Can we Survive Two More Months of Bush?

As our current president tries to seal his reputation as the United States most destructive leader by deregulating Protected Species laws in his last months of his reign, our president elect has at least realized that he must take action even before his new job begins. Obama's short radio announcement includes things I have never sincerely heard come from Bush's lips: millions of new jobs, rebuilding of roads and bridges, modernizing schools, and manufacturing hardware for our renewable energy infrastructure.

Bush to Relax Protected Species Rules

Parts of the Endangered Species Act may soon be extinct. The Bush administration wants federal agencies to decide for themselves whether highways, dams, mines and other construction projects might harm endangered animals and plants.

New regulations, which don't require the approval of Congress, would reduce the mandatory, independent reviews government scientists have been performing for 35 years, according to a draft first obtained by The Associated Press.

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said late Monday the changes were needed to ensure that the Endangered Species Act would not be used as a "back door" to regulate the gases blamed for global warming. In May, the polar bear became the first species declared as threatened because of climate change. Warming temperatures are expected to melt the sea ice the bear depends on for survival.

The draft rules would bar federal agencies from assessing the emissions from projects that contribute to global warming and its effect on species and habitats. - ABC News

Obama Announces Economic Stimulus Plan To Create 2.5 Million Jobs

President-Elect Barack Obama has revealed plans to pursue a massive economic stimulus program by creating 2.5 million jobs and spending as much as $700 billion to improve the nation’s infrastructure. Obama unveiled the plan on Saturday during the weekly Democratic radio address.

President-Elect Barack Obama: "I have already directed my economic team to come up with an economic recovery plan that will mean 2.5 million more jobs by January of 2011. A plan big enough to meet the challenges we face that I intend to sign soon after taking office. We’ll be working out the details in the weeks ahead but it will be a two-year nationwide effort to jump-start job creation in America and lay the foundation for a strong and growing economy. We’ll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernising schools that are failing our children and building wind farms and solar panels, fuel-efficient cars and the alternative energy technologies that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our economy competitive in the years ahead. These aren’t just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis, these are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long.” - Democracy Now!