Event

Weekly Update on Immigration

I. Immigration Proxy Wars Continue - Simon's post, featured on the cover of the Huffington Post politics section, discusses the "broken and irrational" immigration system.

This year we have seen how this national failure has infected debates about other vital national priorities. SCHIP was held up. The stimulus was loaded up with a provision to use our broken and dangerous worker verification system that would undoubtedly disrupt the orderly flow of money to the states. And now Judd Gregg withdraws in part over the coming battle over the Census next year, which we know will include an effort by the right to exclude undocumented workers from the every 10-year head count of those living in the United States. Any future legislative initiative at the federal or state level that confers benefits to a population could conceivably invoke a battle over immigrants: will states require schools receiving school construction money from the stimulus to validate that only legal kids are covered with it? Will families who want to weatherize their homes have to prove their legal status? Will kids getting a laptop in a demonstration project have to prove their legitimacy? And of course, moving on universal health care coverage will require the immigration system to be fixed first. Passing comprehensive immigration reform may very well be the key that unlocks progress on a wide variety of other domestic challenges.

II.  Good Signs in the Economic Stimulus - Despite bumps along the road, Congress stripped a potentially disastrous provision mandating E-verify from the final economic stimulus legislation.  After the debate over legal immigrants under SCHIP, the stimulus served as a second example of how these immigration proxy fights don't appeal to the American people.  They demonstrate what NDN has long known - the American people are not against immigrants, they are for smart solutions, and Members of Congress have finally begun to legislate - and to vote - with that in mind.  There is no reward for getting caught up in the anti-immigrant hate mongering.  

 III.  Weighing Your Options - Judd Gregg stepped down as nominee for Secretary of Commerce this week, after minority groups and Members of Congress made public their concern over having Gregg in charge of the Census and the White House took ownership of the Census.  Is Gregg not a team player? Or maybe he just felt like he'd have more fun playing on the Republican Senate team, maybe we'll never know.  The bottom line is that 21st Century America will continue to reject the anachronistic policies and politics of the old, racially charged, Southern Strategy.  The responsibility of the 2010 Census is a grave one - it is imperative that short-comings of the past are dealt with so that all communities, regardless of color, race, ethnicity, and economic status are counted.  Seats will be re-apportioned nationally in just a few years, based on 2010 Census data.  This could mean the gain of one or two seats in states with increasingly young and immigrant populations, like Nevada, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, etc.  As the country becomes more Southern and Western, these states might see a major shift in their role on the national political stage. 

IV. Immigration News In Our Own Backyard - Coming soon in Montgomery County, a new policy will call for county police to begin reaching out to federal immigration authorities and provide the names of all suspects they arrest for violent crimes and handgun violations, an approach that reflects growing concerns about illegal immigration and crime but stops short of the broader enforcement efforts used in some counties. 

In Prince William County, VA, small-business owners are calling on Prince William County (PWC) lawmakers to rescind a controversial immigration measure that has required company owners to prove they are living in the country legally.  And one of the most combative and virulently anti-immigrant men in the country, Prince William County Supervisor Corey A. Stewart, is now softening his tone against immigrants as PWC falls into a steeper recession, largely due to the immigrant business owners and workers that have fled thanks to the 287(g) attack spearheaded by Stewart.  The article reports Stewart is put in his place by Chief of Police Deane, and as the PWC economy collapses, it's telling that the blame is no longer on "immigrants."  As Stewart shifts his message, he tacitly accepts that immigrants contribute to where they live, as opposed to being "burdens" on society: 

"Politicians are guided by the political climate and issues that will give them the most currency," she said.  Although illegal immigration dominated Prince William's budget and policy discussions last year, Stewart is now concentrating on balancing the budget through cuts....Jenkins acknowledges that Stewart has changed but said he thinks Stewart had little choice.  "Corey was so badly damaged politically because of his actions on immigration," Jenkins said. "He is trying to put that tarnished image away and show leadership. That probably forms the basis of his actions in reshaping his image."

