For Stimulus, Is Obama Mulling Creating a New Conservation Corps?

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How much energy does it take to generate Hydrogen? We have acres of wind farms in Minnesota, Texas and other states now. They provide maybe 3% of the electricity generated. Solar needs acres of land to spread collectors on. Feinstien says not in the Mojave Desert. We need nuclear to supply power when the wind fails and the sun goes to sleep at night. OR we need fossil fuel generation of power backup when cloudy windless days reduce solar and wind generators. These fossil fuel generators have to keep running whether or not we are generating solar or wind power as back up. Wake up America we have to drill our own oil to provide a bridge to more eco friendly power. Until we realize this we are at the mercy of oil providers that are taking us to the cleaners.

jim of AZ 4:41PM December 31, 2009

just got around to reading this............too funny.
my father and uncles were all in the ccc camps. my grandfather was a supervisor on a park project that is still beautiful and in use today. Those young men were used to physical labor. my
grandfather had been a coal miner. do you really think you are going to get 18-22 year olds to sleep in dorms they had to build first, share bathrooms they had to build first,
and work their flabby asses off for minimum wages? Do you think
there is anyone hungry enough today? probably not. why don't you
interview some of the original ccc boys and see what it was really like. how all they ate were beans, and sent every spare penny of their wages home to mom and dad............

konnie of IN 4:00PM February 24, 2009

I agree with (Joe C., Va). But I'd like to focus on alternative green fuel systems though. For example, hydrogen fuel system. If most households have a hydrogen fuel system, how much savings do you think a married couple with children or a single parent will save? If a car is run by this system, how much savings an individual driver will save? If the present U.S. government gives a stimulus package (as a loan to be paid back!!!) to the Detroit big3 to incorporate a hydrogen system (the agreement, the deal) to their cars then it's a very very good 1st step forward. Give a stimulus package to a company or companies which has the technology to build hydrogen fuel system for houses, buildings, cars, etc. Then it's a very very good 2nd step forward. Thousands if not millions of spinoff jobs will be created in producing and maintaining this alternative green energy system(s). Hydrogen system is one solution. How about solar system and wind system? With cheap heat energy expenses, most farms can produce plenty of vegetables in greenhouses during winter. We the consumer will have cheap healthy vegetables on our table, right? What am I saying! I mean if farm households have their own independent energy system, then they don't have to pay electric bills! Wow!!! They save money and us common workers too. I hope that President Obama succeeds in this one. But like the President said, it will take some time. Hopefully, the super rich oil business elite don't succeed in stopping him. Hopefully our leaning-to-the-rich Harper will have no choice but to follow on Pres. Obama's example.

From Canada 9:09PM January 26, 2009

If this plan comes to reality, I hope Ray is correct. I am quite skeptical though. The government generally does not seem to use a Return on Investment framework when considering projects. This and any other initiative that spends taxpayers' money and borrows from China ought to be weighed by making reasonable projections of their economic impact, new business development, and tax revenue generation. We don't need anyone to be "experimenting" on the economy - there are plenty of smart people in America who can help Obama come up with solutions.

Joe C. of VA 9:16AM January 05, 2009

We do need another national effort to rebuild our infrastructure and implement improvements in energy, conservation, recycling, innovation & research & development. Perhaps the labor department can develop a ethod for industry sponsorship in return for marketing or patent rights. Every dollar spent must have a purpose and a return-on-investment even if it takes years to be realized. Even payroll tax revenue is a ROI for America!!!

Ray Fisher of NM 1:15PM January 03, 2009

So your solution is subsistence farming (anarchy)? There is no modern health care under that system. Secondly retirement will be left to who ever is there to take care of you. Thirdly we would be going straight back two centuries in technology.
But about the article I think infrastructure projects will be great. It will help make American businesses more competitive.

Max of WI 6:34AM January 03, 2009

Barack Obama is looking to stimulate the economy by adding jobs. Those Conservation Corp workers will still be away from their homes and have bills, insurances, energy and family expenses to deal with. This still creates a great debt for our nation. There is no change in the president-elect’s plan.
The goal in life is not employment; that has caused the world problems.
The goal in life is a retirement lifestyle where we create a garden paradise by planting trees and plants that produce food and where we choose pets that give milk or eggs.
The garden paradise lifestyle is stress free; all needs are provided nearby and we do not have to pollute the air, land, water and food by processing, packaging and transporting food and stuff around the country or world.
The retirement lifestyle garden paradise solves pollution, global warming, energy crisis, food crisis, poverty, war, reoccurring financial problems, disease and high health care costs including insurance that all will soon have to pay for, immigration, child and elder care, social security inadequacies, and crime. All these world problems are solved at the same time, inexpensively, fairly and universally and provide true freedom and independence.

Marie Devine of MO 5:10PM January 02, 2009