without any lasting benefit. Yes, this bailout is necessary. This is a credit crisis, and credit crises involve a breakdown
in confidence that leads to no one lending to anyone. You don’t fool around with a credit crisis. You have to overwhelm
it with capital. Unfortunately, some people who don’t deserve it will be rescued. But, more importantly, those who had
nothing to do with it will be spared devastation. You have to save the system. But that is not the point of this column.
The point is, we don’t just need a bailout. We need a buildup. We need to get back to making stuff, based on real engineering
not just financial engineering. We need to get back to a world where people are able to realize the American Dream —
a house with a yard — because they have built something with their hands, not because they got a “liar loan”
from an underregulated bank with no money down and nothing to pay for two years. The American Dream is an aspiration, not
an entitlement. When I need reminding of the real foundations of the American Dream, I talk to my Indian-American immigrant
friends who have come here to start new companies — friends like K.R. Sridhar, the founder of Bloom Energy. He e-mailed
me a pep talk in the midst of this financial crisis — a note about the difference between surviving and thriving. “Infants
and the elderly who are disabled obsess about survival,” said Sridhar. “As a nation, if we just focus on survival,
the demise of our leadership is imminent. We are thrivers. Thrivers are constantly looking for new opportunities to seize
and lead and be No. 1.” That is what America is about. But we have lost focus on that. Our economy is like a car,
added Sridhar, and the financial institutions are the transmission system that keeps the wheels turning and the car moving
forward. Real production of goods that create absolute value and jobs, though, are the engine. “I cannot help but
ponder about how quickly we are ready to act on fixing the transmission, by pumping in almost one trillion dollars in a fortnight,”
said Sridhar. “On the other hand, the engine, which is slowly dying, is not even getting an oil change or a tune-up
with the same urgency, let alone a trillion dollars to get ourselves a new engine. Just imagine what a trillion-dollar investment
would return to the economy, including the ‘transmission,’ if we committed at that level to green jobs and technologies.” Indeed,
when this bailout is over, we need the next president — this one is wasted — to launch an E.T., energy technology,
revolution with the same urgency as this bailout. Otherwise, all we will have done is bought ourselves a respite, but not
a future. The exciting thing about the energy technology revolution is that it spans the whole economy — from green-collar
construction jobs to high-tech solar panel designing jobs. It could lift so many boats. In a green economy, we would rely
less on credit from foreigners “and more on creativity from Americans,” argued Van Jones, president of Green for
All, and author of the forthcoming “The Green Collar Economy.” “It’s time to stop borrowing and start
building. America’s No. 1 resource is not oil or mortgages. Our No. 1 resource is our people. Let’s put people
back to work — retrofitting and repowering America. ... You can’t base a national economy on credit cards. But
you can base it on solar panels, wind turbines, smart biofuels and a massive program to weatherize every building and home
in America.” The Bush team says that if this bailout is done right, it should make the government money. Great. Let’s
hope so, and let’s commit right now that any bailout profits will be invested in infrastructure — smart transmission
grids or mass transit — for a green revolution. Let’s “green the bailout,” as Jones says, and help
ensure that the American Dream doesn’t ever shrink back to just that — a dream. ELECT!!!! DENNIS SPISAK
FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a
Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Solar
Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers,
Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Green Jobs Programs work across
the country, Why not Ohio?
As Green Party Candidate for Congress in
the 6th district, I have read reports of Green Job programs springing up all over the country. Why not Ohio? Why
not the 6th District?
Is it because Charlie Wilson is told what
to do by the coal lobbyists?
What is the rest of America doing?
Last year another group founded
by Jones, the Oakland Apollo Alliance, along with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, secured $250,000 from the city of Oakland
for a program that trains youth in jobs including installing solar panels and weatherizing buildings.
Los Angeles established a Green Career Ladder Training
Program to link low-income people with jobs from green investment by the city.
In Milwaukee, a private program known as Milwaukee
Energy Efficiency, or Me2, aims to funnel up to $500 million of private capital into residential and commercial building retrofits.
The funds will be paid back over 10 years in energy savings, split between lenders and program participants (i.e., building
owners).
In Chicago, a Greencorps program trains participants,
including ex-offenders, in four tracks: landscaping and urban gardening, computer refurbishing and recycling, household hazardous
waste handling and home weatherization. The city has promised to hire 5,000 to 10,000 people in positions constructing, designing
and auditing green buildings. And with two megawatts of solar power generation, city officials say they have the most municipal
solar power outside the Southwest. With "green-washing" rampant among corporations and politicians in this day and age, it
is worth reserving some skepticism until these programs actually show significant results.
At this point most of the green jobs training programs
are still in the early stages, and it remains to be seen to what extent permanent jobs are created and how much savings are
actually generated and how those savings are used. Some skeptics say such programs and promises, especially without revised
building codes or binding local ordinances to back them up, are a low-cost way for cities to bolster their green credentials
while much more challenging environmental issues are slow to be addressed.
That's where federal policy comes in.
"There are a lot of reasons green jobs will continue
to grow," said Hays, noting that private investment in the green sector is "vertical" -- escalating rapidly. "However, the
growth probably won't happen fast enough on its own to save us from baking the planet -- so we need a smart carbon reduction
policy."
Green For All and other advocates are pushing for
a "cap, collect and invest" strategy.
"That would not only create a market for clean energy
technology, it could also create a huge revenue stream that could finance and support the growth of these things," said Hays.
"You make polluters pay for the right to emit under the cap, and take that money and invest it into supporting both the technology
and enterprises as well as training programs."
Meanwhile, one of the silver linings to sky-high
fuel prices is that they do create a free market incentive for renewable and alternative energy sources and hence a green
job market. For example Flint, Mich., is among several U.S. cities following Sweden's example in fueling vehicles with clean-burning
biogas. With gas prices more than double those in the United States, Sweden has pioneered technology to make biogas from decomposing
household waste, slaughtered cow carcasses and even human sewage. A project under way in Flint, funded by the company Swedish
Biogas, will use biogas from waste from the city's municipal wastewater treatment agency to fuel city buses and other vehicles.
"The Swedish technique has been advanced because
we have been forced to come up with alternative sources," said Stig Berglind, press counselor at the Swedish Embassy. "In
Flint, they're trying to find alternative energy sources, which could take care of some of the thousands of jobs lost in the
auto economy. You get away from foreign energy dependence, you can produce energy with your own waste -- isn't that a marvelous
thing!"
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Why we need to invest
in Green Jobs
September 30, 2008
Green-collar enthusiasts are
also calling on the federal government to help ignite change. Investing $100 billion in green technologies and industries
"would create four times more jobs than spending the same amount of money within the oil industry, and would reduce the unemployment
rate to 4.4 percent over two years," according to a study released in September by the Political Economy Research Institute
at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst under commission by the Center for American Progress.
The report calls for $50 billion in tax breaks,
$46 billion in direct government investment and $4 billion in federal loan guarantees for private funders of green projects.
At least half the nation's states have laws requiring
that a certain percent of energy be produced from renewable sources. And if or when the United States institutes federal greenhouse
gas limits likely including a carbon cap and trade system, industry and municipalities will be forced to turn more to renewable
energy.
"It's something that's been building for a while.
Folks have been talking about the need to transition to a more stable economy," said Adi Nochur, an organizer with 1Sky, a national campaign to push for federal action on climate and green investment. "With the energy crisis
it's not a matter of if we transition to a green economy; it's a matter of when."
The Renewable Energy Policy Project breaks down roughly how many jobs could be created per megawatt of different types of renewable energy.
Solar could provide the most at 22 jobs per megawatt; manufacturing could provide 15; geothermal could provide 15 as well.
Construction and installation of solar panels would be next at seven, followed by wind at six. A large wind turbine produces
one to three megawatts, for example, so a large wind farm of such turbines could produce up to several hundred megawatts.
Nationwide, the United States has about 4,000 megawatts of geothermal in development.
"There's definitely a lot of really great local
initiatives happening around the country, but we need to see some accelerated attention from the federal government," said
Nochur. "Until recently there hasn't really been a constituency that has been pushing for this in an organized way. Now there
is really a lot of scope to take this issue forward and start connecting the dots."
The 1Sky campaign was launched in spring 2007 to
bring together existing environmental, business, labor and policy groups along with scientists and community leaders to force
the federal government to take "bold action by 2010," including: a moratorium on coal-fired power plants, freezing and then
ratcheting down greenhouse gas emissions levels, and creating 5 million green jobs.
These groups were instrumental in pushing for the
federal Green Jobs Act as part of the 2007 Energy Bill. The act authorized Congress to allocate $125 million to train 35,000
young people a year in green jobs, though it is still in the appropriations process and funding has not been allocated yet.
Green For All's ultimate goal is $1 billion in federal funding by 2012 for "green-collar" programs.
The American Solar Energy Society estimates that
renewable energy and energy efficiency were responsible for $970 billion in industry revenues and 8.5 million jobs in 2006.
But a 2006 report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a division of the U.S. Department of Energy, identified multiple
"nontechnical barriers to solar energy use," which could be addressed by governmental attention and investment. These included
inadequate workforce skills and training; lack of government policy supporting renewable energy and energy efficiency; lack
of consumer awareness about renewable energy; and inadequate financing of renewable energy projects.
Federal, state and municipal programs and policies
could help remedy all of these issues. Proponents say results in the private sector and in individual cities show the promise
and possibility of such efforts on a federal level. Multnomah County, Ore., and the cities of Washington, D.C., Oakland, Chicago,
Richmond, Calif., and Los Angeles, among others, have already created what the report refers to as "green pathways out of
poverty" in the form of job training and opportunities for low-income residents.
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
The Economy Needs Green Jobs
September 29, 2008
As the Green Party Candidate for Congress
in the 6th District- I Agree with Kari Lydersen’s report on Good, Green jobs can help today’s economy.
Kari
reports that if a coalition of clean energy and social justice groups has its way, renewable energy will be something of a
modern day gold rush, providing both clean energy and scores of stable living-wage jobs for urban and rural Americans. Climate
change and declining fossil fuel deposits are igniting interest in renewable energy, and many see the possibility of an economic
boom in the building and installation of wind turbines, solar panels and geothermal energy systems along with a blossoming
industry in green buildings and retrofits.
"Green jobs" are typically defined as "well paid career track jobs that contribute
directly to preserving or enhancing environmental quality," as Green For All's Web site says. "Like traditional blue-collar
jobs, green-collar jobs range from low-skill, entry-level positions to high-skill, higher-paid jobs, and include opportunities
for advancement in both skills and wages."
Movement leaders have great reason to be optimistic. One of the best things
about green jobs is that they're domestic: Green jobs like installing solar panels, assembling wind turbines, cleaning up
brownfields and weatherizing buildings can't be outsourced overseas or to Latin America. And rising fuel prices could make
the manufacturing of solar panels, wind turbines and other renewable energy technology even more attractive in the United
States.
"Right now we are importing wind turbines, which doesn't make sense," said Jeremy Hays, field director of the group
Green For All, one of the organizers of the day of action. "They'd be cheaper and higher-quality if they were made in the
U.S. With concentrated solar facilities, where you have lots of concrete and steel mirrors out in the desert, the cost-efficient
strategy is actually building the manufacturing facility right next to where the plant will be because of the difficulty of
transporting these huge half-pipe mirrors."
Hays noted that advocates lobby for labor provisions to be included in renewable
energy and other "green" legislation on state and federal levels. In this way, green jobs could potentially strengthen the
United States' ailing organized labor movement and bring together union laborers and environmentalists -- historically often
at odds in debates about logging, mining, power plants, heavy industry and the like.
This movement also provides an avenue
for environmental justice tied with job creation in the nation's poorest and often most environmentally beleaguered communities.