New High-Tech NDN Event Space, Webcasting Capacity Launches Tuesday

On Tuesday NDN will be unveiling a new set of high-tech investments in our event space and web capacity.  For those coming to our space in the future you will find a whole new digital audio and video system, which will vastly improve the experience of our events.  It will also allow for us to use the web to bring remote participants into the event space through a new HD projector, making it much easier to tap into our network across the country to weigh in at the many events we do in DC. 

But the true impact of this new investment will be felt by those not attending our events. Our new system will allow us to bring high quality video and audio to those watching live on the web or watching a recording of the event later on our site.  It will also allow us to do web only events, even bringing in participants from remote locations to lead conversations and share their ideas.  All in all this new system will allow all our members and friends to better experience NDN no matter where they live, bringing our high-quality work closer and more frequently to you.  

This exciting new chapter in NDN's evolution and growth is possible because of you.  Late last year we made a special appeal to our members across the country, asking them to invest with us in this new project.  And you responded, donating more than $30,000 in just a few days.  This infusion of targeted capital allowed us to make this smart investment, helping us improve the NDN experience and reach many more people in a meaningful and powerful way. 

Look for a formal announcement on Monday on how to watch our two events this week.  It would be great if all of you could make time to watch these events even for 5-10 minutes and give us your feedback.   How does it look? Was the sound and video quality good?  How can we improve it in the coming days? 

So check back here on Monday for more detail on how to watch our events live, and please let us know how you think this targeted investment, made possible by you, is working. 

We will be testing this new technology on Tuesday at our event, New Tools for a New Era, and on Thursday, Making the Case: Passing Immigration Reform This Year.   We hope you will check them out, in person or on the web.  

And thanks again to all of you who have made this exciting opportunity possible.

The Immigration Proxy Wars Continue

There are many good reasons to fix our broken immigration system this year. But there is one reason that may end up driving Congress to act this year more than any other: the growing weariness of lawmakers as the year moves on of battling over immigrants and immigration on issue after issue, something I call the immigration proxy wars

Our broken immigration system is a national disgrace, yet another terrible vexing governing challenge left over from the disastrous Bush era. Legitimate workers have a hard time getting legal visas. Employers knowingly hire and exploit undocumented workers. Our immigrant justice system is a moral outrage. And of course, the scapegoating of the undocumented migrant has become the staple for right-wing politicians and media, giving them something to rail against as the rest of their agenda has collapsed all around them. It is long past time to fix this broken system and replace it with a 21st century immigration system consistent with traditional American values and the needs of our modern ideas-based economy.  

This year we have seen how this national failure has infected debates about other vital national priorities. SCHIP was held up. The stimulus was loaded up with a provision to use our broken and dangerous worker verification system that would undoubtedly disrupt the orderly flow of money to the states. And now Judd Gregg withdraws in part over the coming battle over the Census next year, which we know will include an effort by the right to exclude undocumented workers from the every 10-year head count of those living in the United States. Any future legislative initiative at the federal or state level that confers benefits to a population could conceivably invoke a battle over immigrants: will states require schools receiving school construction money from the stimulus to validate that only legal kids are covered with it? Will families who want to weatherize their homes have to prove their legal status? Will kids getting a laptop in a demonstration project have to prove their legitimacy? And of course, moving on universal health care coverage will require the immigration system to be fixed first. Passing comprehensive immigration reform may very well be the key that unlocks progress on a wide variety of other domestic challenges.  

State judicial and law enforcement systems across America are already overwhelmed by the murky problems of our broken and irrational system. Schools and health care providers are desperate to not become an arm of the immigration police. Mexico's drug problems are growing in severity, and will raise the importance of a comprehensive solution to removing any illegal activity from the border region. Next year, the Census is likely to become one long and huge fight about undocumenteds and immigrants if the system is not fixed this year, perhaps even causing years of future battles over the legitimacy of the count if it includes the undocumenteds (which it clearly should). And the proxy wars in Congress and in the states will continue. There is simply no way to duck this one, wish it away. Inaction is not an option any longer. By the fall, the pressure on lawmakers and the President to address a very visible national problem, and the fatigue of battling this out in proxy war after proxy war, will create a climate in which progress on this tough issue I think will be more than possible. 

