Firman Allah Taala: Dan Kami pecah-pecahkan mereka (kaum Yahudi itu) berpuak-puak (yang bertaburan di merata-rata) dunia ini. Di antara mereka ada yang soleh dan di antaranya juga yang tidak demikian. Dan kami uji mereka dengan nikmat pemberian yang baik-baik dan bala bencana yang buruk, supaya mereka kembali (bertaubat). (7: 168) (God Almighty says in the Holy Quran: And We divided them (Jews) throughout the earth into nations. Of them some were righteous, and of them some were otherwise. And We tested them with good (times) and bad that perhaps they would return (to obedience) (QS Al Araf '7: verse 168)
Firman Allah Taala: Dan Kami pecah-pecahkan mereka (kaum Yahudi itu) berpuak-puak (yang bertaburan di merata-rata) dunia ini. Di antara mereka ada yang soleh dan di antaranya juga yang tidak demikian. Dan kami uji mereka dengan nikmat pemberian yang baik-baik dan bala bencana yang buruk, supaya mereka kembali (bertaubat). (7: 168) (God Almighty says in the Holy Quran: And We divided them (Jews) throughout the earth into nations. Of them some were righteous, and of them some were otherwise. And We tested them with good (times) and bad that perhaps they would return (to obedience) (QS Al Araf '7: verse 168)
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The America Invents Act: Turning Ideas into Jobs
Posted by on September 16, 2011 at 12:19 PM EDTThis morning, I had the great honor of watching President Obama sign the America Invents Act at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Alexandria, Virginia—a school named for the first official to issue U.S. patents. This historic legislation will help American entrepreneurs and businesses get their inventions to the marketplace sooner so they can turn their ideas into new products and new jobs.The America Invents Act was passed with President Obama’s strong leadership after nearly a decade of effort to reform the Nation’s outdated patent laws. It will help companies and inventors avoid costly delays and unnecessary litigation, and let them focus instead on innovation and job creation. Many key industries in which the United States leads, such as biotechnology, medical devices, telecommunications, the Internet, and advanced manufacturing, depend on a strong and healthy intellectual property system.As President Obama explained in his 2011 State of the Union address: “We know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time. We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.”On stage with President Obama was a bipartisan group of legislators who came together to pass the most significant reform of the Patent Act since 1836: Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT); Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX); Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA); Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA); and Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC). Today’s bill signing shows that strong bipartisan cooperation is possible. Congress can come together on behalf of the American economy and American innovation.The newly-signed law has a number of important transformations that will build on reforms already underway under the leadership of the US Patent and Trademark Office's dynamic Director David Kappos. The law will give the USPTO the resources to significantly reduce patent application waiting times, building on the great strides the patent office has already made, including reducing its backlog by 75,000 during this Administration even as the number of filings per year has increased.A few months ago, Austan Goolsbee (then Chairman of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers) created a video explaining why reducing the backlog will help get more ideas turned into companies and jobs. The USPTO will now be in a position to implement an innovative program to speed up the processing of the patents that are likely to create good jobs right away. Under the prioritized examination process, the USPTO will offer start-ups and growing companies an opportunity to have important patents reviewed in one-third the time with a new fast-track option that has a guaranteed 12-month turnaround.The program builds on the Green Technology Pilot program that accelerates patent applications involving reduced greenhouse gas emissions and energy conservation — at no cost to the inventor. More than 2,407 petitions have been granted to green technology patent applicants since the pilot began in December 2009, and USPTO has issued a total of 470 patents under the program.Excessive litigation has long plagued the patent system. The America Invents Act will offer entrepreneurs new ways to avoid litigation regarding patent validity, without the expense of going to court, and will also give the USPTO new tools and resources to improve patent quality. The new law also will harmonize the American patent process with the rest of the world to make it more efficient and predictable, and make it easier for entrepreneurs to simultaneously market products in the United States and for exporting abroad.
