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 Doritos,
a value-pack of macaroni and cheese, two jars of salsa, a bag of Oreos,
a block of cheese, loaded potato skins, hot wings, three frozen pizzas,
and a 12 pack of coke. I still remember being appalled by the contents
of my son's shopping cart as he breezed up and down the aisles of the
grocery store. It was his second year in college and as we had driven
to the store on Parent's Weekend, he had confidently informed me that he
didn't need a shopping list. But my son had a very different tone that
afternoon as the cashier rang up the contents of his cart. By his face,
it was clear, he hardly expected the bill to be as high as it was. And,
I suspect, as the week wore on, it wasn't long before he realized that
some foresight on his part may have resulted in him purchasing
healthier, less expensive items that would have lasted much longer than
his frozen meals and snacks.
This week both parties in Congress took
the "shopping cart approach" to solving our nation’s energy problems.
Republicans and Democrats alike walked up and down the energy aisle,
throwing bits of energy solutions here and there into their carts. The
Republicans chose a little drilling here and some more refinery capacity
there. The Democrats threw in some hybrid vehicles here and more wind
power there. While both carts contained some good items, the problem is
that when we get to the checkout, we don’t know if the items in the cart
will result in an energy plan that actually makes sense. The result is
wasted time and money.
This week on the House floor, we voted
on an incomplete
energy bill that failed to bring us closer to achieving energy
independence in our nation - it discouraged offshore drilling and
included an unfunded mandate that will cost American families billions
of dollars in higher electricity rates. The bill was 290 pages long,
released late Monday night. We voted on it 24 hours later. We held no
hearings on the bill and never discussed it in terms of our energy
future. And just as Members of Congress did not get an opportunity to
carefully review or amend the bill, the American people, scientists,
researchers, or engineers also had no opportunity for input or
discussion of the legislation.
Earlier this month, I laid out a
three-week plan for economic growth and financial stability for our
families. My goal is to present solutions in the form of bills that
Congress could pass in three weeks of September that would address the
most critical issues to our economy. Last week, we discussed getting the
federal house in order. This week, we need to tackle energy, one of the
lifelines to our economy and one of the most critical issues facing our
nation today.
When we are addressing the most
critical issues facing our nation, we need something better than the
failed shopping cart approach. We owe it to our citizens to spend more
time crafting a sensible energy plan than throwing together a piece of
legislation and voting on it 24 hours later. We need something bigger.
We need something more innovative.
On June 6, I introduced H.R. 6260, the
New Manhattan Project for Energy Independence, which takes a
completely different approach to our energy challenge. Our energy
problems are so global, so scientifically based, that we need the
insight of the best and brightest scientists and researchers in the
energy field to solve the challenge. So, instead of placing our energy
challenge into the hands of the federal government, the New Manhattan
Project places the task on the most brilliant scientific minds in our
country. It establishes a national goal to reach 50% energy independence
in 10 years and 100% energy independence in 20 years. To achieve this
goal, the New Manhattan Project calls on American ingenuity in a
competitive format to research seven established energy goals. It will
award significant prizes to any group, university, team, or company who
reaches the goal.
I believe we could take real,
substantive steps towards transforming our economy if we passed the New
Manhattan Project this week. The goals are not easy, and the steps
required to reach them will not be any simple task. But perhaps we need
something more than simple. Perhaps we need a challenge, a goal to work
towards. Perhaps we need to place our energy future back in the hands of
the American people, because the American people have always been able
to deliver in the face of a national challenge. If we did, we would set
our nation on a path towards energy independence and a new way of life
in America, not just for the next few years but for decades to come.
Are You Prepared for DTV Transition?
 On
February 17, 2009, all TV broadcast stations such as ABC, NBC, CBS and
Fox must begin broadcasting exclusively in digital format. Digital
Television (DTV) technology, more flexible and efficient than analog,
will become the new source for television broadcasting. If you are a
cable customer or satellite subscriber, the broadcast DTV transition
does not impact you as long as your TVs are connected to the cable or
satellite system. However, if a television has “rabbit ears” or requires
another type of antenna, and has been purchased prior to 2002, it may
need a digital converter.
The transition to DTV will open valuable broadcasting frequencies, and
the newly freed space will greatly advance other important services to
our communities. Police, fire and other emergency rescue services will
receive additional airspace for their emergency broadcasts and frequency
communication, enabling more efficient and direct communication to
assist those in need sooner.
Nationally, 34 million households will be affected by the DTV
transition, including 70 million television sets. To help you with any
questions you may have about the DTV transition, Congressman Forbes has
posted frequently asked questions and answers on his Web site, along
with a list of resources to help you through the transition:
Frequently Asked Questions About the DTV Transition |
