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 6^th 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 6^th 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 6^th 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 21^st 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 6^th 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 6^th District Congress comes down to. Incumbent Charlie Wilson wants to continue using fossil fuels like coal to keep America behind with 19^th 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 4^th is what path you want the 6^th district to take for the future?

ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS

Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6^th 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 6^th 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
                                    Avenue

Struthers, 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

Green Economy Will Rebound Faster From Financial Turmoil

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 6^th 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 6^th District, again I ask, why can’t this type of green energy production be used to return the 6^th 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 6^th 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.

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 6^th 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 6^th 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 6^th 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.

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 6^th 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

ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS

Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6^th 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 6^th district, I have read reports of Green Job programs springing up all over the country. Why not Ohio? Why not the 6^th 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 6^th 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 6^th 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 6^th 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 6^th 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.

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 6^th 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

ELECT!!!!
DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS

Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6^th 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.

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.

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 19^th century fossil fuel usage?

As the Green Party Candidate for Congress, I believe we must make the jump into the 21^st 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 6^th 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 PM

Subject: 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, I

covered health for the business
                                    section of the Baltimore Sun. I

wrote about Medicare private prescription drug and
                                    HMO plans

that 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. I

wrote 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 small

disability checks made them
                                    ineligible for Medicaid insurance;

one man with $900 a month in disability payments
                                    told me, "I'm

too rich to be poor."

Some of these problems were solved, or at least mitigated.

Maryland has raised the
                                    income cutoff for Medicaid. Insurance

regulators blocked the Blue Cross for-profit
                                    scheme and cut the

CEO'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 and

solving problems, one by one.

After taking an early-retirement buyout from The Sun, I began
                                    to

do 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 of

a 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 million

underinsured, in addition to 47 million uninsured;
                                    Despite

spending 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 prevention

can 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 we

have a chance to elect people committed to
                                    reform. Now when

there'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 to

keep 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 32035

Washington-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 6^th 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.

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 6^th 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 6^th 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 concerns

To Charlie Wilson: Dump the Coal Plant and Build a Wind Farm like in West Virginia

September 4^th

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 6^th 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 65^th 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 6^th 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 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 6^th 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.

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 6^th 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

PV Solar: A Local Perspective
Tuesday, August 26^th 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 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 6^th 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

Green Collar Jobs can Save the Ohio River Valley

August 13, 2008

Green jobs are the jobs of the future, jobs that make our country more

prosperous, sustainable, and secure. Many American cities and rural areas are already putting people to work in these jobs, investing in new transit systems, energy

efficient buildings, and other projects that improve the quality of life for local

residents and make our cities cleaner, greener, and more livable.

To ensure that these jobs are green-collar jobs—family-supporting, career-track

jobs in green industries—cities and counties need to build on local and regional

priorities and strengths, identify and support strategies to spur new green

job growth, and develop training programs that include both traditional

training partnerships and well-defined pathways out of poverty. This work

is exciting. Don’t be surprised if your green collar job program becomes

the high-profile centerpiece of your city’s and counties environmental and economic

development agenda. Why? Because every dollar you invest in the program

both strengthens your city’s middle class and reduces carbon pollution—an

enviable return on investment.

As the write-in Green Party Candidate for the 6^th Congressional District it’s time we discover an unprecedented opportunity to move our Ohio River Valley forward to a more prosperous, inclusive and sustainable future.

WRITE-IN

DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS

Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6^th 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

Oil Drilling Lies

August 9, 2008

Americans Want Action on Energy Now
---------------------------------------------

As in 2000, 2004, and now in 2008, the Campaign For America’s Future reports that while Seventy-five percent of Americans say that increased gasoline prices have caused a financial hardship for their families. They want Congress to do something, now. Conservatives have tried to capitalize on Americans’ anger over gas prices with their “drill here, drill now” campaign. It’s time Progressive candidates like myself help Progressives counter the conservative oil drilling lies with proactive short- and long-term solutions, and show that it’s Bush, McCain, and other conservatives who are blocking the way.

* New offshore drilling wouldn’t help for almost 20 years. The Bush Administration admits that new offshore drilling “would not have a significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas production or prices” for almost 20 years.