President Barack Obama examines a robot created in the school’s prototyping and robotics senior research labs at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va., Sept. 16, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
At Thomas Jefferson High School, President Obama also announced some of the additional steps we’re taking to unleash the ingenuity of America’s entrepreneurs. The National Institutes of Health will launch a new center that will help companies reduce the time and cost required to develop life-saving drugs, and is making it easier for startups to commercialize the biomedical inventions made by NIH and FDA researchers. In addition, the Administration will develop a “bioeconomy blueprint” to create jobs and address key national challenges in health, energy, and agriculture.We also know that government cannot do this alone. That’s why 140 university presidents have answered the Administration’s call to action to move research breakthroughs from the lab to the marketplace. We’re also announcing a new prize supported by the National Science Foundation and the Coulter Foundation to reward those universities that make the most progress on accelerating economic growth and job creation.Now more than ever, the jobs of the future will spring from the inventions of today, which will be built on the foundation of a strong and balanced intellectual property system. As President Obama explained today, “We should be encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit wherever we find it. We should be helping American companies compete and sell their products all over the world. We should be making it easier and faster to turn new ideas into new businesses and new jobs. And we should knock down any barriers that stand in the way.”Have questions on the America Invents Act? Today, US Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra will be answering your questions with USPTO Director David Kappos during an Open for Questions event onWhiteHouse.gov. Join us live at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 16th. Here's how it works and how you can participate:- Use the hashtag #WHChat on Twitter to ask your questions on the America Invents Act
- Watch and ask your questions through the White House Live Facebook App
- Tune in live on WhiteHouse.gov/live
Learn more about Economy, TechnologyImproving Economic Opportunities for Women
Posted by on September 16, 2011 at 12:03 PM EDTOn Wednesday, I had the honor of delivering a keynote address at the APEC “Women in the Economy” Summit in San Francisco. This group was comprised of delegates from economies around the pacific region: government officials, entrepreneurs, academics, corporate leaders, and NGOs. It was truly a privilege to be in front of such a prominent gathering of trailblazers, innovators, and leaders, all dedicated to the advancement of women.The Women and the Economy Summit is based around a simple, but profound, idea: when we improve opportunities for women, it will benefit our economy as a whole.If we are going to successfully grow our economy over both the short and long term, we must remove the barriers that still stand between women and economic success. That’s why President Obama has made empowering the world’s women and girls one of the important objectives of his Administration. I’m proud to be part of that effort, as the chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls.Congress Moves Forward on FAA, Surface Transportation Extensions that Keep Jobs; Now Let's Talk about Creating Jobs
Posted by on September 16, 2011 at 11:19 AM EDTEd note: The following is cross-posted from the Department of Transportation blogLast night, the U.S. Senate followed the House and voted to extend authority for the Federal Aviation Administration and our nation's surface transportation programs to continue operating. Passing this legislation keeps hundreds of thousands of men and women on the job. For commuters, truck drivers, and air travelers, it will allow critical road, transit, and airport projects to move forward.Our surface transportation law provides money to the states for thousands of transportation projects currently under construction around the country. The hundreds of thousands of workers on road and transit project job sites across America will all breathe a little easier this weekend without the threat of a shutdown looming over them. And our valuable professionals at the FAA will be able to go about their business of modernizing our airports and researching new and better ways to run the best aviation system in the world.Learn more about EconomyMaking a Digital Promise to our Students
Posted by on September 16, 2011 at 9:07 AM EDTOver the past two decades, technology has dramatically transformed the way we live and work. Yet despite this progress, technology has yet to have a transformational impact in the classroom.I’m a big believer in the promise of learning technologies, and it isn’t just about doing things online that we used to do with pen and paper. Technology can be an extraordinarily powerful tool for helping teachers teach, and for helping students learn. It can provide teachers with powerful new ways of identifying where their students are struggling, and how to reach them before it’s too late.Technology can personalize and accelerate instruction for students of all educational levels, and it provides the capability of reaching students around the country who otherwise would be stuck attending sub-standard schools.Countries around the world are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with learning