Green For All was co-founded in 2007 by Majora Carter of Sustainable South Bronx and celebrated Oakland activist and author
Van Jones for just this purpose. The national group aims to replicate state-level efforts for green job training programs
on the federal level, focusing on youth in minority and low-income communities. For example, in a Pittsburgh program run by
the company Green Tech, low-income youth work clearing and cleaning brownfields and planting them with sunflowers, which are
then harvested for biodiesel production.
Brownfield cleanup has also created many green jobs in Wisconsin, where an innovative
nationally recognized initiative under the state Department of Natural Resources helps communities identify, test and clean
up brownfields, in many cases building environmentally friendly structures, soccer fields, trails or community centers on
the sites. About 13,000 sites have been cleaned up.
"These communities are doing infill; instead of going to the outskirts
of suburbs and tearing up new land, this is re-using and cleaning up (already developed) land," said Andrew Savagian, outreach
specialist for the department's remediation and redevelopment program. "They consider that part of their green effort. And
more and more communities are looking at LEED certification, and trying to recycle materials, and trying to incorporate greener
methods of cleanup -- like solar power to run instruments."
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green
Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind
Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers,
Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
What is the most pressing need for the 6th district, and what can you see that need is met?
September 28, 2008
Democrats and Republicans legislate for corporations. I would legislate for the American citizen. The
Democrats and Republicans got $120 million dollars from CEOs and corporations last year. Incumbent Congressman Charlie Wilson
got over $450,000 from lobbyists and corporate PACs last year. Who does Charlie Wilson truly represent in Washington? The
average family or corporations? The time has come for a candidate that cares less about corporations and more about you. I
am that candidate that is concerned about regular Americans and will make this country a better legacy for our children. I
will not accept any Lobbyist or Corporate PAC money if elected to Congress.
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Re-electing Charlie Wilson is like voting for George Bush Again
September 28, 2008
Charlie
Wilson belongs to the Blue Dog Democrats coalition....who's mission is "to set into law policies reflecting conservative compassion." Haven't
we had enough consevative compassion from George Bush these past 8 years? ELECT!!!! DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green
Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Solar Power/Wind
Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers,
Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Energy Independence
September
26,2008
Renewal of the production tax credit is a vital piece of
a long-term energy policy.
An editorial from last week’s Washington Post:
CHANTS OF "drill, baby, drill" aside, the true path to
energy independence, as we've argued before, is in making sure that the price of oil stays high, and predictably so. That
is what motivates people to change their behavior and investors to develop alternative energy sources. These goals could be
achieved without socking it to ordinary Americans by taxing oil and gas and returning the revenue to taxpayers.
But Congress isn't about to raise the gasoline tax, so
the question becomes what is second-best. One answer is in a Senate bill that extends tax credits and incentives that will
bring certainty to renewable-energy producers and encourage conservation. After coming to an agreement with Sen. John Cornyn
(R-Tex.), who is fighting for money for his state after it was ravaged by Hurricane Ike, the measure is scheduled for a Tuesday
vote. We urge its passage.
The impact of the Energy Improvement and Extension Act
of 2008 would be immediate. The production tax credit would be extended through 2009 for wind and refined-coal companies.
For renewable-energy businesses that generate electricity from biomass, waves, tides and other sources, the credit would run
though 2010. This would bring predictability to the wind and solar energy industries, which have lurched from solvency to
insolvency each time the tax credits have expired in the past.
The legislation would also encourage conservation, which
is needed to cure the nation's addiction to imported oil. It would do so through a kind of picking and choosing among technologies
that Congress is not well equipped to do, and that is invariably subject to lobbying and political decision making. But conservation
and a greater reliance on renewable energy sources are components of a long-term energy policy that the United States desperately
needs, and most of the tax credits in this bill will do more good than harm.
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Today’s Banking Crisis-10 Steps to Bail America Out
September 25, 2008 As Green Party
Candidate for U.S. Congress for the 6th District, I am supporting the following ten step program to help America during our
recent Banking Crisis: 1.Enactment of a foreclosure moratorium now before the next phase of ARM interest rate increases
take effect; 2.Elimination of all ARM mortgages and their renegotiation into 30- or 40-year loans; 3.Establishment
of new mortgage lending practices to end predatory and discriminatory practices; 4.Establishment of criteria and construction
goals for affordable housing; 5.Redefinition of credit and regulation of the credit industry so that discriminatory
practices are completely eliminated; 6.Full funding for initiatives that eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in
home ownership; 7. Recognition of shelter as a right according to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights to
which the U.S. is a signatory so that no one sleeps on U.S.streets. 8.Full funding of a fund designed to cushion the
job loss and provide for retraining of those at the bottom of the income scale as the economy transitions; 9.Close
all tax loopholes and repeal of the Bush tax cuts for the top 1% of income earners; 10. Fairly tax corporations, denying
federal subsidies to those who relocate jobs overseas, and repeal NAFTA. ELECT!!!! DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green
Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Solar Power/Wind
Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers,
Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Berkeley Approves City-Backed
Loans for Solar Panels
September 24, 2008
By FELICITY BARRINGER
Published: September 17, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO — The Berkeley City Council
moved late Tuesday to eliminate one of the biggest obstacles to making homes more energy-efficient: the upfront cost.
In a move being watched by other
cities around the country, the Council unanimously approved a program to give city-backed loans to property owners who install
rooftop solar-power systems. The loans, which are likely to total up to $22,000 apiece, would be paid off over 20 years as
part of the owners’ property-tax bills.
While the more conventional approach of government
rebates and tax breaks is being tried by the State of California and many other jurisdictions, this is the first time that
a special property tax district has been created expressly to help retrofit homes and businesses to reduce electrical use.
In Berkeley, these districts have previously been used to pay for neighborhood improvements, like burying electrical wiring.
Property owners can opt to join the new district,
which was established by the council vote. The final piece of the puzzle, however, is still missing: a deal with a lender
whose capital the city would use to finance the program.
At first, Berkeley seeks to raise $1.5 million
for a pilot program for about 50 homes. If its program is successful, the kitty could eventually contain tens of millions
of dollars, and hundreds of property owners could be eligible.
If the early phase of the program lives up to
the high expectations of its backers, the city government is likely to expand the field of projects it will finance, supporting
energy-efficiency initiatives like putting in double-glazed windows or adding insulation.
The city’s mayor, Tom Bates, said in an interview
shortly before the vote, “I think this is probably the most important contribution Berkeley can make toward taking on
global warming” and reducing greenhouse gases.
He added, “I think the idea is going to
go like wildfire” through other city governments. He said nearly two dozen cities, from San Francisco to Annapolis,
Md., and Seattle to Cambridge, Mass., had called, indicating they wanted to follow suit.
The program, said Daniel M. Kammen, a professor of
energy at the University of California, Berkeley, and director of its Institute of the Environment, is intended to entice
people who might be scared away by the high initial cost of retrofitting homes to incorporate solar power or become more energy-efficient.
Participating homeowners would pay roughly $180
more per month on their property tax bills, though the hope is that much of that cost would be recouped in savings on electric
bills.
“We have about 100 names of people who
have expressed interest in the program,” said G. Craig Hill, a representative of the firm Northcross, Hill & Ach,
which is advising the City Council on the financial details. Mr. Hill said he was negotiating with two private groups willing
to try to resell the new city-backed debt obligations in a skittish marketplace.
Christine Daniel, a deputy city manager working
with Mr. Hill, said, “I would argue that this is very, very secure debt,” since it is backed by the property tax
revenues in a city that collects 98 percent of the money it is owed each year. She added, “We’ve certainly gotten
a lot of calls from cities that are interested, but most cities are saying, ‘Let’s wait and see how Berkeley does.’ ”
Professor Kammen said he was not worried, pointing
out that venture capitalists have been pouring billions of dollars into the development of alternative-energy technologies.
“There’s so much more money there
than ideas,” he said.
==============================================================
As the Green Party Candidate for US Congress
in the 6th district, I applaud Berkeley’s efforts as a model for all cities in the 6th district
to follow.
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Amish turn to solar
power for electricity, Why not us?
September 23, 2008
They draw a line in how they
use it for work and in the home.
By
Fabian Loehe
Philadelphia
Inquirer Staff Writer
On the porch of a white Lancaster County farmhouse set between corn and soy bean fields, an Amish woman
makes apple sauce the old-fashioned way: She crushes fruit in a manual press. Chickens run across the yard. A long line of
laundry dries in the sun.
But at her
husband's dairy-equipment shop next door, the scene is quite different. Energy-saving fluorescent bulbs light the basement.
And wiring has just been installed to run heavy machinery off the sun.
Despite their
reclusion from the modern world, the plain-living Amish are leading the way when it comes to embracing solar energy.
On rural back
roads where plain-clothed Amish still drive their horse-drawn buggies, small black-and-purple panels have sprung up on barns
and houses. They twinkle in the sun, charging batteries that once got their power from diesel generators or gas-powered machines.
The Amish shun
connections to the outside, including the power grid, to run their buggy batteries, electric fences, refrigerators and sewing
machines. But within their religious framework, using the sun to charge their batteries is acceptable, at least for some purposes,
says Donald Kraybill, an expert on the Amish at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College.
"It's like tapping into God's grid instead," he said.
Ben Zook, 25,
saw the light seven years ago, when he decided to sell solar panels instead of making cabinets.
"I believed
that I could make a living out of electricity," said Zook, who was raised Amish. "But what I didn't imagine was that solar
would become almost a mainstream thing the world talks about.
"My total business
doubled last year, mostly because of the Amish," said Zook, who owns Belmont Solar in Gordonville, Lancaster County. "It's
a pretty rapid growth rate."
Elam Beiler
has been selling solar products for 15 years, but said he saw business jump by 30 percent in the last two.
"It becomes
more popular with the way the fuel prices go," said Beiler, owner of Advanced Solar Industries in Ronks.
Fed up with
gas prices, non-Amish customers are also hungry for solar. Last year, his business was 20 percent non-Amish. This year, it
grew to 40 percent and he expects it will be 60 percent next year.
Another reason
for the shift is that the Amish generally buy small systems, costing $3,000 to 4,000, while a large package for non-Amish
could cost up to $500,000, he said.
Among those
who are enthusiastically, though cautiously, turning to solar is a Ronks hardware store owner who along with muckrakes, clotheslines,
gas lamps, push mowers and Kick Horse Feed Additive now sells solar-powered garden lights and fence chargers.
"Some years
ago, people frowned" at solar power. "But now they see it as a necessity," said Esh, who asked that his first name not be
used.
Esh for 15
years has used solar power to run his cash register and key-cutting machine. This summer, he upgraded from four smaller to
six larger panels. His new paint-mixing machine, for one, needed a lot of energy.
"It would be
very expensive to run the diesel [generator] all day long. And electricity prices are going to go through the roof in the
next two years," he explained.
At his home
among the bucolic green hills of Ronks, Esh's two buggy horses, Prince and Razor, grazed by a neat barn whose roof is adorned
with solar cells connected to an energy converter in his garage.
A cord from
the converter runs to a battery beneath the black buggy parked there. Running off the battery are the carriage lights - bright
LED bulbs - charged enough for a night trip.
Esh's two daughters,
schoolteachers, use solar power for copy machines at home, he said.
"Where it has
really changed is that homeowners have it now, too," he said.
While the Amish
are more liberal about using electric power for work than in their homes, the shift is causing gray areas to emerge.
"The Amish
decide on whether to adapt to a new technology based on two implications: their separation from the world and the impact on
the community," Kraybill said.
To protect
their community from the influence of the outside world, the Amish sometimes wait for a bishop-council meeting before installing
special solar equipment.
The Amish fear
becoming too materialistic and worldly, which is why they do not use solar to power batteries for iPods, TVs, laptops but
do use them for water pumps, washing machines, and battery-powered floor lamps.
