Barack Obama submitted the following Op-Ed piece to the Detroit Free Press for publication.
In this country, we believe that if you work hard, you should be able to build a better life for your children and grandchildren. That is the American Dream — and it’s slowly slipping out of reach for many families.Last month, 51,000 Americans lost their jobs – including 8,300 in the auto industry. Unemployment has hit Michigan hardest of all. Since George Bush took office, more than 260,000 Michigan manufacturing jobs have been lost, and in Detroit, one in every 10 workers is without a job. And I’ve heard from mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers all across Michigan who are working hard, but struggling to keep up with the rising cost of gas and groceries.This election is our chance to take our economy in a new direction. That’s why I’ve proposed a second stimulus package, not just to jumpstart the economy and create jobs, but to provide real relief to struggling families right now. It includes energy rebates of $1,000 for more than 5 million Michigan workers and their families, and $1.7 billion dollars to keep Michigan’s essential state and local government services running.In addition to this immediate relief, I will, as president, also provide a middle class tax cut that is three times larger than the one my opponent offers — putting a $1,000 tax cut directly into the pockets of 95% of workers and their families. And I will end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas and give those tax breaks to companies that create good-paying jobs here in America.But to secure our prosperity in the 21st Century, we also have to make long-term investments in our competitiveness. That starts with solving our energy crisis once and for all. This isn’t just a challenge to meet; it’s an opportunity to seize — an opportunity that will create new businesses, new industries and millions of new jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced. For a state like Michigan, it’s an opportunity to rebuild and revive your economy. Already, there are 300 companies and 50,000 jobs in your clean energy sector. Now is the time to accelerate that innovation, both in Michigan and across the nation.That’s why I went to Michigan to unveil my comprehensive plan for energy independence. It will immediately direct the full resources of the federal government and the full energy of the private sector to a single, overarching goal — complete independence from foreign oil within a decade. To do this, we’ll invest $150 billion over the next ten years and leverage billions more in private capital to build a new energy economy that harnesses American energy and creates 5 million new American jobs.We’ll ensure that the cars of tomorrow aren’t built in Japan or China, but right here in Michigan. Instead of giving $4 billion in new tax breaks to oil companies that are making record profits — as Sen. John McCain is proposing — let’s give tax credits to American auto plants and manufacturers so that they can re-tool their factories and build the cars of the future, from hybrid cars to higher mileage cars, from new electric entrants such as GM’s Volt to flex-fuel cars and trucks powered by biofuels and driven by Michigan innovation.We’ll leverage private sector funding to bring these cars directly to American consumers, and we’ll give consumers a $7,000 tax credit to buy these vehicles. That’s how we’ll get one million 150-m.p.g. hybrids on our roads within six years. That’s how we’ll not only protect our auto industry and our auto workers, but help them thrive in a 21st Century economy; and that is how we will finally lower gas prices, secure our energy future, and save this planet for our children.That’s what change is. But that’s not what Sen. McCain is offering. He believes we’re on the right course. He’s said our economy has made great progress these past eight years. He’s embraced the same failed Bush policies that put our economy on this dangerous path and promises to continue them. He’s offering $300 billion in tax breaks for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, without saying how he’d pay for them. He’s offering another four years of tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. Our country and working families in Michigan cannot afford that.This fall, the people of Michigan have a choice to make. We can choose to remain on the same course that hasn’t worked for the past eight years and that won’t work now. Or we can reclaim the idea that in this country, opportunity is open to anyone who’s willing to work for it. That’s the promise of this country, and I believe we can keep it if you stand with me in November and choose a new direction for our economy and for this country that we love.U.S. SEN. BARACK OBAMA, D-Ill., is the Democratic candidate for president.
In this country, we believe that if you work hard, you should be able to build a better life for your children and grandchildren. That is the American Dream — and it’s slowly slipping out of reach for many families.
Last month, 51,000 Americans lost their jobs – including 8,300 in the auto industry. Unemployment has hit Michigan hardest of all. Since George Bush took office, more than 260,000 Michigan manufacturing jobs have been lost, and in Detroit, one in every 10 workers is without a job. And I’ve heard from mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers all across Michigan who are working hard, but struggling to keep up with the rising cost of gas and groceries.
This election is our chance to take our economy in a new direction. That’s why I’ve proposed a second stimulus package, not just to jumpstart the economy and create jobs, but to provide real relief to struggling families right now. It includes energy rebates of $1,000 for more than 5 million Michigan workers and their families, and $1.7 billion dollars to keep Michigan’s essential state and local government services running.In addition to this immediate relief, I will, as president, also provide a middle class tax cut that is three times larger than the one my opponent offers — putting a $1,000 tax cut directly into the pockets of 95% of workers and their families. And I will end tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas and give those tax breaks to companies that create good-paying jobs here in America.But to secure our prosperity in the 21st Century, we also have to make long-term investments in our competitiveness. That starts with solving our energy crisis once and for all. This isn’t just a challenge to meet; it’s an opportunity to seize — an opportunity that will create new businesses, new industries and millions of new jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced. For a state like Michigan, it’s an opportunity to rebuild and revive your economy. Already, there are 300 companies and 50,000 jobs in your clean energy sector. Now is the time to accelerate that innovation, both in Michigan and across the nation.That’s why I went to Michigan to unveil my comprehensive plan for energy independence. It will immediately direct the full resources of the federal government and the full energy of the private sector to a single, overarching goal — complete independence from foreign oil within a decade. To do this, we’ll invest $150 billion over the next ten years and leverage billions more in private capital to build a new energy economy that harnesses American energy and creates 5 million new American jobs.We’ll ensure that the cars of tomorrow aren’t built in Japan or China, but right here in Michigan. Instead of giving $4 billion in new tax breaks to oil companies that are making record profits — as Sen. John McCain is proposing — let’s give tax credits to American auto plants and manufacturers so that they can re-tool their factories and build the cars of the future, from hybrid cars to higher mileage cars, from new electric entrants such as GM’s Volt to flex-fuel cars and trucks powered by biofuels and driven by Michigan innovation.We’ll leverage private sector funding to bring these cars directly to American consumers, and we’ll give consumers a $7,000 tax credit to buy these vehicles. That’s how we’ll get one million 150-m.p.g. hybrids on our roads within six years. That’s how we’ll not only protect our auto industry and our auto workers, but help them thrive in a 21st Century economy; and that is how we will finally lower gas prices, secure our energy future, and save this planet for our children.That’s what change is. But that’s not what Sen. McCain is offering. He believes we’re on the right course. He’s said our economy has made great progress these past eight years. He’s embraced the same failed Bush policies that put our economy on this dangerous path and promises to continue them. He’s offering $300 billion in tax breaks for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, without saying how he’d pay for them. He’s offering another four years of tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. Our country and working families in Michigan cannot afford that.This fall, the people of Michigan have a choice to make. We can choose to remain on the same course that hasn’t worked for the past eight years and that won’t work now. Or we can reclaim the idea that in this country, opportunity is open to anyone who’s willing to work for it. That’s the promise of this country, and I believe we can keep it if you stand with me in November and choose a new direction for our economy and for this country that we love.U.S. SEN. BARACK OBAMA, D-Ill., is the Democratic candidate for president.
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