America's Secret Weapon
The White House announced today a sweeping plan to "save our dollar, reduce unemployment, strike a decisive and lasting blow against our enemies". The ultimate goal is nothing less than to retool our economy as a sustainable economy. "The beauty of the plan", said the President, "is its incremental nature. Roughly 50� of each dollar saved in the previous stage will be plowed back to finance the next stage".
Stage 1 would entail comprehensive reforms to building, construction and electrical codes. The emphasis would be on applying existing, off-the-shelf, energy-saving technologies. Previously identified, built-in inefficiencies would be eliminated under threat of heavy fines for violators. The possibility exists for either a temporary or a complete shut down of 'energy hogs'.
Stage 2 would comprise the identification of the least efficient energy consumers. This procedure would decide with 90 days which businesses, public buildings, transportation systems, industrial processes, military bases and any massive energy consumers would qualify for immediate review. Any changes decided upon to reduce energy consumption would be applied in both a timely and orderly manner.
Industry executives and government officials signed binding "statements of intent" to allocate money saved for research and development of further efficiencies, as well as repay any debts incurred during Stage 2. Industries that specialize in energy-saving products would be accommodated to ramp up production.
Stage 3 would initiate the reform of waste management, including agribusiness and sewage treatment. According to the Secretary of Agriculture, "The use of antibiotics, petrochemical based fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides has contributed enormously to soil depletion, water pollution, decreased resistance to disease in both animals and humans. Companies that normally develop antibiotics have quit doing so because of the expense and increasingly limited financial returns. We have no choice. The direction ahead is clear; organic agriculture and smarter sewage treatment." When asked if the cost of food will rise, the Secretary responded,"Both the nutritional value and the cost of food will increase. Recent studies showed that chemically produced food was up to %40 less nutritious than organically produced fresh food."
Stage 4 would deal with the past, present and future of recycling. The President announced the creation of a "Recycling Czar". This official would have the power to remove products deemed "unrecyclable" from circulation. Designated "salvage teams" would periodically inspect the factories and junkyards of the nation for dangerous, polluting and non-recyclable materials. It's cheaper to find and eliminate the sources now than to clean up and pay later. Salvageability of mass-produced goods will be a primary design feature of American-based manufacturers. We already use a patented process for recycling virtually every component of an automobile. Packaging will no longer be "throw-away".
The President remembered some of the famous inventors, visionaries and luminaries of the past." Buckminster Fuller survived the Great Depression of the 1930's to become an architect of a smarter, more prosperous future. Thomas Alva Edison invented a host of useful items that spurred the growth of a great industrial era, coined by the simple phrase "Made in USA". There are some who say that we have fallen behind in economic development. Our country and our continent is blessed with the greatest resource base yet discovered on this planet. This is a plan that will put us back in the race in the shortest possible time. We can exploit economies of scale unheard of until now. We predict that our new technologies will be exported to other countries. With better management, we can lead the way to sustainable development for the entire world. Thank you and God Bless America."