"I could run
a Game Boy on the same power I run the refrigerator," solar vendor Beiler explained. "But it's hard to maintain your culture
if you have a TV. Then your kids are worshipping the latest rock star. Eventually, it would erode our culture and ultimately
destroy it."
Instead, his
children - three girls and three boys - play hide-and-seek in the garden or throw a ball around.
And as he stood
in front of his buggy, with its LED lights, he said he had no intention of getting a solar car someday.
"If we would
introduce cars to our society, we would not have a community for very long," he said. "It would rip our family apart."
Beiler recalls
that once or twice, people in the community cautioned him about the direction of his solar business. But so far the church
has not interfered. Beiler knows the line he is not willing to cross - installing electricity in his house. That could lead
to excommunication, he said.
"That's definitively
not something I would want," he said. "I am a firm believer in our lifestyle. It's an idea that has worked for centuries,
and I don't see a reason to change that."
If the Amish
can use solar power, why can’t us? Is it because our leaders like Charlie Wilson are paid big bucks by the electric
and coal lobbyists and Corporate PACs to keep tied into 19th century fossil fuel usage?
As the Green
Party Candidate for Congress, I believe we must make the jump into the 21st century and make renewable energy manufacturing
and power delivery a priority beginning in 2009 to bring economic prosperity to the poor, working, and middle class of our
valley.
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
[b]5 ways to rebuild America
September 22, 2008[/b]
The New Apollo Program is a comprehensive economic investment strategy to build America’s 21st century
clean energy economy and dramatically cut energy bills for families and businesses. It will generate and invest $500 billion
over the next ten years and create more than five million high quality green-collar jobs. It will accelerate the development
of the nation’s vast clean energy resources and move us toward energy security, climate stability, and economic prosperity.
And it will transform America into the global leader of the new green economy.
As the Green Party Candidate for Congress in the 6th District, I support the New Apollo
Plans to help rebuild
our area for the future:
1/Rebuild America Clean and Green
Establish a national energy efficiency commitment to reduce energy use in
new and existing buildings at least 30 percent by 2025.
Provide the support necessary to produce 25 percent of the nation’s power from renewable and recycled energy
resources by 2025.
Bring the power grid into the 21st century.
Improve efficiency by 20 percent in existing power plants and industries by 2025.
Connect America’s 21st century neighborhoods and cities with world-class transit systems.
Strengthen and improve America’s transportation infrastructure by “fixing it first.”
2/Make It in America
Rebuild the U.S. auto industry by investing in high-efficiency vehicles.
Invest in a national low-carbon fuel infrastructure and next generation alternative fuels.
Restore America’s manufacturing leadership to meet the demands of the clean energy future.
3/Restore America’s Technological Leadership
Double national investment in clean energy research and
development.
Establish a National Energy Innovation Fund to invest in the most promising new clean energy technologies emerging
from our nation’s laboratories.
4/Tap the Productivity of the American People
Train America’s workers for the new clean energy economy.
Ensure the transition to America’s clean energy economy creates widely shared economic opportunities.
5/Reinvest in America
Establish a federal “cap and invest” program to generate and strategically
reinvest the resources necessary to build the new clean energy economy.
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE
CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal
Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
The New Apollo Program
Utility Going Green
September 22, 2008
BOSTON— National Grid, which supplies about
half the state’s electricity, plans to dramatically boost spending on energy conservation programs in the state, with
a 30 percent increase next year and a doubling of the current spending to more than $125 million annually over the next three
years, according to company officials.
The increase in conservation investments, aimed at cutting reliance on fossil fuels,
monthly electric bills and the need to buy more power to meet growing demand, is one of the first tangible effects of sweeping
energy legislation adopted by the state this summer.
Thomas King, president of the international utility company’s
U.S. operations, said the initiatives, which put Massachusetts far ahead of most states in the battle to reduce reliance on
fossil fuels, initially aim to curb major increases in demand for electricity.
National Grid is spending $63 million on
conservation efforts this year and will increase that to $83 million in 2009, ramping up to about $125 million by 2011 under
the plan, which will soon be submitted to state regulators, company officials said.
Industry forecasts, Mr. King said,
project demand for power to grow 30 percent over the next 20 years, at about 1 percent or more each year.
Aggressive increases
in conservation programs and deeper penetration in the marketplace of energy efficiency technologies, he said, will aim to
reduce that annual growth rate to one-half a percent in Massachusetts.
While that may seem a small increment, fractional
gains in reducing demand, he said, hold multiple economic benefits, limiting the need for new power plants and reducing the
need to buy higher-priced peak power supplies.
Combined with reductions in electricity usage by businesses and consumers
because of higher prices, Mr. King said, the high-profile conservation programs and new incentives for expanded clean energy
sources here should produce long-term benefits.
The conservation investments, which will be paid for with rate-payer revenues
that might otherwise be spent on additional power, will include a combination of energy-efficiency programs and require development
of an expanded energy conservation work force.
“We expect literally thousands of jobs will be created across the
state” as part of the effort, Mr. King said.
This is the type of leadership we need in Congress and in Ohio to
help our citizens cope with rising electric bills and help them get ready to begin supplying Green Energy Resources in the
Future.
ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE
CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer
Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for
Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
New Apollo Energy Program
September 20, 2008 Recently, The New Apollo Program has
produced a plan for Green Jobs for America. As Green Party Candidate for the 6th District, I support this 10-point plan to
help the Ohio Valley grow and prosper in the future. Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Congress-6th District The
Ten-Point Plan for Good Jobs and Energy Independence 1. Promote Advanced Technology & Hybrid Cars: Begin today to provide
incentives for converting domestic assembly lines to manufacture highly efficient cars, transitioning the fleet to American
made advanced technology vehicles, increasing consumer choice and strengthening the US auto industry. 2. Invest In More
Efficient Factories: Make innovative use of the tax code and economic development systems to promote more efficient and profitable
manufacturing while saving energy through environmental retrofits, improved boiler operations, and industrial cogeneration
of electricity, retaining jobs by investing in plants and workers. 3. Encourage High Performance Building: Increase investment
in construction of “green buildings” and energy efficient homes and offices through innovative financing and incentives,
improved building operations, and updated codes and standards, helping working families, businesses, and government realize
substantial cost savings. 4. Increase Use of Energy Efficient Appliances: Drive a new generation of highly efficient manufactured
goods into widespread use, without driving jobs overseas, by linking higher energy standards to consumer and manufacturing
incentives that increase demand for new durable goods and increase investment in US factories. 5. Modernize Electrical
Infrastructure: Deploy the best available technology like scrubbers to existing plants, protecting jobs and the environment;
research new technology to capture and sequester carbon and improve transmission for distributed renewable generation. 6.
Expand Renewable Energy Development: Diversify energy sources by promoting existing technologies in solar, biomass and wind
while setting ambitious but achievable goals for increasing renewable generation, and promoting state and local policy innovations
that link clean energy and jobs. 7. Improve Transportation Options: Increase mobility, job access, and transportation choice
by investing in effective multimodal networks including bicycle, local bus and rail transit, regional high-speed rail and
magnetic levitation rail projects. 8. Reinvest In Smart Urban Growth: Revitalize urban centers to promote strong cities
and good jobs, by rebuilding and upgrading local infrastructure including road maintenance, bridge repair, and water and waste
water systems, and by expanding redevelopment of idled urban “brownfield” lands, and by improving metropolitan
planning and governance. 9. Plan For A Hydrogen Future: Invest in long term research & development of hydrogen fuel
cell technology, and deploy the infrastructure to support hydrogen powered cars and distributed electricity generation using
stationary fuel cells, to create jobs in the industries of the future. 10. Preserve Regulatory Protections: Encourage balanced
growth and investment through regulation that ensures energy diversity and system reliability, that protects workers and the
environment, that rewards consumers, and that establishes a fair framework for emerging technologies. ELECT!!!! DENNIS
SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against
a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Solar
Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers,
Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Solar Programs To Help Low In-Come Residents
September 19,2008
As you know, a true eco-equity
movement is taking root in the Bay Area, throughout California, and across the US. And because this movement to create
green pathways out of poverty requires hard work from a broad coalition of folks, we decided it was high time you got to know
some of our allies a little bit better. We're happy to introduce a new series of Partner Profiles, beginning with our
friends at Solar Richmond.
Solar Richmond, a close regional ally of the Green-Collar Jobs Campaign, is doing amazing work in Richmond -- connecting
the people who most need work to the work that most needs to be done, all while helping low-income homeowners keep their energy
bills low through no-cost solar installation.
The innovative and inspiring work of Solar Richmond is moving low-income residents and youth of color into the green
economy. As the green-collar jobs idea builds momentum throughout the nation, this program is among the first to "walk
the talk" by providing low cost and free solar system installation to low-income homeowners, while training low-income residents
from the community to do the work.
The Richmond program is comprised of three key partners:
· Solar Richmond: a community based non-profit
organization that forged the partnership for this program. Solar Richmond is also increasingly working with solar installation
companies.
· Richmond BUILD Program: the City of Richmond's low-income residential assistance and construction
training program that is funded through federal, state and foundation grants.
· GRID Alternatives: a
non-profit that installs solar systems for low-income homeowners and provides solar training.
In 2007, a total of 32 Richmond residents completed the special training program: Richmond BUILD's existing eight-week
construction skills training program with an additional two-week solar skills module added by Solar Richmond. All trainees
interviewed with potential employers within weeks of graduation. As of December 2007, all but five program graduates had been
hired by local solar and construction firms. Solar Richmond continues to coordinate regular trainings and facilitate job placement
for graduates. In the coming years, Solar Richmond plans to expand its program. Next year, with increased funding, green building
techniques will be incorporated throughout the nine week program.
Right now Solar Richmond has a golden opportunity -- the City of Richmond has agreed to fund half the cost of 10 internships
for Solar Richmond graduates at local solar companies. Several of these internships are already under way!
Through this
Challenge Grant, the city will match -- dollar for dollar -- what Solar Richmond raises to fund internship wages.
As the Green Party Candidate for Congress to the 6th district, I believe we should have programs such as Solar Richmond
in place in the Ohio Valley, where our low-income residents can train to learn the skills to produce a living wage for themselves
and their families.
ELECT!!!! DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE
CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer
Affordable Healthcare Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for
Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers, Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign site:
Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Reimagining Energy
September 18, 2008
Susan Hockfield is president of the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology. She testified on this subject last week before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global
Warming.
Almost 70 years ago, as Germany invaded France, President Franklin D. Roosevelt received an urgent visit from Vannevar
Bush, then chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics and formerly vice president and dean of engineering
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Bush's message was simple: For America to win the war that was to come, it had no choice but to make aggressive, focused
investments in basic science. The case was so compelling that Roosevelt approved it in 10 minutes. From radar to the Manhattan
Project, the innovations that decision unleashed produced the military tools that won the war.
That same presidential decision launched the enduring partnership between the federal government and research universities,
a partnership that has vastly enhanced America's military capabilities and security, initiated many important industries,
produced countless medical advances and spawned virtually all of the technologies that account for our modern quality of life.
Today, the United States is tangled in a triple knot: a shaky economy, battered by volatile energy prices; world politics
weighed down by issues of energy consumption and security; and mounting evidence of global climate change.
Building on
the wisdom of Vannevar Bush, I believe we can address all three problems at once with dramatic new federal investment in energy
research and development. If one advance could transform America's prospects, it would be ready access, at scale, to a range
of affordable, renewable, low-carbon energy technologies -- from large-scale solar and wind energy to safe nuclear power.
Only one path will lead to such transformative technologies: research. Yet federal funding for energy research has dwindled
to irrelevance. In 1980, 10 percent of federal research dollars went to energy. Today, the share is 2 percent.