* There are real short-term solutions to the energy crisis, but Bush and congressional conservatives have blocked them all. Short term solutions include: tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, banning gasoline price-gouging, cracking down on oil price speculators, and helping hard-pressed Americans with a tax break paid for by a windfall profits tax on Big Oil.

* The real solution to the energy crisis is to end America’s dependence on foreign oil. We can’t drill our way to energy independence. It will take conservation, energy efficiency, and clean power. Yet Bush and conservatives in Congress have blocked progress. Long-term solutions include: investing in conservation, energy efficiency, and clean power; investing in renewable energy; and increasing auto fuel efficiency.

Progressive solutions:

In the short term, tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, ban price gouging, crack down on speculators, and implement a windfall profits tax. In the long term, increase the percentage of power generated by renewable energy sources, increase fuel efficiency standards, and enact the Apollo Alliance plan for investing in conservation, energy efficiency and clean power—and create more than 3 million new jobs.

As the Write-In Green Party Candidate for Congress to the 6^th District, it’s time to debunk the lie about oil drilling and focus on making the Ohio River Valley a MANUFACTURING GIANT TODAY of solar, wind, and geo-thermal factories and companies to give jobs to our poor, working, and middle class.

WRITE-IN

DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS

Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6^th 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

 ===================================================

Obama, Wilson, Wrong on Health Care

August 8, 2008

Last week the Democratic Party Platform Committee met to discuss the 2008 Platform at the Democratic Convention.

During the proceedings, the following occurred:

* Number of times the Barack Obama plan mentions private “insurance” as central to the future of health care in the United States: 6

* Number of times the Guaranteed Health Care for All statement mentions private “insurance” as central to the future of health care in the United States: 0

And Incumbent Charlie Wilson went ahead and endorsed Mr. Obama on his web site by stating the following:

"It's an honor to pledge my full support to Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

I am pleased our party has such an inspirational nominee and I promise to work for Senator Obama as he leads this country in a bold new direction."

As the Write-In Green Party Candidate for Congress in the 6^th district, I do not find Mr. Obama’s health care plan to be bold new direction.

As the Write-In Green Party Candidate for Congress to the 6^th District of Ohio that is why I back a Single-Payer Health Care Program. A program where care is publicly financed by privately delivered. Such programs have a proven track record of delivering better quality and comprehensive health care to everyone at a lower cost.

Sorry Charlie, you and Obama are wrong on Health Care.

WRITE-IN

DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS

Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6^th 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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Millions of Chronically Ill, Lacking Insurance, Can't Get Needed Care

August 7, 2008

Over 11 million Americans with chronic physical illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and asthma are not getting the medical care they need because they don't have health insurance, a new study shows. The study provides the first national estimate of the number of uninsured adults with these potentially serious but treatable conditions.

According to an article published in the Aug. 5 edition of Annals of Internal Medicine, a leading medical journal, working-age adults with one or more chronic illnesses who reported they were uninsured were nearly four times more likely than their insured counterparts to have not seen a health professional within the past year (22.6 percent versus 6.2 percent). They were also six times more likely to identify a hospital emergency room as their standard site for care when sick (7.1 percent versus 1.1 percent).

"We have made dramatic advances in treatment of chronic illnesses like heart disease and high blood pressure," said Dr. Andrew Wilper, the study's lead author. "But many Americans are locked out of the system because they are uninsured and cannot afford this life-saving care.

"Many of these individuals end up with preventable emergency room visits, hospitalizations, amputations, kidney failure or worse because their chronic condition has gotten out of control," he said.

Wilper's team analyzed data from surveys conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. The team found that there are 11.4 million nonelderly adults with one or more chronic conditions who lack health insurance, including 1.3 million who survived a heart attack or stroke, 5.9 million with high blood pressure, 1.4 million with diabetes and 3.5 million with asthma or emphysema. Individuals with at least one of these conditions, or with high cholesterol or prior cancer (excluding minor skin cancers), were considered to have a chronic illness.

The 11.4 million figure represents about one-third of the total number of uninsured people in the United States between the ages of 18 and 64. Altogether, about 47 million Americans lacked health insurance in 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The authors say they may have underestimated the number of chronically ill persons who lack insurance because the survey did not query participants about depression or other chronic mental illnesses, and because undiagnosed physical diseases among the uninsured may be common.

