New Jobs That Can Save the U.S.: Opinion

Between nuclear power, solar power, natural gas replacing coal-fired power plants and gasoline and heating oil, our asthma rates and other respiratory illness rates should decrease dramatically, and we should see a huge reduction in smog.

4. Natural gas costs much less per mile than gasoline does. I suggest that the federal government impose an equalization tax on natural gas used as a vehicle fuel to fund the maintenance of infrastructure and the creation of new infrastructure. I would like to see the construction of several high-speed railways. In addition, we should use some of the infrastructure money to fund basic research in alternative fuels.

Here are my proposed high speed rail routes:

• Boston to Miami
• New York to Chicago to Los Angeles
• San Diego to Seattle
• San Antonio to Chicago
• Jacksonville to San Diego

5. After we have developed a smart grid for electric power and switched to cleaner sources of energy, we could start to dismantle some of our hydroelectric dams that have had unintended negative environmental consequences.

6. The last part of my plan is a real shocker. I suggest that we use our now obsolete refineries to export heating oil and gasoline to the rest of the world and to become a net exporter of petroleum products including crude oil. This will help with our trade deficit and our current account deficit.

In closing, I want to say that all of the above is possible. The plan will result in better air quality and tens of millions of new good jobs that will last for several generations. The jobs cannot be outsourced. The plan will solve our angst over the illegal aliens and future immigration as well. The U.S. will emerge in 10 years as again the most powerful country on earth economically and militarily. We will have fixed America together, and we will be healthy, wealthy and wise together.

One last thing, I would abandon new wind power. Wind mills kill birds and are unsightly; they make noise and require lots of maintenance; and they are located in remote areas, which requires unsightly transmission lines.

>To order reprints of this article, click here: Reprints