Research
investment by U.S. energy companies has mirrored this drop. In 2004, it stood at $1.2 billion in today's dollars. This might
suit a cost-efficient, technologically mature, fossil-fuel-based energy sector, but it is insufficient for any industry that
depends on innovation. Pharmaceutical companies invest 18 percent of revenue in R&D. Semiconductor firms invest 16 percent.
Energy companies invest less than one-quarter of 1 percent. With this pattern of investment, we cannot expect an energy technology
revolution.
While industry must support technology development, only government can prime the research pump. Congress must lead.
The potential gains -- from the economy to global security to the climate -- are boundless. Other nations are also chasing
these technologies. We must be first to market with the most innovative solutions. We must make sure that in the energy technology
markets of the future, we have the power to invent, produce and sell -- not the obligation to buy.
How much should we invest? In 2006 the government spent between $2.4 billion and $3.4 billion (less than half of the
annual R&D budget of our largest pharmaceutical company). Many experts, including the Council on Competitiveness, recommend
that federal energy research spending climb to twice or even 10 times current levels. In my view, the nation should move promptly
to triple current rates, then increase funding further as the Energy Department builds its capacity to convert basic research
into marketable technologies.
Vannevar Bush's insight was his appreciation of the value of basic research in powering
innovation. I believe that we stand on the verge of a global energy technology revolution. Will America lead it and reap the
rewards? Or will we surrender that advantage to other countries with clearer vision? I believe we can chart a profoundly hopeful,
practical path to America's future -- through rapid, sustained, broad-based and intensive investment in basic energy research.
As the Green Party Candidate for Congress-6th District, I agree we must begin to invest in the research to bring better
renewable power and jobs to the Mahoning and Ohio River Valleys.
ELECT DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running
against a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable
Healthcare Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for Congress 548
Poland Ave Struthers, Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Green Jobs Now
September 16, 2008
We Need Green Jobs Now for the Mahoning and Ohio River
Valley! http://www.greenjobsnow.com/WRITE-IN DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE
CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer
Affordable Healthcare Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for
Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers, Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign site:
Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Support Single Payer Health Network
September 13, 2008
From: "Bill Salganik, CWA Local 32035" <action_alert@cwa-union.org> Sent: Wednesday,
September 10, 2008 5:24 PMSubject: What I Didn't Know About Health Care Dear Friends, I thought I knew plenty about the American health care system and its problems, but working with the CWA Health Care Campaign has quickly
caused me to see things in a new way. I was a
journalist for 39 years; for the last 12 of those, Icovered health for the business
section of the Baltimore Sun. Iwrote about Medicare private prescription drug and
HMO plansthat were confusing and overwhelming (and sometimes deceptive) for seniors. I wrote about a non-profit Blue Cross plan that wanted to convert to for-profit
operation -- in the process,triggering up to $39 million in bonus payments for
its CEO. Iwrote about obstetricians who stopped delivering babies when their malpractice premiums jumped to more than $100,000 a year. I wrote
about people who were sick and poor, but their smalldisability checks made them
ineligible for Medicaid insurance;one man with $900 a month in disability payments
told me, "I'mtoo rich to be poor." Some of these problems were solved, or at least mitigated. Maryland has raised the
income cutoff for Medicaid. Insuranceregulators blocked the Blue Cross for-profit
scheme and cut theCEO's bonus payments. The state set up a fund to help doctors pay for liability coverage, and malpractice premiums have actually declined. But by focusing on one problem and one story at a time, you get a false impression. You get a sense that the health system can be fixed
(maybe even that it is being fixed) by defining andsolving problems, one by one. After taking an early-retirement buyout from The Sun, I began
todo some writing and research for CWA's Health Care Campaign. And looking at the health system as a system, rather than looking at one problem
or issue at a time, I was overwhelmed by evidence ofa seriously broken system. I was asked to identify news stories and research reports that would be relevant for the campaign's Web site. Here are some of the headlines
from my first week or so: Study finds 25 millionunderinsured, in addition to 47 million uninsured;
Despitespending twice as much as other developed countries, U.S. has worse health outcomes; California fines insurers for canceling coverage
for sick people; Study shows money spent on preventioncan generate big savings. In summary: high costs, poor coverage, lagging quality, underfunded preventive care, and insurers who fatten their bottom lines by canceling
the policies of sick people. I hope
you will take a look at what I've found. http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/jpLRziY1OPGM/healthcare This isn't a house that can be maintained by some fresh paint this year and roof patches next year. This is a house in need of serious
renovation. The system is broken, and
the time to fix it is now. Now when wehave a chance to elect people committed to
reform. Now whenthere's enough political momentum to get something done. But what we need isn't a series of small fixes; we need true reform to create
a system that covers everyone, holds costs in check,improves quality, allows
the government to act as a referee tokeep insurers and drug companies focused on
care, not profits,and ensures that all employers pay their fair share so that CWA's employers who provide good health care to their workers are not
put at a competitive disadvantage. In Solidarity, Bill Salganik TNG-CWA
Local 32035Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild
As the Green Party Candidate for Congress in the 6th
district, this is why I support single payer health coverage. With single payer health coverage you will only hear “FOUR NOS”: No Co-payments No Deductibles No Premiums No One Excluded
WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Grey To Green Festival
The Grey to Green Festival is
this Saturday, September 13, 2008 from 11:00 AM until 6:00 PM. Wick Park will be transformed into a "Green World" for the
first ever "Grey to Green" Festival on Youngstown's North Side. Many environmentally oriented businesses, community organizations,
and local, regional, and state agencies will participate in the inaugural event which strives to increase awareness of environmental
issues, highlighting the grey-to-green concept in the Youngstown 2010 Plan as well as the Wick Park Revitalization effort
that is currently underway.
The Grey to Green Festival organizing coalition's shared belief and vision is that a collaboration
of citizens, agencies, organizations, and government can mobilize communities to address important issues and solve problems
in new ways by moving from problem-driven solutions to vision-driven solutions in a post-industrial era of transition where
many areas such as Youngstown Struggle to cope with such change.
The Grey to Green Festival organizing committee includes
the office of the U.S.Congressman Tim Ryan, the Raymond John Wean Foundation, the Green Team,Youngstown Litter Control and
Recycling, Defend Youngstown, CityScape, ReCreate, Treez Please, Grow Youngstown, First Book Mahoning Valley, the Oakland
Center for the Arts, Art Youngstown, the Wick Park Revitalization Committee, the City of Youngstown, Youngstown State University,Defend
Youngstown,YESS, and the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative, and many great citizens of the area.
Our wonderful
sponsors include: The Raymond John Wean Foundation, Youngstown State University, The City of Youngstown, Treez Please, Grow
Youngstown, Home Depot, Common Wealth Inc., The Energy Detectives, Superior Chemicals,McCauley Funeral Home, Time Bank of
the Mahoning Valley, Sherman Creative, Lien Forward Ohio, Susie and Ray Beiersdorfer, Richard Moore, Sister Barbara O'Donnell,and
Frank Bishop and Attorney Debra Weaver.
Special thanks to the Youngstown Business Incubator, Kontinuous Jam, the Unitarian
Church and all of our wonderful performers and volunteers.
Thanks to our wonderful sponsors and volunteers we have
a day full of fun activities and entertainment, food and "green" merchandise vendors. The central theme of the festival will
emphasize sustainable practices- minimal energy and resource consumption with maximum recycling and waste reduction.
Schedule
of Events
Main Stage
11:00 Welcome
11:30 –Market Street Muppet Show
12:30 The Youngstown Connection
1:15 Jim Scott (song writer and performer of environmental songs)
2:30 – 4:30 Chaibababa with Machete (alternative
world music)
5:00 Brady’s Leap (Celtic Rock)
Children's Activities
Dora the Explorer and activities
11:30 1:00 2:00 4:30
Trash and Treasure k- 4th grade 12:00 -12:30
Trash and Treasure 5th – 12th graders
12:35 – 1:00
Bird Craft and Walk
12:00 1:30 2:30 5:00
Yoga/ Tai Chi
Jack Wolp Tai chi - 12:00
Deb Wilson - Yoga - 1:00
Marie Lew Tai Chi Step One - 3:00
Other Events and Happenings
Drop and Shop 11:00
-3:00
Leaf Bag Distribution- throughout the day
Farmers Market 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Art Youngstown 11:00 –
6:00 PM
The Nasa Aero Bus
The EPA traveling Exhibit
Patty Evans drumming throughout the day in various locations
Belly Dance Class/ Demonstration
Bring your empty/clean spray bottles to the Shaklee Vending area and receive a free
sample of their cleaning products.
Please note that one of the major goals of the festival is to generate as little
waste as possible. We ask that you avoid the use of plastic bags, and that if possible bring your own reusable bag or purchase
a beautiful new one from one of our vendors. We also ask that you leave the park clean. Recycling bins will be available throughout
the park.
We will be providing programs to visitors with the list of activities, vendors, and events. We encourage
you to recycle them if you chose not to keep them. Please note that inside the programs will be a small form to be completed
with your name and address so that we can establish a contact list and so that you may win one of our wonderful gifts. Please
complete the form and drop them into the box at the Pavilion or in the food area.
The Farmers Market will sell food
across Elm Street in the area of the Unitarian Church from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM. Please note that all utensils being used
at the church are compostable as are napkins and cups., There will be a composter available specifically for this purpose.
Also, please feel free to bring a picnic lunch, lawn chairs, and blankets.
Please note that the Drop and Shop will
operate from 11:00 AM until 3:00 PM
Drop & Shop for Freeat the Grey to Green Festival
Get rid of UNWANTED but
USABLE household items!
Take stuff you need for FREE!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
11:00am—3:00pm
Wick
Park, 260 Park Ave. Youngstown, OH 44504
Bring unwanted but usable/working household items! Take items you need! It’s
a
fast, easy, free way to get rid of stuff or get stuff you need. Plus, you’ll help your environment by saving landfill
space and natural resources.
Questions? Call YSU re:CREATE at (330) 941-2238.
Sponsors YSU re:CREATE, Green Team,
Grey to Green Festival Committee
Drop It & Shop for FREE!
Example of Items to Bring:
Any usable/working, non
hazardous household items
Baby Items
Beds, Bedding, & Bed Frames w/o stains, odors, or rips
Canned Goods
Carpet
w/o stains, odors, or rips
Clothing, Shoes, & Accessories
Construction Supplies
Curtains
First Aid Items
Furniture w/o stains, odors, or rips
Kids Toys, Clothes, & Shoes
Knick Knacks
Kitchen items
Luggage
Paper & Plastic Products
Remodeling Supplies
Tableware: Plates/Dishes & Silverware & Glasses
Toiletries-unused/new
– any size
Tupperware
DON'T BRINGAuto Parts
Bathtubs
Chemicals
Computers Electronics
Gas Cans
Hazardous Items
Hospital, water, or sofa beds
Hot water tanks
Paint
Pianos/Organs
Scrap Metal
Solvents
Tires
Trash/Junk
For info on donation/safe
disposal call re:CREATE
(330) 941-2238
Printed on Recycled
Content Paper
Don’t Trash It !
The Mahoning Valley Green Party will have a display there! Come out and meet
Dennis Spisak-Green Party Candidate for Congress-6th District!
Your Roof a Solar Power Plant?
September 11, 2008
Will Your Roof Soon
Be Part of a Solar Power Plant?
Written by Levi Novey
Published on September 7th, 2008
On Thursday,
Charlotte based utility company Duke Energy unveiled plans for a pilot program that will test whether or not 850 North Carolina
homes can collectively produce the energy of a small solar power plant. While the panels will only be placed on 850 roofs,
it is estimated that they will actually produce 16 megawatts of electricity, enough energy to power 2600 homes.