To talk more about this compelling national challenge, come join NDN next Thursday, February 19, for a forum, Making the Case: Why Congress Should Pass Immigration Reform This YearFor those not in DC, we will be Web casting it live and recording it for future review. Stay tuned to this blog for more information about both.

NDN Event, Thur Feb 19th: Making the Case for Passing Immigration Reform This Year

On Thursday, February 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., please join NDN and a strong group of thoughtful presenters as we make the case for why Congress can, and should, pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform this year.

The panel will feature Simon Rosenberg of NDN, Rick Johnson of Lake Research, Pete Brodnitz of the Benenson Strategy Group, Janet Murguia of National Council of La Raza (NCLR), and Frank Sharry of America's Voice. Andres Ramirez, NDN Vice President for Hispanic Programs, will moderate the discussion. Lunch will be served at the NDN offices at 729 15th St, NW, between H Street and New York Avenue.  Please click here to RSVP. More information on the panelists is below: 

Simon Rosenberg is President of NDN, a leading progressive think tank and advocacy organization. Rosenberg has worked in national politics and the media world for more than 20 years. He started his career in network television, as a writer and producer at ABC News for five years, before working on the Dukakis and Clinton presidential campaigns. He has been a leader in creating a 21st century progressive movement, an influential champion of a new and more modern agenda for the nation, and an innovator in helping progressives use new tools and media to communicate with rapidly growing demographic groups such as Hispanics and Millennials.

Rick Johnson is a Vice President at Lake Research Partners, where he has designed, conducted and analyzed public opinion research for a number of clients. In addition, he has worked with candidates at all levels of the political process. Johnson joined LRP in 2004 after working for General Mills in Minneapolis and also has worked as an independent consultant providing distribution and competitive intelligence research to European confections companies, for Market Facts (now Synovate) creating new market research tools, managing their diary business and managing their joint ventures, and for the Gallup Organization.

Pete Brodnitz is a Principal at Benenson Strategy Group. Brodnitz brings almost two decades of research experience to his clients, ranging from heads of state on three continents to domestic political work at all levels (from nationwide to municipal and state legislative), to Fortune 500 corporate research and work with non-profits.  Brodnitz has also conducted polling for Democratic-leaning issue advocacy groups such as the New Democratic Network (NDN), the Third Way Foundation, the Brookings Institution and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), as well corporate clients such as Google.org, Microsoft, Novartis, ESPN, and TIAA-CREF. 

Janet Murguía has become a key figure among the next generation of leaders in the Latino community. Since January 1, 2005, she has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States.  Murguía's public service, which began as legislative counsel to former Kansas Congressman Jim Slattery, then in the White House from 1994 to 2000, ultimately serving as deputy assistant to President Clinton, is complemented by her extensive political experience having served as deputy campaign manager and director of constituency outreach for the Gore/Lieberman presidential campaign.

Frank Sharry is Founder and Executive Director of America's Voice, an organization he created to focus on communications and media as part of a renewed effort to win comprehensive immigration reform. Prior to heading America's Voice, Frank served as Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum for 17 years. The Forum, based in Washington D.C., is one of the nation's premier immigration policy organizations, and has been at the center of every major legislative and policy debate related to immigration for the past quarter of a century.

Immigration and the Economy: Start-ups vs. Bailout, Greencards vs. Greenbacks

"Dear America, please remember how you got to be the wealthiest country in history. It wasn't through protectionism, or state-owned banks or fearing free trade. No, the formula was very simple: build this really flexible, really open economy, tolerate creative destruction so dead capital is quickly redeployed to better ideas and companies, pour into it the most diverse, smart and energetic immigrants from every corner of the world and then stir and repeat, stir and repeat, stir and repeat, stir and repeat."

A New York Times op-ed today by Tom Friedman - quoted above - brings up some interesting points.  Enjoy

The Fallout of the Great Recession for Trade

UPDATE:  This post was picked up by Reuters and internationally syndicated, appearing in papers worldwide over the weekend. From the Reuters article:

Some economists argue globalisation, in the sense of the
increasing integration of different countries in the world economy, is
the cause, acting as a transmission belt from one suffering economy to
the next.

"With globalisation, the world can suffer the central
cost of protectionism -- a deep fall in trade -- without passing any
new laws or regulations," Robert Shapiro, head of progressive think
tank NDN's globalisation initiative, said in a blog.

...

"The crux of it is that as the share
of what the world produces that's traded across borders rises -- 18
percent of worldwide GDP was traded in 1990, compared to 30 percent in
2006 -- a serious recession in a few large places moves quickly around
the world, driving down global trade," said Shapiro of NDN, a former
undersecretary in the U.S. Commerce Department.

In other words weak demand in one country increasingly affects others because they are more dependent on exports.

The new trade data out today show, unhappily, that the surest way to drive down our trade deficit is a deep recession that cuts into the money Americans have to buy imports. In December, the trade imbalance fell to less than $40 billion, a 35 percent drop from its $62 billion level last July. (It’s all seasonally-adjusted). The last time the trade deficit was this low was November 2003. Imports shrank by $74 billion from $230 billion in July to $174 billion in December, or nearly 25 percent. Of course, the same thing is happening to our trading partners: our exports also fell 21 percent, from $168 billion to $134 billion. Since we import so much more than we export, the decline in imports really drives down the overall deficit.

This is a window into something new and important: with globalization, the world can suffer the central cost of protectionism -- a deep fall in trade -- without passing any new laws or regulations. The crux of it is that as the share of what the world produces that’s traded across borders rises -- 18 percent of worldwide GDP was traded in 1990, compared to 30 percent in 2006 -- a serious recession in a few large places moves quickly around the world, driving down global trade. That’s particularly serious for countries that really depend on exports, which means most of the developing world. The global data are still sketchy, but it looks like in the last months of 2008 and the beginning of this year, exports (month-to-month) fell 25 percent in China, 33 percent in Korea, and 40 percent in the Philippines. To see how serious this is, consider that exports represent about 40 percent of GDP in all of those countries. It’s even worse in Taiwan, where exports account for 62 percent of GDP and fell 44 percent rate in November, compared to a year earlier. The other deeply trade-dependent region is Europe, where serious problems coming from this massive slowdown in trade will hit home within the next few months. 

The serious problem which they and others will face is fast-rising job losses by the people who produce the exports and those who make the goods and services that those workers purchase. So, as the world slides into this Great Recession, calls for new forms of protection for export industries are cropping up all over the place. We certainly hear these calls here, even though the United States for decades has been generally more accommodating of our trading partners than they have been toward us. We’ve pressed for more trade liberalization, pressed for it earlier, and stuck with generally low trade barriers and an aggressive global economic footprint more than our major trade partners. Countries like Japan, France and Germany don’t provide a very high threshold on these matters, to be sure, but we have consistently cleared it.  

Yet, here we are today, on the brink of passing a “Buy American” provision that will bar the use of foreign-made manufactured products and goods in many projects supported by the stimulus package. President Barack Obama said he wanted the Senate to dial it back, since he understands that it would invite real retaliation that would injure more export-industry workers. So the Senators added a caveat that the restrictions can’t violate our WTO obligations. Here’s the translation of that: “Buy American” will mainly target developing countries, because Japan, EU nations and other advanced countries are all signatories to WTO agreements to not discriminate against other countries in many areas, including government procurement. China, Brazil, India and most other developing nations are not yet signatories. So, we can expect a good dose of tit-for-tat protection from those countries. And that could disrupt the production networks and supply chains of some of our largest global companies, such as Boeing, Pfizer, Dell and Coca-Cola. At a time of grave economic turmoil and peril, this can’t make any sense.

And we’ll still be vulnerable to legitimate, tit-for-tat from Europe and Japan, since they currently apply lower tariffs in many areas than mandated by the WTO. That means they could raise their tariffs without violating their WTO agreements -- and we could do the same in the next round of retaliation.

The best way to cauterize this drive for protection is to take a deep breath, and make sure that workers have greater means to protect themselves. The Administration is offering some of that, for example in health care benefits for those who lose their jobs. We can go well beyond health care, however, especially in real opportunities for working people to expand or deepen their skills and abilities. That remains a serious gap in the stimulus, which hopefully the first Obama budget can rectify. 

President Obama's Weekly Address

In his newest weekly address this morning, President Obama congratulates the Senate for reaching a compromise on the stimulus bill, and stresses the urgency of passing a stimulus package. Clocking in at over 4 minutes, it's one of the longer addresses the President has released. Check it out below:

Big Week Ahead for President Obama

There is little doubt now that the coming week will be a very important one for the nascent Obama Presidency.   On Monday he takes to the road, visiting Indiana and Florida, and speaks to the nation.  Also on Monday Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner will offer what now appears to be an outline, or sketch, of the Administration's plan to attack the financial crisis, beginning what will be a very important debate about this part of the emerging recovery plan.  Among the other things we are hoping for is a major initiative to keep people in their homes.  

Also up this week will be the attempt for the Senate and House to reconcile their different stimulus bills into one, and hit the deadline of getting the bill signed by President's day weekend.   Given news reports this morning about the late-night Senate deal, I don't know how easy this is going to be.  

One of the most interesting and important things to watch this week is how the Senate and House come together and "reconcile."   The internal dynamics of these two chambers are very different.   The bills that emerged from each chamber are different.   Will the path forward for future legislation be what we saw with the stimulus - seperate tracks for each chamber - or will the White House and Congressional leadership attempt to prenegotiate the big ones and try to reach a broad outline of a deal that can get through both chambers will little alteration?  How this stimulus bill comes together this week will be a big big test of the ability of the two chambers to reconcile their very different internal politics.

The Republicans.  We learned a lot about them these last few weeks.  Their great test will be whether they can do more than be angry that they are not in power anymore.  The signs so far are not so good. For the good of the nation we need the Republican Party to become a responsibile partner in cleaning up the incredible mess they left us all in.  I think the way The President began to remind the American people of the GOP's role in bringing about the troubles we now face was important - and may be his biggest weapon in bringing them to the table in the many legislative battles ahead (see this Washington Post news story on what could be a fatal political scandal for the new RNC Chairman, Michael Steele).  

Oh, and not to be forgotten, the President signed into law a bill this week that will bring health insurance and good medical care to millions of children who do not have it today.   It was a powerful early signal that the new government can bring people together to tackle our common challenges.  And for those of us optimistic about fixing our broken immigration system this year, that the provision to extend health insurance coverage to all legal immigrant children passed, over initial GOP opposition, is a good sign that reasonable people in both parties can come together and make progress on a broader immigration reform package this year.  

While there are pieces of the package we could do without, the emerging economic recovery plan is a very responsible and serious attempt to address the economic challenges of our time, and it contains many provisions long argued for by NDN.  President Obama and his team should be pleased with where things stand now - on their first major initiative they've shown far-sightedness, political dexterity and resolve.   But the next few days are very important, and will tell us much about our ability to meet the challenges ahead.

Sat 10pm Update - The NYTimes has a good piece running in the Sunday paper looking at the differences between the Senate and House bills.

It's No Time for Politics as Usual

The U.S. Senate’s “Dr. No,” Republican Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, best captured the need for political leadership in this time of crisis in accepting his nomination by President Barack Obama to be U.S. Secretary of Commerce: "Now is not the time for partisanship. Now is not the time to stand in our ideological corners and shout at each other. Now is the time to govern and govern well."

Unfortunately, many in Congress, including much of the leadership of both parties, still don't understand that the United States has entered a new civic political era, demanding new rules of behavior in response to our dire economic circumstances. Even as President Obama expresses the "fierce urgency of now," pointing out that if government does not act soon and vigorously it "will turn a crisis into a catastrophe," Congress still seems unable to put aside the ideological arguments and constant efforts to win partisan advantage that characterized American politics in the era the country has just left.

Congressional Republicans seem to believe that the economy can only be revitalized by tax cuts while Democrats say that only vast federal spending, some of it on the pet projects of Members, will produce economic recovery. As demonstrated by the recent House vote on final passage of the economic recovery bill, in which virtually all Democrats voted against all Republicans, working across party lines remains an elusive dream. Republican Members of Congress seem intent on following the strategy from their ideological battles with President Bill Clinton a decade ago in which the goal was to enforce party discipline in the hope that the President and his party would fail and Republicans could blame the Democrats in the next election. But with the stakes as high as they are now, the GOP should instead be listening to the author of that earlier strategy, Newt Gingrich, who has publicly made it clear that the country cannot afford for Obama’s economic recovery plan to fail.

Meanwhile, Democrats need to learn some new rules of behavior as well. While NDN's Globalization Initiative Chair Dr. Rob Shapiro has correctly noted that the recovery package now before the Senate contains only the "normal quotient of special interest subsidies on both the spending and tax sides -- think of it as a 'congressional tax,'" -- these clearly aren’t normal times. It may be true that, as Rob says, "they really can’t help themselves." But like others recovering from an addiction, Democrats will have to at least try to change their approach to building legislative consensus in this new era, one step at a time. 

The American public clearly sees the distinction between Congress' approach and that of President Obama. A Pollster.com compendium of national surveys indicates that 70 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of President Obama and 63 percent approve of his performance. By contrast, only 17 percent approve of the job Congress is doing, while 78 percent disapprove. More to the point, in a recent Rasmussen Reports survey, a plurality (42 percent) perceives Obama to be governing in a bipartisan manner. By contrast, only half that number believes the same of both congressional Democrats and Republicans (22 percent each).

Of course, there is a way out. Unlike the social issues that dominated American politics during much of the last four decades, the economic and fiscal issues that are the current focus can be bridged with a non-ideological, post-partisan, and pragmatic approach recognizing that each side may have something to offer. If properly targeted, the tax cuts advocated by Republicans should be useful. If aimed at the right mix of projects, the Democratic spending proposals should help the economy in the short run and provide the conditions for growth in the long run. Keeping people in their homes, as both parties seem to advocate, will help families, neighborhoods, and society.

In short, as Rob Shapiro points out the recovery package can be "a useful first step, and one for which NDN has long argued."

Unlike their legislative representatives, the public has moved on from the cultural wars of the last decade. In a late January Pew survey, more than eight in 10 named the economy (85 percent and jobs (82 percent) as top policy priorities for the federal government, significantly above the numbers saying this about any other issue. In a January Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, only seven percent cited “social issues” as an area on which government should focus compared to 21 percent who cited such cultural issues a decade ago. Paul Helmke, The Republican former mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, summed up the historical nature of the shift, telling Naftali Bendavid of the Wall Street Journal, that in a time of war and financial crisis, "people tend to focus on pragmatic issues rather than what the framers meant in 1789."

Throughout our history, major transformations or civic realignments have occurred at a time of intense national crisis that threatens the viability or even existence of the Republic. One such crisis occurred in the mid-19th century when the nation, led by Abraham Lincoln, overcame secession and a civil war to preserve the Union and end the moral blight of slavery. Another took place in the 1930s as America, spurred by Franklin D. Roosevelt, created the governmental institutions that allowed it to overcome the greatest economic downturn in its history and later to overcome the threats of fascism and communism.

