Can Georgia become BLUE as well as GREEN? It seems possible if Georgia goes for Democrats in November and elects Rand Knight as a U.S. Senator from Georgia. The primary for this senate nomination will be held in Georgia in July, and it seems important to focus on Democratic races below the presidential level if we really want change to occur in our government.
Rand Knight (D-Georgia) holds excellent positions on the need for change in policies regarding energy supplies, water supplies, the war in Iraq, health care, education, the economy, and local job creation. As he explains it, these issues are actually complementary. His proposal for a broad-band solution is what he calls the "Green Deal." More below the jump...
Knight's "Green Deal" aims at creating LOCAL green-collar jobs in manufacturing, construction, operations, and maintenance in ecology-friendly trades and services relating to the use of abundant non-food biomass as the source of biodiesel fuel, which is a huge sector of the fuel market in the U.S. The technology is already available and has proven to be cost-efficient, i.e., biodiesel fuel can be produced for about 80 cents/gallon, including carbon emission control. Non-food biomass can include peanut hulls, corn plants after harvest, brushhogged waste, kudzu, and other presently landfilled (or ignored) materials. What is needed is development of the infrastructure and agricultural/industrial waste handling processes to make this fuel available in the public market.
Knight envisions the use of the taxes collected through green-collar jobs to fund badly needed domestic programs of all kinds, as well as decreasing U.S. dependence on petroleum resources, both foreign and domestic. The green-collar jobs are local and cannot be outsourced to overseas workers. The provision of biofuels controlled for carbon emission in new industrial plants will also improve the physical health of the U.S. population and wherever greenhouse gases drift worldwide.
If you want to know more about the "Green Deal," have a look at Knight's website, http://www.knightforsenate.com. And if you're a Georgia voter, be sure to vote in the July primary. Down-ticket politics is a priority in this election!