Organizing for America | Michael Gottwald's Blog: Barack Sees Green Economy On the Horizon in Lucas County

Barack Sees Green Economy On the Horizon in Lucas County

By Michael in Ohio - Oct 13th, 2008 at 1:52 pm EDT

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Tags: economy, financial crisis, foreclosures, Green Jobs, Lucas County, Senator Sherrod Brown, Toledo

Barack addressed a riled up crowd here in the Sea Gate Convention Center in Toledo, where prior to his appearance, excitement to have him in town (for 4 days!) boiled over into never heard before chants of "We Will, We Will, Barack You!" and "Bye Bye Bush! Bye Bye Bush!" Even during his speech, in this dark but spacious Convention Hall, they hooped and hollered and even stomped on the risers, to thunderous effect. But they paid attention when attention was due, because as Barack says, "These are serious times."

Local Field Organizer Jesse urged everyone in the crowd to not only vote early but vote today, and do their share of the work to reach out to voters, mentioning the "collective power of small action." Senator Sherrod Brown, who has become all but a fixture on campaign stops, mentioned that Lucas County had the potential to be a leader in the alternative energy sector, and it was a common theme throughout the day. A fellow who had been laid off his job for fourteen weeks made an appropriate introduction for Barack, who took this opportunity to roll out the steps of his Rescue Plan for the Middle Class:

The first involves the thing that's on everyone's mind, and it's easy to spell: J-O-B-S.
We are going to take a cue from Toledo, which has become a leader in solar panel technology...

Barack fleshed out the rest of his 4 step plan:

A New American Jobs Tax Credit - a temporary tax credit for firms that create new jobs in the United States over the next two years.
Relief to Families - penalty-free withdrawals of up to 15% of retirement savings from IRAs and 401(k)s in 2008 and 2009.
Relief to Homeowners - a 90 day foreclosure moratorium for homeowners that are acting in good faith in their efforts to pay their mortgages.
A Lending Facility to Address the Credit Crisis for States and Localities - the Federal Reserve and the Treasury should work to establish a facility to lend to state and municipal governments.

He called on everyone to participate in the fiscal responsibility that Wall Street has so brazenly bucked in the last eight years, and that the nation will need to demonstrate to overcome this crisis:

We have to break that cycle of debt.
We have to take responsibility for living within our means.

As a city that has seen much better days, but never more potential progress, Toledo was the perfect place for Barack to lay the foundation of his plan to rescue America's economy.

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By Eyelash Oct 15th 2008 at 11:28 pm EDT (Updated Oct 15th 2008 at 11:28 pm EDT)

I feel that Senator Obama did a very good job tonite :).
It will be good to create more jobs, but they must keep up with inflation. Alot of low wage jobs that will not allow the middle class to pay for health insurance, rent, and good food will defeat the purpose.

Thanks,
Patricia

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