technologies and are far ahead of the United States in creating the classrooms of the 21st century. Education technology is not a silver bullet for improving the United States' stagnating student achievement, but investing in significant improvements to educational technology has the potential to rapidly advance learning, and to keep Americans competitive.I'm proud to announce that the Obama Administration is taking an historic step in putting the United States on a path to become a leader in educational technology. Today, the U.S. Department of Education launched a new unique public-private partnership entitled Digital Promise.Digital Promise is a bipartisan initiative that is championed by a coalition of educators and business leaders. Digital Promise is an independent nonprofit that will help spur breakthrough learning technologies that transform teaching and learning in and out of the classroom, while creating a business environment that rewards innovation and entrepreneurship.If America is going to continue to succeed in the global economy, it is vital that we transform the use of educational technology. With technology, we can more rapidly increase opportunities for excellence and equity, as well as provide a world-class education for America's students. And that's a promise we need to keep.Read the fact sheet to find out more about Digital Promise.Learn more about Education, TechnologyInnovating our System for Innovation
Posted by on September 16, 2011 at 9:00 AM EDTThe United States is engineered for innovation. Economic competition may be tougher than ever. But whether curing diseases, soaring into an age of flight, or navigating the digital age from the palms of our hands, it is American inventors who have led the world to historic discovery. And in the years to come, these inventors will continue to unleash tidal waves of new jobs in new industries.In order to write the next chapters of growth and remain the world’s chief global competitor, we must embolden our role as the world’s inventive visionaries. We must smartly and immediately invest in the very infrastructure that fosters the American innovative potential.That’s why it’s so exciting that President Obama today is signing the historic Leahy-Smith America Invents Act.I’ve had the unique opportunity to hear directly from store owners, entrepreneurs, and inventors from coast to coast over the past several months. One thing remains certain: there is no shortage of great ideas in America.But there are barriers to getting those ideas off the ground. Reforming the U.S. patent system will enable businesses of all sizes to obtain clearer and more reliable intellectual property rights in a more expedient fashion, so they can attract investments, develop their products, and hire employees sooner.Since the founding of our Nation, well-defined and secure patent rights have enabled creative thinkers to protect their ideas. But in the past 50 years we have seen more technological advancements than in any point in history, with no comprehensive patent reform to keep up. The America Invents Act equips the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to streamline and modernize its operations while strengthening IP protections.For investors, patents are strong indicators of market potential for new companies. And for inventors, they are essential to attracting the venture capital to develop and distribute their products to society. An efficiently operating IP system that processes applications and issues high-quality patents quickly is especially vital to small and new businesses, which create two out of every three new American jobs.By transitioning to a simpler, more objective, and more inventor-friendly system of issuing patents, the new Act helps ensure that independent inventors and small entities have greater clarity and certainty over their property rights and will be able to navigate the patent system on a more equitable footing with large enterprises.The Act also establishes a new in-house review process for challenging patents—a process that is faster and significantly cheaper than litigation, which too often stymies technological growth. By resolving disputes about patent rights earlier, more efficiently, and at lower cost, we can add greater certainty to—and cultivate greater confidence it—the American patent system.That confidence, in turn, will invite more companies to do business in the United States and inspire individuals to work towards the next great medical and technological breakthroughs that will ensure America’s leadership for decades to come.Have questions on the America Invents Act? Today, I'll be answering your questions with USPTO Director David Kappos during an Open for Questions event on WhiteHouse.gov. Join us live at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 16th. Here's how it works and how you can participate:- Use the hashtag #WHChat on Twitter to ask your questions on the America Invents Act
- Watch and ask your questions through the White House Live Facebook App
- Tune in live on WhiteHouse.gov/live
West Wing Week: 9/16/11 or "Pass this Bill"
- Posted by on September 16, 2011 at 12:00 AM EDTWelcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, the President took his American Jobs Act to Richmond, Virginia, Columbus, Ohio, and Raleigh, North Carolina, traveled to all three memorial sites on the 10th anniversary of September 11th, and presented the Medal of Honor to former active duty Marine, Dakota Meyer, for his extraordinary actions in Afghanistan.That's September 9th to September 15th or "Pass This Bill!"