Uninsured people with chronic illnesses face serious obstacles to getting needed care, Wilper said. But he also observed that people who are enrolled in high-deductible health plans often face similar barriers to getting regular medical attention.

"Some plans, for example, require people to pay medical bills of $5,000 out-of-pocket before their insurance kicks in," he said. "These plans put people in the precarious state of being underinsured, which is not that much better than lacking health insurance altogether."

Wilper, who currently teaches at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, was a fellow at Harvard University and the Cambridge Health Alliance when the study was carried out.

Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a co-author of the study, is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard and a primary care physician in Cambridge, Mass. Woolhandler noted: "Some claim that uninsured Americans can get the care they need in emergency rooms. But emergency rooms may provide too little, too late for the millions of uninsured with chronic conditions. They need regular medical monitoring, and a steady supply of medications to control their illnesses, and a whole array of services that are out of reach for the uninsured.

"Only national health insurance can fix this broken system and save thousands of lives each year," she said.

As the Write-In Green Party Candidate for Congress to the 6^th District of Ohio that is why I back a Single-Payer Health Care Program. A program where care is publicly financed by privately delivered. Such programs have a proven track record of delivering better quality and comprehensive health care to everyone at a lower cost.

WRITE-IN

DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS

Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6^th 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

Green Stimulus Bill Needed for Ohio And America

August 6, 2008

The Center for Economic and Policy Research, an independent, nonpartisan think tank that was established to promote democratic debate on the most important economic and social issues that affect people's lives recommended a Green Stimulus Package to minimize economic hardship and promote growth in America.

The authors recommend a green stimulus package comprised of:

• Grants to state and local governments so that they will not be forced to raise taxes or layoff workers and cut services in the middle of a downturn
• A “green stimulus” consisting of expanded tax credits for homes and businesses to make energy conserving renovations and subsidies for state and local governments to reduce fares on public transportation
• Green public investment through matching grants to state and local governments to invest in energy conserving renovations and improvements
• Additional payments to low- and moderate-income households through programs such as Food Stamps, School Lunches, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to make it easier for families to cope with rising food and energy prices
• Modernization of the unemployment insurance system and further extension of the benefit period

The report calls for passage of the Saving Family Homes Act to allow families facing foreclosure to continue to live in their homes as renters and of the Healthy Families Act so that workers do not need to choose between a paycheck and caring for their families.

The economists also call for new regulations in financial markets to limit leverage, increase transparency, and severely restrict executive compensation, as well as a modest tax on financial transactions to curb speculation and raise revenues to pay for pressing economic and social priorities.

As the Write-in Green Party Candidate for Congress for the 6^th district I see such a stimulus plan being able to give the economy a lift while simultaneously reducing energy consumption. This would include not only mass transit but also tax credits for homeowners and businesses to make building improvements that conserve energy. These would include renovations such as solar panels and insulation. Sizeable tax credits in this area would also help the ailing construction industry, an important part of our economy that has collapsed with the housing bubble.

WRITE-IN

DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS

Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6^th 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

Is Conservative Blue Dog Democrat Charlie Wilson Turning Green?

August 5, 2008

Write-in Green Party Candidate Dennis Spisak, running for 6^th District Congressional Seat, issued a press release against incumbent Democrat Charlie Wilson today asking the question is Mr. Wilson flip-flopping and running as a progressive Green Liberal this November.

“ Mr. Wilson has always listed on his former campaign site that he was a member of the “Blue-Dog Coalition”, The 47 conservative and moderate Democrats in the group was formed to bring about fundamental reforms, and helped set into law policies reflecting the "common sense, conservative compassion" so often attached to the group's efforts. In the current Congress, the group also expects to be involved in a variety of issues, where the stale extreme left vs. right approach requires a breath of fresh air.” said Spisak.

Spisak added, “now go to Mr. Wilson’s current campaign site http://www.charliewilson.com/ , and Mr. Wilson now avoids mentioning he is a proud member of the Blue-Dog- Coalition but is now a “Progressive Liberal who believes in Green Jobs.”

Here is what Mr. Wilson has written on his home page:

Germany outpaces Ohio In Solar Energy, but Ohio has more Sun. Why?

