| Mitch Roob helped push the "modernization" of our Family and Social Services Administration, funneling millions toward the company he worked for prior to joining Mitch Daniels' team. After months of struggle and failure, he was promoted by the Guv to his current position as the head of Indiana's Economic Development Corporation.
But the more things change, the more they stay the same: "If you want to give up your jobs to save polar bears, go ahead," said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Mitch Roob. That's in response to the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which Roob said would "kill" all of Eastern Indiana. Yep, kill it dead.
I understand the opinions of those who are fearful of the immediate effect this legislation could have, and I don't fault the 'no' votes we've seen on both sides of the aisle. What I will say, though, is that President Bill Clinton's comments on the subject last weekend should give hope to those who see nothing but doom-and-gloom in climate change reform. The number one thing we can do for all of you here in the construction business, for the money we have to spend on it, would be to retrofit every building in the country, starting with Indiana -- every public building, every school, every hospital, and then going down to all of the homes.
I think we ought to use our contacts with utilities to do this. But only two or three states permit the utilities to help finance it and banks have been reluctant to do it. I do this work all around the world, not just the Empire State Building. We're doing 660 elementary schools in Paris, France. And were working on it in lots of other places; we just announced 16 developments in 10 cities that are all private sector developments, all making money, commercial, residential, and mixed use. Every single one of them will produce more clean energy than it uses.
Don't tell me this can't be done. This would mobilize America for prosperity and manufacturing growth as nothing has since we mobilized for World War II and this time we don't have to kill anybody to bring America's economy back. This is what we ought to do. Amen. |