Duke Energy has a few small obstacles to get past before it can move forward with its plan. The company is offering 100
million dollars to any company that can supply the necessary materials, panels, and labor for the project. They hope to get
started in early 2009. In addition to finding a supplier, they must also gain the approval of the North Carolina Utilities
Commission. It seems likely though that they will obtain approval in the next few months, given the considerable amount of
public interest in clean energy projects.
While $100 million is expensive, Duke Energy hopes that this pilot program will demonstrate that a grid of homes generating
solar power might be a cheaper long-term strategy for providing energy than would be buying land and constructing new coal-based
power plants. In addition to this project, Duke Energy has been actively seeking other ways to enter the renewable energy
market. The company recently purchased several large wind power companies and also bought 100 wind turbines from General Electric.
One of the more interesting aspects of the program is that the houses that place solar panels on their roofs will not
be using the energy generated by their systems. Instead, Duke Energy will pay the homeowners a rental fee for the roof space,
and distribute the energy from a centralized system as they see fit. A California company has also come up with a similar
scheme to that of Duke Energy, but will instead use the roofs of commercial buildings for installation of solar panels rather
than residential homes. They will also sell the energy that is produced to the businesses who agree to put up the panels.
The plan and company have the support of a heavy hitter, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The only potential problem that I can think of with Duke Energy’s strategy is that perhaps people who rent their
roofs will be dissatisfied by the fact that they aren’t getting to use the solar energy themselves. The pride that comes
from producing and using solar energy might be part of alternative energy’s appeal. On the other hand, whenever people
get paid for something that they don’t use much anyway (a roof), they typically are pretty happy.
So will your roof soon be part of a solar power plant? If its profitable and efficient, then probably so. WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running
against a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable
Healthcare Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for Congress 548
Poland Ave Struthers, Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Elections Issues-A Green Collar
Job Bill For America
September 10,2008
Speaking of
laying the groundwork: An important bill just passed the California Legislature and is now waiting to be signed by Governor
Schwarzenegger! AB 3018 (Núñez) creates a special "Green-Collar Jobs Council" in the California Workforce Investment Board.
This Council will drive planning, research, and funding to meet California's growing green workforce needs. If signed, this
bill will ensure that green-collar jobs are a permanent part of California's workforce strategy.
You can read the bill language here.
WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Election
Issues-Jobs Creation
September 9, 2008
The Green Party proposes a third alternative
to a job or no job dichotomy: that is to provide everyone a sustainable livelihood. The need of our times is for security,
not necessarily jobs. We need security in the knowledge that, while markets may fluctuate and jobs may come and go, we are
still able to lead a life rooted in dignity and well-being.
The concept of a "job" is only a few hundred
years old; and the artificial dichotomy between "employment" and "unemployment" has become a tool of social leverage for corporate
exploiters. This produces a dysfunctional society in various ways: (1) It is used to justify bringing harmful industries to
rural communities, such as extensive prison construction and clear cutting of pristine forests. (2) It has been used to pit
workers (people needing jobs) against the interests of their own communities. (3) It has created a self-esteem crisis in a
large segment of the adult population who have been forced into doing work that is irrelevant, socially harmful, or environmentally
unsound.
We will also promote policies that have job-increasing
effects. Many people will still need jobs for their security. We need to counterbalance the decline in jobs caused either
by new technology, corporate flight to cheaper labor markets outside our borders, or the disappearance of socially wasteful
jobs that will inevitably occur as more and more people embrace a green culture.
To begin a transition to a system providing sustainable
livelihood, I support:
1. creating alternative, low-consumption
communities and living arrangements, including a reinvigorated sustainable homesteading movement in rural areas and voluntary
shared housing in urban areas.
2. Universal health care requiring coverage
for all.
3. The creating and spreading local currencies
and barter systems.
4. Subsidizing technological development
of consumer items that would contribute toward economic autonomy, such as renewable energy devices.
5. Establishing local non-profit development
corporations.
6. Providing people with information
about alternatives to jobs.
Creating Jobs
For creating jobs I propose:
7. Reducing taxes on labor. This will
make labor more competitive with energy and capital investment.
8. Solidarity with unions and workers
fighting the practice of contracting out tasks to part-time workers in order to avoid paying benefits and to break up unions.
9. Adopting a reduced-hour (30-35 hours)
work week as a standard. This could translate into as many as 26 million new jobs.
10. Subsidizing renewable energy sources,
which directly employ 2 to 5 times as many people for every unit of electricity generated as fossil or nuclear sources yet
are cost competitive. Also, retrofit existing buildings for energy conservation and build non-polluting, low impact transportation
systems.
11. Supporting small business by reducing
tax, fee and bureaucratic burdens. The majority of new jobs today are created by small businesses. This would cut their failure
rate and help them create more jobs.
12. Opposing the trend toward "bundling"
of contracts that minimizes opportunity for small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses.
13. Reducing consumption to minimize
outsourcing - the exportation of jobs to other countries - thus reducing the relative price of using U.S. workers.
WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Election Issues-The National Infrastructure
September 8, 2008
The Politics Over a year
ago Minneapolis’ I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed during rush hour, killing thirteen people. This tragedy
is an illustration of a much larger problem—the deterioration of our nation’s infrastructure. Progressives should
not be afraid to talk about spending priorities during this election. A new poll by Time magazine and the Rockefeller Foundation
found that 83 percent of the public supports “increasing government spending on things like public-works projects to
help create jobs.” Support is at 83 percent among the baby boom generation who built the Interstates, and a surprising
90 percent among the young generation Y who are watching them fall apart. [Rockefeller Foundation]-Source The Facts America’s
bridges and roads need much repair. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that nearly 25 percent of bridges in the
U.S.—over 152,000 bridges—are “structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.” [Federal Highway
Administration] Heavier vehicles, like school buses and delivery trucks, are forced to take lengthy detours for safer bridges.
Nearly one in four miles of urban interstate is in only “poor” or “mediocre” condition. [Bureau of
Transportation Statistics] America’s levees and waterways have become unreliable. Earlier this year, thousands of
homes and millions of acres of crops were destroyed after heavy rains overwhelmed obsolete levees along the Mississippi River.
In 2007, the American Society of Civil Engineers found more than 150 levees to be at high risk of failing due to poor maintenance;
the Army Corps of Engineers cannot confirm or deny this because they have not even made a comprehensive levee inventory. [American
Society of Civil Engineers, Associated Press] Over a quarter of the dams overseen by the Corps of Engineers have exceeded
the lifespan for which they were designed and need major repairs to ensure their safety. [Army Corps of Engineers] America’s
schools are falling apart. Although public school enrollment has grown in recent years, investment in school construction
and modernization has decreased by about 30 percent since 2003 and 2004. In fact, school construction spending was lower in
2007 than in any year since 1999. [American School and University Construction Report] About 17 percent of public schools
are considered in “unsatisfactory” physical condition, and in roughly one-third of all schools, deficiencies in
the school facilities interfere with the ability to teach. [National Center for Education Statistics] America’s neglected
infrastructure puts us at risk for disaster. A steam pipe explosion in Manhattan last year launched a tow truck 12 feet in
the air, killing one and injuring dozens. The blast opened a 40 foot diameter crater and spread toxic asbestos, closing off
40 square blocks for five days. [New York Times] This is just a small illustration of the deadly danger of letting our infrastructure
go unmaintained. America’s electric power grid, dams, water treatment plants, airports, and railways are all in dire
need of repairs and improvements. [American Society of Civil Engineers] The Argument Government spending should
reflect American values and goals. In a recession, we can’t afford to waste hundreds of billions of dollars on a civil
war in Iraq. We need to realign our national priorities, focusing our spending on programs and structures that make our nation
stronger—like better roads, safer bridges, stronger levees, and modernized schools. Investments in education and
transportation will stimulate our sluggish economy. Well-trained workers and top-notch facilities have always driven the American
economy, but struggling schools and crumbling bridges threaten our ability to compete in the global market. Investments such
as the G.I. Bill and the Interstate Highway System laid the groundwork for decades of economic expansion. We need similar
investments now to turn our economy around. It’s time for change. For the past 7½ years, the Bush Administration
and its allies in Congress have spent our money badly. It’s time to stop spending on corporate giveaways, tax cuts for
the rich, and unnecessary wars. It’s time for Washington to change directions. It’s time to repair what’s
broken in America. Progressive Solutions Rebuild our failing infrastructure. We should repair American bridges,
roads, and schools—creating jobs that can’t be sent offshore. Investing in American construction projects will
also make our country safer and more efficient. Create a National Infrastructure and Reinvestment Bank. We need Independent
Green Party Congressmen and a bipartisan coalition of legistlators to support the creation of a National Infrastructure Reinvestment
Bank that will invest $60 billion over ten years, generating nearly two million new jobs. WRITE-IN DENNIS SPISAK
FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a
Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Solar
Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers,
Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Spisak Speaks out against Charlie Wilson's Toxic Coal Plant
Environmentalists voice concernsPanel discusses proposed fuel facility’s possible
impact on air and water qualityBy CASEY BARTO/Journal Staff Writer
POSTED: September 7, 2008
LISBON - Urging county residents to consider the environmental impact of a proposed coal to liquid fuel plant, environmentalists
from the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) appealed to residents to ask questions to government officials
about the proposed project during a town hall meeting, Saturday.
The meeting was held to discuss the proposed $5 billion coal to liquid fuel plant to be operated by Baard Energy just outside
of Wellsville.
Officials from Baard declined an invitation to attend yesterday's meeting, due in part to the public hearing scheduled
for Wednesday on an air permit for the facility. The air permit is one of several Baard needs to operate the plant.
The emissions from the proposed plant are one thing environmentalists are concerned about. Shannon Fisk, attorney for the
NRDC, said the emission of carbon dioxide as well as other harmful chemicals which would be released into the environment
would affect the air quality, natural resources and climate of the area.
"The pollution isn't going to stop at the county border line," Fisk said of the plant, which will be situated in Columbiana
and Jefferson Counties.
Also a concern for environmentalists is that the plant would require the mining of 9.3 million tons of coal per year, contribute
to elevated levels of fine particulate matter, emit unnecessary levels of sulfur dioxide, and would be located in an area
overburdened with air pollution.
Baard has proposed a solution to the carbon dioxide concern, which would include the injection of the gas into
the ground.
However, Roxanne Burns, an associate professor of biology at Kent State in East Liverpool, who was a panelist at
yesterday's event, said she is aware that the technology needed for such a proposal doesn't exist yet.
Dennis Spisak, who attended the meeting, agreed with Burns, saying the method was going to be tested in Germany
within the next three years.
"Their proposal for air emissions hasn't even been tested," Spisak said. "This is a toxic poison plant. We need
renewable energy jobs for the community."
Citizens in the area where the proposed plant will operate think it will benefit the community by creating jobs, local
blogger and former area journalist Matt Stewart said. Stewart was asked to provide a community prospective on the matter.
"Poll the people in Wellsville and most think it's a bad idea but we need jobs," said a Wellsville woman. "Even if we don't
want it, what can we do about it?"
Stewart and Fisk encouraged the woman to encourage others to voice their dissenting opinions to Baard and local officials.
Fisk noted that the NRDC has stopped the construction of 69 proposed coal to liquid fuel plants around the country organizing
groups and speaking out about them.
"Don't give up," he said. "Organize your friends, your neighbors and push the local and state government to provide you
with something better."
A concern about school children breathing in the emissions from the plant was expressed by a Wellsville man, who said the
community should be worried about protecting its children, not about jobs.
Nachy Kanfer, a spokesman for the Sierra Club National Coal Campaign, said the plant would be located less than half a
mile from the high school football field and less than a mile from Garfield Elementary.
A woman in attendance was worried about the effects of acid rain on the area and surrounding states.
"This is a very poorly designed project with far reaching implications," she said.
Another man was frustrated over the lack of government help from polluting companies.
"Nobody's helping us," he said. "We've got that landfill up the road, and this plant. The river keeps going, and that pollution's
going to spread."
Burns added that similar plants are being planned along the Ohio River and that the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
(OEPA) has approved Baard to release cyanide, zinc and other harmful toxins into the river.
Another resident's concern was for the additional carbon emissions that would be released into the air while the coal was
transported to the plant.
Environmentalists encouraged those present to speak with their local and state officials about the benefits of creating
green jobs.
"A green economy is the way to go," said Fisk, adding that several jobs would be created by the need to retrofit buildings
to improve energy efficiency.
The public hearing on the air emissions permit will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Wellsville High School.
cbarto@mojonews.com
Our relations with Mexico and Border Security
September 6, 2008
While it would be ideal to
erase borders between countries, that would be impractical without reciprocity between nations. We seek that reciprocity as
a practical goal. While we recognize that there must be some controls on immigration, if only for the sake of national security,
the Green Party would endorse a friendlier (less intimidating) attitude towards immigration in all nations within certain
guidelines. The Green Party must consider immigration issues from an international standpoint, taking into account international
labor and environmental standards, and human rights. 1. Preferential quotas based on race, class, and ideology
should be abandoned for immigration policies that promote fairness, non-discrimination and family reunification.
2. I support policies that reflect our constitutional guarantees of freedoms of speech, association, and travel.
3. Particular attention should be given to those minorities who are political exiles and refugees. 4. Our
relationship with our neighbor to the south, Mexico, needs to be given added attention due to the special historical and cultural
relation it has with the southwest portion of the United States. Our border relations and reciprocal economic opportunities
should be a central concern of a government that is looking to improved economic, environmental, and social conditions for
both peoples. 5. The Green Party calls for permanent border passes to all citizens of Mexico and Canada whose
identity can be traced and verified. Work permits for citizens of Mexico and Canada must be easily obtainable, thereby decriminalizing
the act of gainful employment. This action would help eliminate exploitation of undocumented persons by criminals engaged
in human contraband (coyotes) and unethical employers. It would also help ensure that taxes will be paid in each corresponding
nation per its laws. These measures will also help temporary residents from Mexico and Canada to secure driving privileges
and liability insurance. 6. Labor laws must be adjusted to take into account seasonal foreign workers. Employers
must provide full rights to wages and health benefits to immigrant workers who make voluntary contributions to pension plans
and pay Social Security taxes. 7. I advocate an end to employer sanctions, which have been shown to hurt not
only undocumented workers but also U.S.-born workers (especially those of color). A fair and equitable legalization program
will provide equal access to working people of all nationalities, not tied to a specific employer or guest worker program.
Programs involving temporary worker status must include the option of permanent residency for immigrants already in the U.S.
and protection of migrant worker savings. 8. Greens oppose "English-only" legislation. I would advocate legislation
to ensure that federal funds marked for communities to provide ESL (english as second language) training, and health and social
support services to immigrants actually go to them. When funds are spent in other areas, immigrants are being deprived of
benefits that they earn as productive workers in their communities. 9. I oppose the use of racial profiling.
I am concerned about reports of illegal raids and traffic stops based on ethnic appearance and not probable cause of a traffic
violation. I would further advocate funding or education programs designed to reduce racism and bias against ethnic minorities.
10. I advocate adoption of certification standards for translators. 11. I oppose those who seek
to divide us for political gain by raising ethnic and racial hatreds, and by blaming immigrants for social and economic problems.
WRITE-IN DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE
CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer
Affordable Healthcare Send Grassroots Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for
Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers, Ohio 44471 Contributions
are not tax-deductible. Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Stop Charlie Wilson from poisoning the Sixth District !
September 5, 2008
Incumbent
Congressman Charlie Wilson wants to build a poisonous coal to liquid
fuel power plant in our backyard here in the
sixth district of Ohio. He considers this his “Green Energy” plan for the future of Ohio.
Even though Ohio needs to move away from dirty fossil fuels, Baard Energy wants to build a new plant in Wellsville that
would turn coal into diesel fuel. This expensive process generates significant air pollution and can produce twice the global
warming emissions of conventional fossil fuels.
The draft permit that the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is considering for the Baard facility lacks strong protections
against air and global warming pollution. Burning at least seven million tons of coal per year, the plant would be a major
new source of air and water pollution in an area that is already overburdened with pollution. The facility would be located
less than 10 miles from the largest coal-fired power plant in Ohio and one of the largest hazardous waste incinerators in
the world.
The Ohio EPA is accepting public comments on its draft permit for the Baard plant through September 15th.
Send a message, before the September 15th comment deadline, telling the Ohio EPA that you don't want a new liquid
coal plant that would increase local air pollution, worsen global warming and deepen Ohio's addiction to coal. If you
live in the Wellsville area... and would like to speak out in person about the proposed plant, the Ohio EPA will be holding
a public hearing on September 10th at 6:30pm at Wellsville High School, 1 Bengal Way. For more information about the hearing,
you can contact the Ohio EPA's Northeast District Office at 330-425-9171. Baard Energy has proposed a $6 billion
liquid coal plant on 650 acres near Wellsville, OH, about 50 miles south of Youngstown. The idea is to take 20,000 tons of
coal every day and turn it into 50,000 barrels of liquid fuel, like diesel. The plant is so large that if they used only Ohio
coal, then coal mining in Ohio would have to increase by 39%. Unfortunately, every gallon of diesel fuel that Baard
makes from coal will emit about twice as much carbon dioxide as a gallon of normal diesel fuel made from oil. At the very
time we need to scale back our carbon emissions to prevent the worst of global warming, Baard is proposing a $6 billion way
to double the problem. As the Green Party Write-In Candidate to Congress for the sixth District, I oppose this plan
and Charlie Wilson’s attempt to poison the sixth district. WRITE-IN DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green
Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Solar Power/Wind
Power/Geothermal Energy Send Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers,
Ohio 44471 Campaign donations are not tax-deductible. Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
To Charlie Wilson: Dump the Coal
Plant and Build a Wind Farm like in West Virginia
September 4th
Congressman Charlie Wilson has the opportunity
to either build a coal to liquid fuel plant in Wellsville, Ohio that will emit enormous quantities of mercury in the air,
the very same chemical known to cause mental retardation and autism in children and babies or propose the development of a
440 megawatt wind farm like the one on Coal River Mountain in West Virginia as an economically viable alternative to a planned
mountaintop removal coal-mining project. The wind farm brings green jobs to their community and provides clean, renewable
energy – without the environmental and community devastation of coal.
http://www.coalriverwind.org/
If Charlie Wilson is really a conservative,
he would save lives and save the environment.
WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
To: Charlie Wilson: Another Coal
Plant Violates Clean Air Act
September 3, 2008
On Aug. 7, 2008, DP&L announced a consent decree had been filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern
District of Ohio settling environmental organization, Sierra Club claims alleging violations of the Clean Air Act against
the power producer.
Stuart Station, located along the Ohio River in Manchester Township,
near Aberdeen, Ohio is the 2,400-megawatt coal-fired plant at the center of the court action.
It is co-owned by DP&L, Duke Energy and American Electric Power, with DP&L having operational control
of the facility, officials said.
Under
the terms of the settlement, the co-owners agree to target certain emissions related to the operation of the plant including
nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and particulate matter emissions, officials said.
“This settlement is good for the environment, our customers and our shareholders. It establishes
meaningful and realistic emission targets, allows us to continue to provide our customers with cost-competitive (power) generation,
and avoids the expense of further litigation,” said Paul Barbas, DP&L president and CEO.
Congressman Charlie Wilson wants to build a “Green Energy” Coal to Liquid Fuel Plant in
Wellsville that will emit not only the above toxic emissions but emit enormous quantities of mercury, the very chemical known
to cause mental retardation and autism in children and babies.
Can we afford to keep Charlie Wilson as our “Green” conservative Congressman for 2 more
years?
That is why I am the only congressional candidate in the 65th district pushing for solar
energy like the lead story in today’s Vindicator. Farmer Jim Kilpatrick uses solar panels to run his farm and receives
65% of his energy through solar panels. If he can do it, why can’t the rest of us?
WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Solar Power/Wind Power/Geothermal Energy
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Charlie Wilson’s Coal to
Liquid Coal Plant: Bad for Wellsville, Ohio and Bad for You and your Children
September 2, 2008
On May 21, 2008, Charlie Wilson Issued
the following press statement:
“I have been working hard
to help bring a new coal-to-liquid plant to Wellsville,” Wilson said. The Ohio River Clean Fuel’s (ORCF) coal
to liquid plant, managed by ORCF’s parent company Baard Energy, will be a state of the art facility for Columbiana County
which would turn coal into liquid diesel fuels and store carbon emissions which are harmful to the earth.”
What Charlie Wilson
failed to tell the public are the 10 bad things about this and the Baard Liquid Coal Plant:
1.
The cost
of coal doubled since 2007. It is not cheap anymore.
2.
Last
year, Congress prohibited the federal government from buying fuel that emits more CO2 than petroleum. It will be illegal for
the Defense Department to Buy Baard’s liquid coal, as the company has planned.
3.
Banks
are refusing to invest in coal projects across the country. Over the past two years, several coal proposals have collapsed
to due a lack of financing.
4.
Charlie
Wilson’s plant will emit enormous quantities of mercury, the very chemical known to cause metal retardation and autism
in children.
5.
The plant
will capture none of the carbon emissions it produces.
6.
Charlie
Wilson’s plant will draw coal and employ destructive mountaintop removal mining. The mountain tops that are dynamited
will dumps waste rock into streams, contaminating drinking water.
7.
Replacing
just 10% of our oil needs with liquid coal would require 43% increase in destructive coal mining.
8.
Emissions
from Charlie Wilson’s plant are doubled the co2 produced in our current crude oil system.
9.
The next
Congress will almost pass legislation restricting carbon dioxide pollution, making this plant more expensive and less competitive
with clean fuels.
10.
The air
in Jefferson County is classified as highly polluted, so Charlie Wilson’s plant will place it pollution sources a few
meters into Columbiana County instead.
This is Charlie Wilson’s Green Energy Program for our future. It won’t hurt Charlie’s family, he’s
a millionaire and lives in Washington. It will hurt your family in the sixth district.
WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
===================================================
The Green Party and Economic Justice
August 30,2008
We have a special responsibility to the health
and well-being of the young. Yet we see the federal safety net being removed and replaced with limited and potentially harsh
state welfare programs. How will social services be adequately provided if local resources are already stretched thin?
We believe our community priorities must first
protect the young and helpless. Yet how will state legislatures and agencies, under pressure from more powerful interests,
react? We believe local decision-making is important, but we realize, as we learned during the civil rights era, that strict
federal standards must guide state actions in providing basic protections. As the richest nation in history, we should not
condemn millions of children to a life of poverty, while corporate welfare is increased to historic highs.
The Green Party opposes the privatization of
Social Security. It is critical that the public protections of Social Security are not privatized and subjected to increased
risk. The bottom 20% of American senior citizens get roughly 80% of their income from Social Security, and without Social
Security, nearly 70% of black elderly and 60% of Latino elderly households would be in poverty.
Welfare
It is time for a radical shift in our attitude
toward support for families, children, the poor and the disabled. Such support must not be given grudgingly; it is the right
of those presently in need and an investment in our future. We must take an uncompromising position that the care and nurture
of children, elders and the disabled are essential to a healthy, peaceful, and sustainable society. We should recognize that
the work of their caregivers is of social and economic value, and reward it accordingly. Ensuring that children and their
caregivers have access to an adequate, secure standard of living should form the cornerstone of our economic priorities. Only
then can we hope to build our future on a foundation of healthy, educated children who are raised in an atmosphere of love
and security.