Office Hours 9/15/11 or "Carrier pigeon, have you considered it?": Jason Furman Answers Your Questions on Twitter
Posted by on September 15, 2011 at 7:09 PM EDTContinuing the White House "Office Hours" series, Jason Furman, Principal Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, answered your questions on the American Jobs Act on Twitter. You asked Jason about relief for 99ers, modernizing schools, paying for the Act, and much more. Check out the full Q&A below, or over onStorify.Be sure to follow @WHLive and @WhiteHouse on Twitter for more chances to engage.
Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy Director of the National Economic Council Jason Furman answers Twitter questions on the American Jobs Act during a session of White House Office Hours. September 15th, 2011.Learn more about EconomyFirst Lady Michelle Obama: "Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice"
Posted by on September 15, 2011 at 4:50 PM EDT
First Lady Michelle Obama and a Darden Restaurants chef greet attendees at an Olive Garden restaurant in Hyattsville, Maryland, Sept. 15, 2011. Mrs. Obama and Darden Restaurants were unveiling the company's plans for a comprehensive new health and wellness initiative for menu changes to support the Let's Move! campaign. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
As part of the Let's Move! initiative, this morning First Lady Michelle Obama joined Partnership for a Healthier America, Red Lobster, Olive Garden and other family chains owned by Darden Restaurants to announce acommitment from Darden to reduce calories and sodium in their meals and to provide healthier options in their kids’ menus.In America today, one of every two dollars spent on food is spent in restaurants, and over one-third of calories consumed in America are eaten at restaurants, so providing nutritious choices in restaurants goes a long way in keeping families healthy. At an Olive Garden in Hyattsville, Maryland, the First Lady explained the significance of this announcement:Often, parents assume that when a restaurant offers a separate kids’ menu that the food on that menu will actually be good for their kids. They assume that the portion sizes will be reasonable. They assume that the food will be just as nutritious as food that they prepare for their kids at home.But too often, that’s simply not the case. Research has shown that meals kids eat at restaurants have nearly twice the calories as meals they have at home. And for some options on kids’ menus, they have more than 1,000 calories. One thousand calories -- that’s approaching the recommended daily amount of [calories] that you guys should be eating, right?Learn more aboutWhat You Missed: Open for Questions on Youth and the American Jobs Act
Posted by on September 15, 2011 at 4:36 PM EDTOn Wednesday, September 14th, Ronnie Cho, Associate Director in the Office of Public Engagement, Michael Pyle, Special Assistant to the President, National Economic Council, and Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to the President for Education Policy, answered your questions from Facebook, Twitter, and WhiteHouse.gov on how the American Jobs Act will impact young Americans.Download the fact sheet to learn more about how the American Jobs Act will create opportunity for young Americans or find out more about the American Jobs Act.The questions below are paraphrased from the questions asked by participants during the live chat:Learn more about EconomyAttacks to the Clean Air Act & the False Choice between a Healthy Environment and Healthy Economy
Posted by on September 15, 2011 at 3:39 PM EDTOver the past four decades, the Clean Air Act has proven to be an invaluable tool in our nation’s efforts to reduce dangerous air pollution and promote public health. The track record of the Clean Air Act also shows that strong environmental safeguards and strong economic growth go hand in hand.In fact, the history of the Clean Air Act clearly shows that its benefits – in the form of longer lives, healthier kids, greater workforce productivity and ecosystem protections – have outweighed the costs by more than 30 to 1. And in the time since the Clear Air Act was passed, air pollution has been reduced by more than 60 percent and the Gross Domestic Product of the United States has grown by more than 200 percent.To build on the successes of the Clean Air Act, the Obama Administration has taken the most aggressive steps in a generation to protect the health of American families by reducing harmful pollution. Our actions to date, both historic and comprehensive, include new standards for cleaner, more efficient vehicles, common-sense regulations to curb pollution from power plants and industrial sources and efforts to deploy cleaner sources of energy across the country.Despite the compelling record of the Clean Air Act, some still believe that we cannot clean up pollution, create jobs and grow our economy all at the same time.Just this week, House Republicans voted on two separate bills that would roll back existing Clean Air Act public health protections. Notably, these bills would indefinitely delay the health benefits associated with rules that establish national limits on emissions of toxic air pollution – like mercury – from a variety of sources, including incinerators, industrial boilers and cement plants.Let’s take a closer look at what these bills would mean for American families:H.R. 2250, the “EPA Regulatory Relief Act of 2011”According to EPA’s analysis, this bill would allow up to:- 20,000 additional premature deaths;
- 12,000 additional heart attacks; and
- 123,000 additional asthma attacks that could have been avoided.
