California’s deficits are gone, and Republicans are furious. The national deficit problem is largely solved, too, and Republicans just don’t know what to do! Of course what we need to do is invest in modernizinge our infrastructure, which will put people back to work and we will end up with a … wait for it … modernized, energy-efficient infrastructure that will drive our economy into the 21st century.

F. Scott Fitzgerald warned, “There are no second acts in American lives.” And for recent American presidents, second acts have been brutal. The hope of the first act succumbs to the karmic reckonings of the second. Nixon cast out by his crimes in Watergate. Reagan laid low by his Iran Contra follies. Clinton shamed from [...]

Overlooked in the aftermath of the “fiscal cliff” deal and the questions about what spending cuts may be around the corner, was this part of President’s Obama statement following the bill’s passage: I think we all recognize this law is just one step in the broader effort to strengthen our economy and broaden opportunity for [...]

The public looked at the stories about Solyndra and Sensata and voted. They voted for clean energy jobs IN the US, not for vulture capitalism that ships our jobs and industries OUT of the US. They voted to act as a united country instead of a leaving everyone on their own, in it only for [...]

Mossville, Louisiana is an historic African American community in the southwest part of the state. Like too many similar communities around the country, it is surrounded by 14 industrial facilities that release millions of pounds of toxic chemicals annually. Mossville residents point to studies by governmental and private sources linking the pollution from these facilities [...]

We’re giving up Styrofoam cups here at our building in Washington, D.C. Also doing an energy audit and taking a few other steps as a start toward making our building a green one–just some of the actions the AFL-CIO announced this week, in time for Earth Day. Back in 1999, there was surprise over the [...]

By an overwhelming bipartisan margin, Congress has passed what sponsors are calling the first civil rights act of the 21st century: the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. The Act, which President Bush is expected to sign, prohibits employers and insurance companies from denying people jobs, benefits, or health coverage because of their genetic make-up. Past attempts [...]

A brand new Gallup poll reports: “Americans prioritize protecting the environment over economic growth by 49% to 42% — but this seven-point margin is near the low of the past couple of decades.” This simple, perhaps disappointing poll, hides as much as it reveals. First, the good news. Even in this time of economic stress, [...]

President Bush today is getting a fresh round of favorable headlines for announcing this ahead of next week’s summit of the powerful G-8 nations: By the end of next year, America and other nations will set a long-term global goal for reducing greenhouse gases. To help develop this goal, the United States will convene a [...]

The New York Times analyzes its own environmental poll, and concludes, “Public Remains Split on Response to Warming.” But on the poll questions (PDF file) that relate to actual proposals in Congress, the public isn’t split at all. For example: 92 percent favor “requiring car manufacturers to produce cars that are more energy efficient.” 75 [...]