1. All people have a right to food, housing,
medical care, jobs that pay a living wage, education, and support in times of hardship.
2. Work performed outside the monetary
system has inherent social and economic value, and is essential to a healthy, sustainable economy and peaceful communities.
Such work includes: child and elder care; homemaking; voluntary community service; continuing education; participating in
government; and the arts.
3. We call for restoration of a federally
funded entitlement program to support children, families, the unemployed, elderly and disabled, with no time limit on benefits.
This program should be funded through the existing welfare budget, reductions in military spending and corporate subsidies,
and a fair, progressive income tax.
4. We call for a graduated supplemental
income, or negative income tax, that would maintain all individual adult incomes above the poverty level, regardless of employment
or marital status.
5. We advocate reinvesting a significant
portion of the military budget into family support, living-wage job development, and work training programs. Publicly funded
work training and education programs should have a goal of increasing employment options at finding living-wage jobs.
6. We support public funding for the
development of living-wage jobs in community and environmental service. For example, environmental clean-up, recycling, sustainable
agriculture and food production, sustainable forest management, repair and maintenance of public facilities, neighborhood-based
public safety, aides in schools, libraries and childcare centers, and construction and renovation of energy-efficient housing.
We oppose enterprise zone give-aways that benefit corporations more than inner-city communities
7. The accumulation of individual wealth
in the U.S. has reached grossly unbalanced proportions. It is clear that we cannot rely on the rich to regulate their profit-making
excesses for the good of society through "trickle-down economics." We must take aggressive steps to restore a fair distribution
of income. We support tax incentives for businesses that apply fair employee wage distribution standards, and income tax policies
that restrict the accumulation of excessive individual wealth.
8. Forcing welfare recipients to accept
jobs that pay wages below a living wage drives wages down and exploits workers for private profit at public expense. We reject
workfare as being a form of indentured servitude.
9. Corporations receiving public subsidies
must provide jobs that pay a living wage, observe basic workers' rights, and agree to affirmative action policies.
WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Send Campaign Contributions to:
Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471
Campaign donations are not tax-deductible.
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
The Green Party And Democracy
August 29,2008
Our nation was born as the first great experiment
in modern democracy. We seek to rescue that heritage from the erosion of citizen participation. Moreover, we seek to dissolve
the grip of the ideology, intoned by big-money interests for more than twenty years, that government is intrinsically undesirable
and destructive of liberty and that elected officials should rightly "starve the beast" by slashing all spending on social
program, in the name of freedom. We challenge that tactic by calling on all Americans to think deeply about the meaning of
government of the people, by the people, and for the people. In a democracy, individuals come together to form structures
of governance that protect and advance the common good. We the citizens are the government, and we the citizens can direct
it to fulfill its finest goals and purposes. Our citizens must not permit usurpation of their authority by acts of individuals
and government agencies that isolate or insulate government from their oversight and control. We, the People, have a responsibility
to participate in self-government through all the means that our Constitution provides. Citizens of a democracy must have
the information and ability to determine the actions of their government. Vast concentrations of wealth and power that have
occurred in recent years are inherently undemocratic. The deregulation of corporate activity and the decentralization and
underfunding of the regulatory structures that remain - accompanied by the centralizing of big money - has been a disaster
for our country. The true owners of the public lands, pension funds, and the public airwaves are the American people, who
today have little or no control over their pooled assets or their commonwealth. The power of civic action is an antidote
to the corporate control of so much of our law-making and regulating. The pervasive abuse imposed by corporate power increasingly
undermines our democracy, but the Green Party seeks to rekindle the democratic flame. As voting citizens, taxpayers, workers,
consumers, and stakeholders, we unite to exercise our rights and, as Thomas Jefferson urged, to counteract the "excesses of
the monied interests." Toward this end, we consider serious reform of campaign funding to be essential, as well as curbs on
the influence of corporations on lawmakers and regulatory agencies. The Green Party considers American democracy to be
an ongoing, unfolding project that is dynamic and creative in nature. We are committed to the strengthening of our civil society,
including the many mediating institutions at the community level that have always characterized our democracy. We seek to
heal the alienation and apathy that has been cultivated in the citizenry by the power-brokers of the status quo. Righteous
anger about the crippling of our democracy is rising in the land, and the Greens offer constructive alternatives. In addition,
we seek to repair the plummeting opinion of the United States in the international community resulting from our arrogant,
narcissistic foreign policy of recent years. A growing and grave imbalance between the citizens of this country and the interests
which extract power from the citizens is an imminent danger to our security and national and global social stability. We strongly
feel that our country should view itself as a member of the community of nations... not above it. The United States could
well play a leadership role in that community but only if we become committed to an eco-social vision of peace, national self-determination,
and international cooperation. Our goal is to become an important political force in this country, and to present candidates
for election at every level of government. WRITE-IN DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable
Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Economic Fairness/Quality Education Clear and Fair
Elections with Paper Ballots Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
The Green Party and Community
August 28, 2009
Social diversity is the well-spring
of community life where old and young, rich and poor, and people of all races and beliefs can interact individually and learn
to care for each other, and to understand and cooperate. We emphasize a return to local, face-to-face relationships that humans
can understand and care about. Among Greens, our guiding principle is to think globally and act locally. Community needs
recognize a diversity of issues, and local control recognizes a variety of approaches to solving problems, ones that tend
to be bottom-up not top-down. Green politics does not place its faith in paternalistic big government. Instead, Greens believe
face-to-face interactions are essential to productive and meaningful lives for all citizens. The Green vision includes
building communities that nurture families, generate good jobs and housing, and provide public services; creating cities and
towns that educate children, encourage recreation, and preserve natural and cultural resources; building local governments
that protect people from environmental hazards and crime; and motivating citizens to participate in making decisions. The
Green vision calls for a global community of communities that recognize our immense diversity, respect our personal worth,
and share a global perspective. We call for an approach to politics that acknowledges our endangered planet and habitat. Our
politics responds to global crises with a new way of seeing our shared international security. We will conceive a new era
of international cooperation and communication that nurtures cultural diversity, recognizes the interconnectedness between
communities, and promotes opportunities for cultural exchange and assistance. 1. We call for increased public
transportation, convenient playgrounds and parks for all sections of cities and small towns, and funding to encourage diverse
neighborhoods. 2. We support a rich milieu of art, culture, and significant (yet modestly funded) programs
such as the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities. Families and Children
3. We call for social policies to focus on protecting families. The young - our citizens of tomorrow - are increasingly
at risk. Programs must ensure that children, who are among the most vulnerable members of society, receive basic nutritional,
educational, and medical necessities. The Green Party supports and seeks to expand Head Start and Pre- and neo-natal programs.
A Children's Agenda should be put in place to focus attention and concerted action on the future that is our children.
4. A universal, federally funded childcare program for pre-school and young schoolchildren should be developed.
5. Family assistance such as the earned income tax credit, available to working poor families in which the parent supports
and lives with the children, should be maintained and increased to offset regressive payroll taxes and growing inequalities
in American society. 6. A living family wage is vital to the social health of communities. 7.
The actuarial protection of social security is essential to the well-being of our seniors, and maintenance of the system's
integrity is an essential part of a healthy community. We oppose privatization of social security, call for the program to
remain under the aegis of the Federal Government, and seek to expand its effectiveness. 8. We support the leading-edge
work of non-profit public interest groups and those individuals breaking out of "careerism" to pursue non-traditional careers
in public service. Alternative Community Service 9. We must create new opportunities for citizens to serve
their communities through non-military community service. Alternative community service to the military should be encouraged.
10. We advocate the formation of a Civilian Conservation Corps, with national leadership and state and local
affiliates, to spearhead efforts to work on the tasks of environmental education, restoration of damaged habitats, reforestation,
and cleaning up polluted waterways. Providing land and resource management skills will challenge young people while encouraging
social responsibility. WRITE-IN DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The
ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars
Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Economic Fairness/Quality Education Clear and Fair Elections with Paper Ballots Campaign
site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
==========================================================
Crippling Medical Bills--Coming to a Person Near You
The New Republic Blog by Jonathan Cohn
Posted: Wednesday,
August 20, 2008 9:51 PM http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/08/20/remember-health-care.aspxOne reason this country has never mustered the will to enact universal health care is that most Americans have felt
their own insurance arrangements were adequate. They sympathized with the plight of people who couldn't pay their medical
bills, but couldn't imagine themselves in that situation. A new report released Wednesday suggests that may be changing.
The report, called "Losing Ground," comes from the Commonwealth Fund (which has underwritten some of my own research) and
is based upon survey data the Fund has collected over the last few years. Its conclusion: More and more Americans are having
trouble paying for health care. That's true of people without insurance and, increasingly, it's true of people with insurance,
as well.Among the specific findings: Forty-one percent of working-age adults, or 72 million people, reported a problem
paying their medical bills or had accrued medical debt, up from 34 percent, or 58 million, in 2005. The share of U.S.
adults reporting that the costs of health care prevented them from getting needed care increased from 29 percent in 2001 to
45 percent in 2007. Reports of cost-related access problems rose across all income groups and among both insured and uninsured
adults. All told, in 2007 nearly two-thirds of adults, or 116 million people, were either uninsured for a time during
the year, were underinsured, reported a problem paying medical bills, and/or said they did not get needed health care because
of cost. The essential caveat here is that this type of survey information is notoriously imprecise: People have fuzzy
memories, they interpret questions differently, and so on. But given the rising costs of medical care, it makes sense that
more people would be struggling with their bills, even if the survey results overstate the problem. In other words, there
are an awful lot of people out there for whom the price of heatlh care is a major problem. WRITE-IN DENNIS SPISAK
FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a
Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Send
Grassroots Campaign Contributions to: Spisak for Congress 548
Poland Ave Struthers, Ohio 44471 Contributions are not tax-deductible. Campaign
site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Election Issues: Foreign Policy
August 27, 2008I have been asked if elected to Congress,
what my position would be on the issue of foreign policy: 1. As one of the initiators and primary authors of the United
Nations Charter, the United States is obligated to conform to the stipulations of the U.S. Constitution, which identifies
all such agreements as treaties that hold the authority of U.S. law. The U.S. government is pledged to abide by its principles
and guidelines in the conduct of foreign relations and affairs. 2. I recognize our government's obligation
to take disputes with other nations or foreign bodies to the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly forum for negotiation
and resolution. The U.N. and international laws, treaties and conventions that the U.S. has signed are the framework that
controls U.S. military actions abroad. 3. The U.S. must recognize the sovereignty of nation-states and their
right of self-determination. 4. I recognize and support the right of the U.N. to intervene in a nation-state
engaged in genocidal acts or in its persistent violation and denial of the human rights of an ethnic or religious group within
its boundaries, and the right to protect the victims of such acts. 5. The U.S. is obligated to render military
assistance or service under U.N. command to enforce a U.N. Security Council resolutions. 6. The U.S. must recognize
and abide by the authority of the U.N. General Assembly to act in a crisis situation by passing a resolution under the Uniting
for Peace Procedure when the U.N. Security Council is stalemated by vetoes. 7. I would seek the permanent
repeal of the veto power enjoyed by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. 8. I urge our
government to sign the International Criminal Court agreement and respect the authority of that institution. 9.
Our government does not have the right to justify pre-emptive invasion of another country on the grounds that the other country
harbors, trains, equips and funds a terrorist cell. 10. Our government should establish a policy to abolish
nuclear weapons. It should set the conditions and schedule for fulfilling that goal by taking the following steps:
Declare a no-first-strike policy. Declare a no-pre-emptive strike policy. Declare that the
U.S. will never threaten or use a nuclear weapon, regardless of size, on a non-nuclear nation. Sign the Comprehensive
Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Our pledge to end testing will open the way for non-nuclear states to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT), which has been held up by our refusal to sign the CTBT. Honor the conditions set in the NPT for nuclear nations.
11. I urge our government to end all stockpiling of chemical and biological weapons and all research, use,
and sale of such weapons; and sign the convention that will establish the decrease and inspection of all nations' stockpiles
of such weapons, which the U.S. abandoned. 12.The U.S. must allow foreign teams to visit the U.S. for verification
purposes at least annually. 13. Our defense budget has increased out of all proportion to any military threat
to the United States, and to our domestic social, economic and environmental needs. The United States government must reduce
our defense budget to half of its current size. The 2005 defense budget is estimated at around $425 billion, and that does
not take into account military expenditures not placed under the defense budget. 14. The U.S. has over 700
foreign military bases. I urge our government to phase out all bases not specifically functioning under a U.N. resolution
to keep peace and bring home our troops stationed abroad, except for the military assigned to protect a U.S. embassy. Many
of these bases are small and can be closed immediately. I advocate further reductions in U.S. foreign military bases at a
rate of closure of 1/4 to 1/5 of their numbers every year. 15.The U.S. must prohibit all covert
actions used to influence, de-stabilize or usurp the governments of other nations, and likewise prohibit the assassination
of, or assistance in any form for the assassination of, foreign government officials. 16. We must build on the
Earth Charter that came out of the 1992 U.N. environmental Earth Summit. New definitions of what constitutes real security
between nations must be debated and adopted by the foreign policy community. WRITE-IN DENNIS SPISAK
FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a
Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Send
grassroots campaign donations to: Spisak for Congress
548 Poland Ave
Struthers, Ohio 44471 Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Election Issues: Our Veterans
August 26, 2008
I have been asked what
my position would be on Veterans Affairs if elected to Congress. If Elected to Congress support for men and women in
the armed forces must go far beyond the rhetoric used to discredit the peace movement in the U.S. today. I believe that the
ill-advised and illegal actions of the U.S. administration have unnecessarily put our troops in harm's way. I further believe
that the dangerous burden of fighting the unnecessary war in Iraq, and the wars that may follow, due to the administration's
overly narrow and militaristic response to terrorism is disproportionately borne by families of lesser means. Those who are
required to carry out militaristic policies, often with great hardship to themselves, their families, and even the risk of
their lives, deserve our respect and our commitment to adequate compensation and benefits. I recommend the following actions:
a. Increase the current pay levels, monthly imminent danger pay, and family separation allowances for those risking their
lives in combat zones. b. Ensure that all pre-deployment physicals are completed and carried out within the
standard allotted time period and that medical follow-ups are routinely done on all soldiers. c. Establish
a panel of independent medical doctors to examine and oversee the policies of the military regarding forced vaccinations and
shots, often with experimental drugs. d. Honor all laws concerning time limits on deployments. e.
Provide better care for the wounded, sick, and injured soldiers returning home. The Pentagon must take all steps necessary
to fully diagnose and treat both physical and mental health conditions resulting from service in all combat zones.
f. Ensure a smooth transition from active military service to civilian life by providing counseling, housing, emergency
management, job protection, and other support systems. g. Restore full funding for veterans' health programs.
h. Request Congress to enact a new GI Bill, similar to the one that began after World War II and ended in 1981,
to provide the following benefits: Tuition grants for four years of college or other educational opportunities.
Low interest loans for housing or business start-ups. Free medical care for military personnel
and their families for ten years following separation from the armed forces - until universal health care becomes a reality.
I. Support and respect Conscientious Objector status during all phases of the process. We fully support
the right of individuals in the military service to modify or completely separate from military involvement because of conscientious
objection. We call upon all military entities and officers to support a transparent and democratic conscientious objection
process free of harassment, imprisonment, or deployment to war zones for those pursuing the conscientious objection process.
j. Recognized, independent veteran organizations must have access to military personnel to ensure they are
being informed of their rights. This is especially true for those who are hospitalized due to service related injuries or
illnesses. WRITE-IN DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The
ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars
Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Send Grassroots Campaign Donations to: Spisak
for Congress 548 Poland Ave Struthers,
Ohio 44471 Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Election Issues-Food Safety/ Toy Safety
August 25, 2008
I have been asked if elected to
Congress what my stand would be on food and toy safety: I support family-scale farms, diversified, sustainable agriculture
that emphasizes organic growing methods. As far as toy safety goes, I sent letters to Congress urging them to get the
lead out of toys and strengthen the frayed product safety net. I signed onto petitions. I e-mailed the toy companies. I gave
us the resources we needed to run ads in major newspapers urging action for safer toys. All of my actions add up to
the biggest overhaul of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) since it was established in 1973. In addition to its
massive increase in CPSC resources and funding, and its increase in civil penalty and recall authorities, the new law will:
-Make toy regulations mandatory, which means that magnets and many other hazards will be subject to the new law's
centerpiece third-party testing requirement; -Ban six toxic phthalates in children's products. Three are banned permanently.
Three would then be subject to a CPSC scientific review, but are banned until it is completed. -Grant private-sector employees
protection as whistleblowers. -Establish a public database of potential hazards. -Require that choking hazards be
disclosed in Internet advertising. WRITE-IN DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat and Republican! Renewable
Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Economic Fairness/Quality Education Clear and Fair
Elections with Paper Ballots Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
From Green Options:
Thin Film Solar Tech.......
Why can't we manufacture this in the Ohio
Valley?
Dennis Spisak-Write-in Green Party Candidate for Congress-6th District
================================================================================
Thin
film solar technology has attracted interest from venture capitalists because of its higher efficiency, lower use of limited
silicon, and more easily automated production processes. Now, established Japanese players in the solar arena are getting
in the thin film game, followed by companies in China and India, as reported in Renewable Energy World.
Mitsubishi
Chemical already produces materials for the solar industry but sees opportunity to produce the cells themselves
Sanyo
is an established producer of crystalline solar cells, but has opened an Advanced PV Development Center in Gifu, Japan to
concentrate on developing thin film technology.
This is good news for solar energy advocates, as these companies have
the capital and the knowledge base to ramp up production more rapidly than startups, while increasing efficiency and cost
savings. According to Sanyo’s Makoto Tanaka:
“‘Our target date for volume production was 2012, but
in order to move that up, we’ve decided to invest an additional US $14 million,’ said Tanaka, bringing total investment
… to some US $70M through 2010. He noted that the production ramp should be eased because part of the new process is
very similar to that already used in Sanyo’s mainstay heterojunction with intrinsic thin-layer (HIT) cells, which sandwich
a single-crystal silicon substrate between layers of amorphous silicon thin films.”
Sadly, the United States
is not one of the countries competing on this scale with Sanyo and Mitsubishi, who see their main competition coming from
China and India. Though the U.S. company Nanosolar has been a leading innovator in thin film, and Open Energy is making big
inroads in the production of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) modules using thin film tech, they are still comparatively
small players in the space, along with FirstSolar. Let’s hope that the U.S. steps up to provide the kind of legislative
support that U.S. companies need to move forward at a faster pace in developing new solar technologies.
Election Issues- The Budget
August 24, 2008
I have been asked in elected to Congress
my thoughts on how to handle the national budget: I support and demand a livable wage (minimum pay that people can
live on, approx $10/hr in most communities), democratic workplaces, strong unions, and repeal of Taft-Hartley restrictions.
Note: Between 1965-1975 the US Federal Minimum Wage was approximately $8.00/hr (in 2005 dollars). Republicans oppose
raising the minimum wage and Democrats support insignificant incremental minimum wage increases. I also oppose Global
Corporate Power Trade agreements and institutions ( NAFTA, FTAA, CAFTA, and WTO) and oppose trade pacts because of their anti-democratic
power to overturn labor, environmental, and human rights protections. WRITE-IN DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS Green
Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6th District The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican! Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare Economic Fairness/Quality
Education Clear and Fair Elections with Paper Ballots Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
Defense Spending
August 23, 208
I have been asked if elected to Congress
how I would deal with military spending.
I would call for reductions
in military spending, with funds redirected into social and renewable energy needs. I oppose many useless cold-war era weapons
system as boondoggles for defense fat-cats.
WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Economic Fairness/Quality Education
Clear and Fair Elections with Paper Ballots
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
PV Solar: A Local Perspective
Tuesday, August 26th from
7:00 – 8:30 PM
Kent State University, Trumbull Campus
Technology Building, Room 117
4314 Mahoning
Avenue, NW,
Warren
Join Green Energy Ohio for the August Clean Energy Network meeting
in Trumbull County. Featured speaker is Jim Kilpatrick, area resident who has installed a 6.7 kW system at his home.
Kilpatrick will discuss issues related to planning the system, installation experience, bottom line on the electric bill and
Q&A. The event is Free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dave Ambrose by email at ambrose@infohio.org or 330-647-3666.
Election Issues-The War
August 22, 2008
I have been asked what my position would
be if elected to Congress regarding the war:
I opposed the invasion
of Iraq and oppose the continued occupation of the country. Greens favor an immediate withdrawal of US troops and US influence
over Iraq as an occupying power.
I favor giving the UN and a regional coalition a
major role in dealing with security issues during Iraq's transition to a new government. I also favor to continue the hunt
for Bin Laden with U. N. Aid.
WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Economic Fairness/Quality Education
Clear and Fair Elections with Paper Ballots
=====================================================
Election Issues- The Banking
Crisis
August 21, 2008
I have been asked my position on the banking
crisis if elected to Congress:
I am opposed to bank deregulation. I advocate
democratic reforms, which would allow and include creating publicly-funded “community investment banks” and mandating
low-interest loans for low-income persons and first time small business entrepreneurs.
1. The government should ensure that
low- and moderate-income persons and communities, as well as small businesses, have access to banking services, affordable
loans, and small-business supporting capital. Loans should be made available to small business at rates competitive to those
offered big business. I support disclosure laws, anti-redlining laws, and a general openness on the part of the private sector
regarding criteria used in making lending decisions. I oppose arbitrary or discriminatory practices that deny small business
access to credit.
2. I oppose disinvestment practices,
in which lending and financial institutions move money deposited in local communities out of those same communities, damaging
the best interests of their customers and community. I support the extension of the Community Reinvestment Act and its key
performance data provisions to provide public and timely information on the extent of housing loans, small business loans
to minority-owned enterprises, investments in community development projects, and affordable housing.
3. I believe Congress should act to charter
community development banks, which would be capitalized with public funds and work to meet the credit needs of local communities.
4. Insurance industry regulation is essential
to reduce the cost of insurance by reducing special-interest protections; collusion and over-pricing, and; excessive industry-wide
practices that too often injure the interests of the insured when they are most vulnerable. We must prohibit bad-faith insurance
practices, such as avoidance of obligations and price fixing.
5. I support federal laws that
act to make policies transportable from job to job and seek to prevent insurance companies' rejecting applicants because of
prior conditions. This is a move in the right direction but in no way addresses the scope of the problem, whether in health
insurance, life insurance, business, liability, auto, or crop insurance.
6. I support initiatives in secondary
insurance markets that work to expand credit for economic development in inner cities; affordable housing and home ownership
among the poor; transitional farming to sustainable agriculture, and; for rural development maintaining family farms.
7. I oppose insurance laws that
permit a company to own insurance on its employees.
The Democrats and Republicans both support
bank deregulation.
WRITE-IN
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS
Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s
6th District
The ONLY PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE
Running against a Conservative Democrat
and Republican!
Renewable Energy Green/Blue Collars Jobs
Single-Payer Affordable Healthcare
Economic Fairness/Quality Education
Clear and Fair Elections with Paper Ballots
Campaign site: Http://votespisak.org/electspisak.tripod.com
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