H.R. 2681, the “Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011”According to EPA’s analysis, this bill would allow tens of thousands of adverse health effects from particulate matter exposure alone, including up to:- 12,500 additional premature deaths;
- 7,500 additional heart attacks; and,
- 85,000 additional asthma attacks that could have been avoided.
Efforts like these to halt important safeguards for Americans are based on claims we have heard before, claims that EPA standards are harmful to the economy and employment. But based on the Clean Air Act’s forty year history, this Administration rejects the notion that a healthy environment and a healthy economy are two conflicting goals.Families should never have to choose between a job and healthy air, because they deserve both. That’s why we will fight against attempts to weaken and undermine the Clean Air Act moving forward, and continue to build on our strong record of clean air achievements to date.Learn more about Economy, Energy & EnvironmentWhat the People Want to Know About We the People
Posted by on September 15, 2011 at 3:16 PM EDTSince the White House announced We the People, a new way for the public to petition the Obama Administrationon a range of issues, we've been putting the final pieces in place, kicking the tires and getting ready for launch. We're excited, but it’s a little nerve-wracking, nonetheless. Why?We're not quite sure what to expect.We hope to see petitions with a broad range of viewpoints that challenge the Administration – on issues core to President Obama’s priority of creating jobs and restoring the American economy, as well as other topics we haven't publicly addressed in a while (and, yes, some that already have been).Even with all the preparation and thought that's been put into it, we're going to learn a lot more from how the public uses We the People in the first few weeks. What we learn will almost certainly help us improve the platform’s content and functionality, and we may also find that we will need to raise the threshold for responses.Even though we haven’t launched yet, we’re already seeing a number of questions and comments that are worth addressing (thanks in particular to Tim Bonnemann for gathering some). And as a reminder, we’re always keeping an eye on #WHWeb for feedback about the White House’s online program. Here are some of those questions and our responses:Learn more about , TechnologyPresident Obama Awards Medal of Honor to Dakota Meyer
Posted by on September 15, 2011 at 1:30 PM EDT
President Barack Obama awards the Medal of Honor to Dakota Meyer during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Sept. 15, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)President Obama today awarded the Medal of Honor to Dakota Meyer, a former active duty Marine Corps Corporal from Kentucky. Sergeant Meyer was recognized for his courageous actions at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on September 8, 2009. He is the third living recipient - and the first Marine - to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. And at 23, he is also one of the youngest recipients in decades.The President, who first met Meyer when they shared a beer at the White House on Wednesday evening, said that, “in Sergeant Dakota Meyer, we see the best of a generation that has served through a decade of war. “Meyer saved 36 lives during a Taliban ambush in repeated acts of bravery, tales of which the President noted, “will be told for generations:”I want you to imagine it’s September 8, 2009, just before dawn. A patrol of Afghan forces and their American trainers is on foot, making their way up a narrow valley, heading into a village to meet with elders. And suddenly, all over the village, the lights go out. And that’s when it happens. About a mile away, Dakota, who was then a corporal, and Staff Sergeant Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, could hear the ambush over the radio. It was as if the whole valley was exploding. Taliban fighters were unleashing a firestorm from the hills, from the stone houses, even from the local school.And soon, the patrol was pinned down, taking ferocious fire from three sides. Men were being wounded and killed, and four Americans -- Dakota’s friends -- were surrounded. Four times, Dakota and Juan asked permission to go in; four times they were denied. It was, they were told, too dangerous. But one of the teachers in his high school once said, “When you tell Dakota he can’t do something, he’s is going to do it.” And as Dakota said of his trapped teammates, “Those were my brothers, and I couldn’t just sit back and watch.”The story of what Dakota did next will be told for generations. He told Juan they were going in. Juan jumped into a Humvee and took the wheel; Dakota climbed into the turret and manned the gun. They were defying orders, but they were doing what they thought was right. So they drove straight into a killing zone, Dakota’s upper body and head exposed to a blizzard of fire from AK-47s and machine guns, from mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.Coming upon wounded Afghan soldiers, Dakota jumped out and loaded each of the wounded into the Humvee, each time exposing himself to all that enemy fire. They turned around and drove those wounded back to safety. Those who were there called it the most intense combat they’d ever seen. Dakota and Juan would have been forgiven for not going back in. But as Dakota says, you don’t leave anyone behind.For a second time, they went back -- back into the inferno; Juan at the wheel, swerving to avoid the explosions all around them; Dakota up in the turret -- when one gun jammed, grabbing another, going through gun after gun. Again they came across wounded Afghans. Again Dakota jumped out, loaded them up and brought them back to safety.For a third time, they went back -- insurgents running right up to the Humvee, Dakota fighting them off. Up ahead, a group of Americans, some wounded, were desperately trying to escape the bullets raining down. Juan wedged the Humvee right into the line of fire, using the vehicle as a shield. With Dakota on the guns, they helped those Americans back to safety as well.For a fourth time, they went back. Dakota was now wounded in the arm. Their vehicle was riddled with bullets and shrapnel. Dakota later confessed, “I didn’t think I was going to die. I knew I was.” But still they pushed on, finding the wounded, delivering them to safety.And then, for a fifth time, they went back -- into the fury of that village, under fire that seemed to come from every window, every doorway, every alley. And when they finally got to those trapped Americans, Dakota jumped out. And he ran toward them. Drawing all those enemy guns on himself. Bullets kicking up the dirt all around him. He kept going until he came upon those four Americans, laying where they fell, together as one team.Dakota and the others who had joined him knelt down, picked up their comrades and -- through all those bullets, all the smoke, all the chaos -- carried them out, one by one. Because, as Dakota says, “That’s what you do for a brother.”Dakota says he’ll accept this medal in their name. So today, we remember the husband who loved the outdoors --Lieutenant Michael Johnson. The husband and father they called “Gunny J” -- Gunnery Sergeant Edwin Johnson. The determined Marine who fought to get on that team -- Staff Sergeant Aaron Kenefick. The medic who gave his life tending to his teammates -- Hospitalman Third Class James Layton. And a soldier wounded in that battle who never recovered -- Sergeant First Class Kenneth Westbrook.Learn more about VeteransThe Truth about Clean Energy Jobs
Posted by on September 15, 2011 at 11:06 AM EDTEd note: This has been cross posted from energy.govThe Washington Post’s assertions today about the Department of Energy’s loan programs today are both incomplete and inaccurate.Here are the facts: over the past two years, the Department of Energy’s Loan Program has supported a robust, diverse portfolio of more than 40 projects that are investing in pioneering companies as we work to regain American leadership in the global race for clean energy jobs. These projects include major advances for our renewable power industry including the world’s largest wind farm, several of the world’s largest solar generation facilities, and one of the country’s first commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plants. Collectively, the projects plan to employ more than 60,000 Americans, create tens of thousands more indirect jobs, provide clean electricity to power three million homes, and save more than 300 million gallons of gasoline a year, all while investing in American competitiveness. What matters to the men and women who have those jobs is that the investments that this Administration is making are helping to keep factories open and running.When the Washington Post claims that the program has created 3,500 jobs, here is what the reporters are excluding:- 33,000 American auto jobs saved at Ford: The Post article does acknowledge that the program enabled Ford to modernize its factories to produce more fuel efficient vehicles, which a Ford spokeswoman credits for “helping retain the 33,000 jobs by ensuring our employees can build the fuel-efficient cars people want to drive.”