August 4, 2008

Last week I attended the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments meeting in Youngstown, Ohio. Al Frasz, a co-founder of Dovetail Solar and Wind Companies here in Ohio spoke and told the audience that Germany has less solar resources than Ohio yet has 1,000 times more solar energy production than Ohio. Why?

Here are 4 reasons why we should be paying a whole lot of attention to the Germany renewable energy market.

1. Germany has the world’s largest wind power sector— but had barely any notable wind power at all 16 years ago.

With over 20,600 MW of installed capacity, Germany is the world’s wind power leader. And they accomplished this feat pretty quickly, having had less than 100 MW in 1992. The second place wind leader, Spain, only has approximately 12,000 MW of capacity.

2. The country has the world’s second largest solar power market, despite having extremely cloudy weather.

Germany comes in as number 2 for solar power, with 750 MW of peak capacity as of 2006. However, it is far and away the European leader for photovoltaic capacity, with a capacity of 3063 MW. Additionally, the world’s largest solar cell producer (Q-Cells) is located there. Oh, and the country also has the largest solar thermal market in Europe.

3. Over 214,000 people work in the German domestic renewable energy industry.

With 2.3 million renewable energy workers worldwide, Germany once again takes the cake as a pioneering country. Last year, German companies accounted for 38 percent of the total wind energy market.

4. They have progressive renewable energy laws.

The German government has just agreed on a new climate change legislative package with the goal of reducing CO2 emissions up to 36 percent by 2020. German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel calls it the biggest climate change package in the world.

If you look at how long it would take to for paybacks to occur by installing a solar system on a house in Ohio, it would be roughly 16 years, 2024. Yet if we start drilling for more oil today, we won’t see a drop of that oil in production until 2030.

Why can’t Charlie Wilson see the power in sunlight in Ohio? Is he too busy collecting over $450,000 in PAC money from lobbyists and PACs in the halls of Congress?

As the Green Party Write-In Candidate for Congress, I believe we should have Ohio come out into the light and become a leader in solar power production to help our poor, working, and middle class.

WRITE-IN

DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS

Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6^th District

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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Efficient Vermont, why not Ohio?

August 2, 2008

Richard Harris of NPR reported on the following last week:

Morning Edition, July 30, 2008 · In 2000, Vermont instituted an aggressive program to reduce statewide energy consumption. In the eight years since, it has proven to be one of the country's most innovative and successful conservation initiatives. But that progress has not been easy, or cheap, and there is still a long way to go.

An Innovative Program

Vermont now spends more than any other state — $46 per person each year — to eliminate energy waste.

"Efficiency is actually the cheapest resource we have to meet our electric service needs," says Blair Hamilton, director of Efficiency Vermont.

Efficiency Vermont is a nonprofit consulting group established by the Vermont Legislature in 2000. Funded by a fee tacked on to Vermont electricity bills, the group works with every category of electricity user in the state — residential, commercial and industrial. Through a combination of financial assistance and expertise, the group helps its clients drive down the quantity of electricity they use, striving to improve the state's environment and economy.

One of Efficiency Vermont's clients, Hazelett Strip-Casting Corp., has a small factory that produces machines used by sheet-metal manufacturers. Hazelett uses a lot of energy to run its factory, but not as much as it once did. Efficiency Vermont engineers have been in and out of Hazelett's factory, finding ways to help the company reduce its electricity use.

"When we went through this whole audit," says the factory's facilities manager Alan Landry, "we really learned at that time we weren't running these [machines] as efficiently as possible."

With Efficiency Vermont's help, the company replaced some of its biggest and oldest machines with much more efficient models.

The efficiency experts also went after 97 old energy-hogging light fixtures in the factory. With consultation from Efficiency Vermont, the factory is now brightly lit with super-efficient fluorescent bulbs. Landry says the lights save energy and make it easier for people to see their work.

"There's been a lot of positive feedback," Landry says.

The manager is not complaining about money, either. The company's electric bill is expected to drop $42,000 a year. Since Efficiency Vermont kicked in $22,000 to make the project fly, the company's contribution will pay for itself in saved energy bills in just 8 months, Landry says.

Hamilton says Efficiency Vermont's contribution to companies like Hazelett is money well spent. The local utility will not have to purchase as much expensive electricity now, and that holds down the inevitable rate increases for everyone in the state. So everyone wins.