The makeovers stemming from these crises change almost everything about U.S. government and politics -- voting alignments, public policy, and the rules by which politicians are expected to act and are judged by the American people (as we recently wrote in our essay, New Rules for a New Era). In the idealist periods before these civic realignments political figures more often than not act as moralists bent on the uncompromising advancement of ideological positions across virtually every policy concern--economic, international, and cultural -- and, more often than not, the public applauds and rewards this behavior. But, after civic realignments, faced with overwhelming and severely threatening crisis, the behavioral expectations and evaluative standards of politicians are altered. The public wants politicians to work across party and institutional lines on a non-ideological basis to produce pragmatic policies that deal with the crisis facing the nation. It's time for the House and Senate to follow the lead of President Obama and the American people and adopt new rules for a new era.

Obama Makes His Case for a New Economic Strategy for America

In the Washington Post today President Obama makes his case:

By now, it's clear to everyone that we have inherited an economic crisis as deep and dire as any since the days of the Great Depression. Millions of jobs that Americans relied on just a year ago are gone; millions more of the nest eggs families worked so hard to build have vanished. People everywhere are worried about what tomorrow will bring.

What Americans expect from Washington is action that matches the urgency they feel in their daily lives -- action that's swift, bold and wise enough for us to climb out of this crisis.

Because each day we wait to begin the work of turning our economy around, more people lose their jobs, their savings and their homes. And if nothing is done, this recession might linger for years. Our economy will lose 5 million more jobs. Unemployment will approach double digits. Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse.

That's why I feel such a sense of urgency about the recovery plan before Congress. With it, we will create or save more than 3 million jobs over the next two years, provide immediate tax relief to 95 percent of American workers, ignite spending by businesses and consumers alike, and take steps to strengthen our country for years to come.

This plan is more than a prescription for short-term spending -- it's a strategy for America's long-term growth and opportunity in areas such as renewable energy, health care and education. And it's a strategy that will be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability, so Americans know where their tax dollars are going and how they are being spent.

In recent days, there have been misguided criticisms of this plan that echo the failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis -- the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can meet our enormous tests with half-steps and piecemeal measures; that we can ignore fundamental challenges such as energy independence and the high cost of health care and still expect our economy and our country to thrive.

I reject these theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change. They know that we have tried it those ways for too long. And because we have, our health-care costs still rise faster than inflation. Our dependence on foreign oil still threatens our economy and our security. Our children still study in schools that put them at a disadvantage. We've seen the tragic consequences when our bridges crumble and our levees fail.

Every day, our economy gets sicker -- and the time for a remedy that puts Americans back to work, jump-starts our economy and invests in lasting growth is now.

Now is the time to protect health insurance for the more than 8 million Americans at risk of losing their coverage and to computerize the health-care records of every American within five years, saving billions of dollars and countless lives in the process.

Now is the time to save billions by making 2 million homes and 75 percent of federal buildings more energy-efficient, and to double our capacity to generate alternative sources of energy within three years.

Now is the time to give our children every advantage they need to compete by upgrading 10,000 schools with state-of-the-art classrooms, libraries and labs; by training our teachers in math and science; and by bringing the dream of a college education within reach for millions of Americans.

And now is the time to create the jobs that remake America for the 21st century by rebuilding aging roads, bridges and levees; designing a smart electrical grid; and connecting every corner of the country to the information superhighway.

These are the actions Americans expect us to take without delay. They're patient enough to know that our economic recovery will be measured in years, not months. But they have no patience for the same old partisan gridlock that stands in the way of action while our economy continues to slide.

So we have a choice to make. We can once again let Washington's bad habits stand in the way of progress. Or we can pull together and say that in America, our destiny isn't written for us but by us. We can place good ideas ahead of old ideological battles, and a sense of purpose above the same narrow partisanship. We can act boldly to turn crisis into opportunity and, together, write the next great chapter in our history and meet the test of our time.

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