- More than 7,300 construction jobs: Many of the projects funded by the program are wind and solar power plants, which create significant numbers of construction jobs but once built can be operated inexpensively without a large workforce. But the Washington Post chose to ignore all of those jobs. If a community built a new highway or a bridge that employed 200 workers directly during construction – and many more in the supply chain -- and that also strengthened the local economy by making it faster to transport goods, would anyone say that the project created zero jobs?
- Supply chain jobs: While these jobs aren’t reflected in official government estimates because of the difficulty in obtaining a precisely accurate count, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. When a company spends $100 million or $200 million building a wind farm or a solar power plant, most of that economic value actually goes into the supply chain – creating huge manufacturing opportunities for the United States.
In fact, when you look at the Washington Post’s graphic, you can see that the program has already created or saved roughly 44,000 jobs. Many of the projects it has funded are just getting going, and many of the loans won’t even go out the door until the next few weeks. Others have not ramped fully up to scale. But we are on pace to achieve more than 60,000 direct jobs – and many more in the supply chain.Here’s a simple example:Last year, the Department awarded a loan guarantee to build the Kahuku wind farm in Hawaii. It employed 200 workers during construction. Those wind turbines were built in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The project also features a state of the art energy storage system supplied by a company in Texas. The supply chain reached 104 U.S. businesses in 21 states. But by the Washington Post’s count, none of those jobs – not even the 200 direct construction jobs – should count.What’s critically important and completely ignored by the Washington Post, is that the value of this program can’t be measured in operating jobs alone. The investments are helping to build a new clean energy industry here in America. We are now on pace to double renewable energy generation from wind and solar from the time the President took office. Yet we are still in danger of falling behind China and other nations that are competing aggressively for leadership in these technologies. This is a race we can and will win, but only if we make these investments today. These investments will pay dividends not just in today’s jobs but in entire industries and supply chains – and in cleaner air and water for our children and grandchildren.One of the goals of the program is to create projects that will encourage the private sector to take the financing risk on other, similar projects on its own. If we can show, for example, that a commercial scale cellulosic biofuel plant in Iowa can succeed, the private sector will likely finance many more of them around the country.America’s economic strength has been built on technological leadership. The next great technological revolution is the clean energy revolution, and this Administration is committed to making sure that America will continue to lead the world.Learn more about Economy, Energy & EnvironmentOffice Hours 9/14/11 or "Make Voices Heard": Stephanie Cutter Answers Your Questions on Twitter
Posted by on September 14, 2011 at 7:51 PM EDTToday, Stephanie Cutter, Assistant to the President and Deputy Senior Advisor, answered your questions on theAmerican Jobs Act during a session of White House Office Hours. See a transcript of the question and answer below, or over on Storify.If you didn't have a chance to join us live, there are more Office Hours focused on the American Jobs Act this week. Take a look at the schedule and be sure to follow @WHLive for more chances to engage.
Assistant to the President and Deputy Senior Advisor Stephanie Cutter answers Twitter questions on the American Jobs Act during a session of White House Office Hours. September 14th, 2011 (Photo by Mori Rothman)Learn more about Economy17 Years After Violence Against Women Act, Vice President Calls on New Generation to Take Action
Posted by on September 14, 2011 at 7:26 PM EDTLast night, Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden held a reception at the Naval Observatory to celebrate the 17thanniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) being signed into law, as well as call on a new generation to take action to reduce the high rates of violence and assault that continues to threaten young men and women across the country.Speaking before a crowd that included many of the men and women who supported the Vice President’s efforts to see the Act become law on September 13, 1994, the Vice President remarked on how it was VAWA that exposed a “flaw that lay as part of the fabric of American society”– the fact that the mere discussion of violence and abuse being committed against women was considered by many to be taboo.Beyond shattering this notion, the law redefined the way domestic violence is handled through changes in law enforcement, improvements in the criminal justice system and the establishment of shelters and services for victims.Campaign to Cut Waste in Action: $2 Billion Saved