The amount of electricity saved is not quite so impressive, however. Efficiency Vermont figures that the company's electricity consumption is down by just 15 percent, and that took a lot of work. So the lesson here also is that it often takes a lot of work for a modest gain.

Working With Small Business, Residents

Retail business is another major user of electricity. At a large mom-and-pop grocery store, Hamilton points proudly to a display promoting compact fluorescent light bulbs for 99 cents, which are heavily subsidized by Efficiency Vermont.

Dick Mazza, owner of the store, proudly shows all the other energy-saving features installed with the help of Efficiency Vermont. First is the fluorescent lighting illuminating the store. Next he shows off the cooler, which in wintertime draws cold air from outside, saving big on refrigeration costs.

Mazza is not sure how much electricity he has saved in the process. But he does know that, while his neighbors' electric bills have all been going up, his have at least stayed pretty much the same.

Efficiency Vermont uses these same principles to help the state's residents save energy. The organization provides rebates for Vermonters who buy home appliances with the federal Energy Star rating. Efficiency Vermont representatives also meet with the retailers and salespeople, to entice them to sell the most efficient appliances.

"Having the salespeople, when someone is looking at different machines, say, 'This is the good one here,' helps a lot," Hamilton says.

Two-thirds of all refrigerators, washing machines and room air conditioners sold in the state now are Energy Star models, says Hamilton. He says that is at or near the best rate in the nation.

Nevertheless, Energy Use Grows

Eight years in, the statewide effort has made progress. But the state's energy demand also has been increasing year after year. Since the state's population has not grown drastically, it seems that the growth in electricity demand comes from individual households using more products that draw more electricity. So now, despite eight years with this ambitious program, Vermont is consuming more electricity than it was in 2000.

Efficiency Vermont hopes to improve on its success in the coming years. But the lesson here is a sobering one for states throughout the country. Many have much more ambitious energy-conservation goals, but no tool quite as sophisticated as the Efficiency Vermont program to meet them.

As the write-in Green Party Candidate for Congress, if we can’t get Ohio to buy into bringing Green Jobs/Blue-Collar Manufacturing jobs back up and down the Ohio River Valley. We must take a Progressive stance towards conservation.

“Give a hoot, don’t pollute”.

WRITE-IN

DENNIS SPISAK FOR CONGRESS

Green Party Candidate for Ohio’s 6^th District

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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Why Big Oil Wants Coastal Drilling

Bill Scher, who writes for the Campaign for America’s Future, poised the following question this week in his column:

 Who is really going to benefit from opening up our coastal shores to oil drilling? You, or Big Oil?

Follow the money and get your answer.

Last month, Sen. John McCain changed his position on coastal oil drilling. And all of a sudden, the fossil fuel crowd took a big liking to his campaign. The Washington Post reports that even though "oil and gas executives have not traditionally been a major source of campaign money for McCain," in June McCain took $1.1 million from oil and gas corporate executives -- five times more than in the previous month.

Why? Because while coastal drilling amounts to nothing in regards to lower energy costs for you and me, it does amount to a fat giveaway to Big Oil.

You may say, so what? Who cares if oil companies do well, so long as they increase the supply of oil and lower prices for me.

Except that there's not nearly enough oil off our shores to lower the price of oil (both the White House and McCain concede, when pressed, that opening up the coasts for drilling won't lower prices.)

And there's no reason to expect that oil and gas companies would be in any rush to use the leases and actually drill.

Remember, with supply of oil as it is, and the price of oil as it is, oil companies are doing quite well thank you very much. ExxonMobil recorded the highest annual profit of any company in the history of companies last year, $40 billion.

Tight supply + high gas prices = good times for Big Oil.

Same reason why oil companies don't invest in more refineries.

Not because of environmental standards, as they typically complain about. But because they're not interested in increasing supply, driving prices down and reducing their profits. The National Resources Defense Council explains: "...refiners reap higher profits when capacity is tight, so they actually have a disincentive to significantly expand production. In fact, oil executives have stated that the reason they did not expand refining capacity in the 1990s is that the low profitability of the business did not justify the investment."

Same reason why oil companies aren't drilling in all of the 68 million acres of federal space for which they already have leases. As Sen. Joe Biden recently noted in a Wilmington News Journal op-ed: