Stimulus bill not stimulating enough for alternative energy

If you've read this blog before, you know that I firmly believe the best thing we can do for this nation is reduce our energy usage. Doing so will allow us to scale back our military footprint and make us a less-hated presence in the world. We have spent well over a trillion dollars on our Mideast wars so far.

So I'm more than a little displeased with the compromise stimulus bill, which tags a mere $50 billion toward energy programs, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Specifically for energy programs, the bill includes:
$13.9 billion to subsidize loans for renewable energy projects;
$11 billion toward a smart electricity grid to reduce waste;
$6.4 billion to clean up nuclear-weapon production sites;
$6.3 billion in state energy efficiency and clean energy grants;
$5 billion to weatherize modest-income homes; and
$4.5 billion to make federal buildings more energy efficient.

Among other line items, the bill also contains:

$8.4 billion for mass transit;
$8 billion for construction of high-speed railways;
$6.4 billion for clean and drinking water projects; and
$7 billion to bring broadband Internet service to underserved areas.

Meanwhile, the Obama team is saying the bank bailout may top $2.5 trillion. By the way, that's $8,333 per man, woman and child in the United States. The $50 billion for energy amounts to just over $166 per capita.

Come on! Let's put our money where, as a nation, we're bleeding. End wars over oil, put the money into renewable energy. Build an export-oriented economy around wind turbines, solar cells and whatever else we can dream up.

It's seems so simple that I'm starting to wonder if I'm a simpleton.

Another retail gimmick

Taking a cue from the success of various state sales tax "holidays," now retailers are trying to edge in on President-elect Obama's forthcoming stimulus package. See this Wall Street Journal story.

The National Retail Federation is calling for three 10-day stints of sales tax-free shopping, in March, July and October 2009.

Their proposal would have the federal government reimburse states for lost sales tax revenue during those times. Gee, wonder who will pay for that?

We don't need this sort of circuitous nonsense. What we need are industries that employ people. We need clean tech industries that wean us off foreign energy, thus freeing up our need to deploy troops in far flung areas. Thus reducing our defense expenditures. We need new thinking.

If we want to stimulate consumer spending, give a 50-100% tax credit toward purchases of green items like wind turbines, solar panels and more. This will decrease energy expenses, individually and for the nation as a whole. And it will free up checkbooks for other consumer goods.

Sales tax holidays are a dying idea anyway. Of the 17 states that have had such consumer holidays so far, some are considering doing away with them because of the coming state budget crises.

If retailers want to propose a holiday, how about pushing that all Americans get their birthday off as an official holiday. I might go spend some money on my birthday. And the sales tax would be spent as it should be, not in some end-around where we taxpayers foot the bill in the end anyway.