Posted by on September 14, 2011 at 6:53 PM EDTEd note: this article has been cross-posted from the OMB blogWhen he launched the Campaign to Cut Waste in June, President Obama asked the Vice President to take on a new role holding the Cabinet accountable for cutting waste in their agencies to help make government more efficient and responsive to the American people. As a part of that effort, the Vice President today convened the first Cabinet waste reduction meeting and announced over $2 billion in anti-waste measures.In these challenging budgetary times, ensuring that every agency is rooting out waste and saving taxpayer dollars is more important than ever. We have made great strides in the last two years – shrinking contract spending for the first time in 13 years, identifying $3 billion in cost reductions from IT projects across government, and getting rid of property we no longer need and working aggressively to realize the President’s goal of saving $3 billion in real estate costs by the year 2012 – but we must continue to be vigilant and innovative about driving efficiency. That’s why the President and Vice President have made the Campaign to Cut Waste an Administration-wide priority.Learn more about Fiscal ResponsibilityPresident Obama: "Tax Relief for Every Worker and Every Small Business"
Posted by on September 14, 2011 at 6:29 PM EDT
President Barack Obama is shown a piece of cut aluminum during a tour of WestStar Precision, a small business that will benefit from the proposed American Jobs Act, in Apex, N.C., Sept. 14, 2011. With President Obama are, from left, employee Barry Blackman, co-owners, Ervin and Susan Portman, and North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)While in North Carolina today, President Obama met with Erv Portman, the owner of WestStar Precision, a company that creates parts for airplanes and one of the 170,000 small businesses in North Carolina alone that would benefit from the American Jobs Act. The jobs bill that President Obama sent to Congress this weekwill help companies like Erv's by cutting taxes when they hire new employees and raise the salaries of their current employees and by cutting their payroll taxes in half. The President also announced a new policy that will accelerate payments to small business government contractors so they can reinvest that money in the economy and drive job growth.After talking with employees at WestStar Precision, President Obama headed over to North Carolina State University where he was greeted by over 9,000 people who are ready to get the economy moving again, including many students. Here's what the President said:I came to talk about how America can get back to a place where we’re creating good middle-class jobs again -– jobs that pay well; jobs that offer some security; jobs that are available for all the young people who are going to be graduating from N.C. State. Because I know that’s what the students are thinking about. And we can do that if we can finally get Washington to act -– if we can get folks to stop worrying so much about their jobs and start worrying a little more about your jobs.
President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the American Jobs Act in the William Neal Reynolds Coliseum at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., Sept. 14, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)Learn more about EconomyGetting Money to Small Businesses Faster
Posted by on September 14, 2011 at 3:02 PM EDTToday, the President announced a new policy that will accelerate payments to small business contractors so they can reinvest that money in the economy and drive job growth.Small businesses are the primary engine of job creation and job growth across the country. However, in today’s economic climate many face tight budgets and limited resources. With these challenges in mind, last week in his address to Congress the President emphasized the need to take common sense steps to give small businesses the flexibility they need to invest and hire. And that is what we are doing today.The Federal Government pays small businesses nearly $100 billion each year for goods and services. By taking actions that will enable these payments to be made as promptly as possible, we will improve cash flow for small businesses and provide them with a more predictable stream of resources.Learn more about EconomyCabinet Accountability for Cutting Waste
Posted by on September 14, 2011 at 2:35 PM EDTWhen he launched the Campaign to Cut Waste in June, President Obama asked the Vice President to take on a new role holding the Cabinet accountable for cutting waste in their agencies to help make government more efficient and responsive to the American people. As a part of that effort, the Vice President today convened the first Cabinet waste reduction meeting and announced over $2 billion in anti-waste measures.In these challenging budgetary times, ensuring that every agency is rooting out waste and saving taxpayer dollars is more important than ever. We have made great strides in the last two years – shrinking contract spending for the first time in 13 years, identifying $3 billion in cost reductions from IT projects across government, and getting rid of property we no longer need and working aggressively to realize the President’s goal of saving $3 billion in real estate costs by the year 2012 – but we must continue to be vigilant and innovative about driving efficiency. That’s why the President and Vice President have made the Campaign to Cut Waste an Administration-wide priority.Learn more about Fiscal Responsibility
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