I don't have the answers yet, but I have learned enough to be dangerous, and ask better questions..

Here's the rousing call for the 2008 election:

"It's the GREEN economy, stupid."

All Republicans and non-Republicans, take a note.

(I separate these two groups this way because as near as I can tell, Democrats have positioned themselves as 'me too' Republicans - Elephants are for homeland security, booming economies, and are against terrorism - well, um, hey! We are too!)

The way back to prosperity, the way out of the global warming mess, and the way forward for this country is to fully launch the Green Economy. Not the economy where you print money for supply-side economics. No, I am proposing a new economy, where we green over the United States, and take it down from its current standing of generator of 35%+ of the world's greenhouse gasses, much more than China and all of Europe. It's time for the leadership in this country to be effin' responsible for a change, and to start thinking about how we are going to sustain ourselves in the future.

And it ain't gonna' be on coal and oil, I can tell you that.

If Democrats, Libertarians, or Greens, or Republicans want to win in 08, then the rallying cry has to be on how we explode open our economy with incredible opportunities in renewable energies. That is all there is to it. We don't want the party of brown skies, polluted oceans, and sky-high gas prices. That's not for us.

We want a healthy, green, thriving country and a healthy, green, thriving economy.

I propose that new housing developments MUST be on solar and wind power, or won't be allowed. I propose that we stop damning rivers and firing up coal and nuclear plants, and instead invest in the giant windmills, each of which can power more than 200 homes. Somebody's got to manufacture all the solar panels and windmills we need. Currently, Germany has the lead on the windmills and turbines. Why not do it here? Let's get all those closed-down defense and manufacturing plants, and open them back up to manufacture solar panels, wind turbines, windmill blades, biodiesel conversion kits, and recycling facilites.

We've got biodiesel going like crazy in the midwest. Great! Convert all government and trucking fleets over to it, and make that much fuel production domestic. Venezuela took the lead in that - they are completely self-sufficient in producing their own diesel. Why couldn't we be? Plus, biodiesel emits far less Carbon Dioxide and particulate matter than regular diesel. Instead of paying farmers not to plant, while Africa starves, instead of paying them to have fallow fields, turn them over to the cultivation of soybeans for biodiesel.

Now.

Why couldn't electric cars be the norm in localities? Or bicycles? If you have a one hour commute, I hear your complaint. But mandatory 'work from home' days 2 days a week at least need to be the new norm.

There are new types of housing going up on the West Coast that could explode open an economy just in green building. Communties are built around a central large lawn, where all children can play freely. They are solar-powered, and generate more power than they use. They landscape for the surrounding area, with cactus gardens in the Southwest, and evergreens in the Northwest. They use minimal water, and reuse the water on the garden and trees. They park their cars at the edge of the development and bike around or drive golf carts so that children and pets are safe.

THIS is the kind of community housing developments we need. Not enormous buildings that hog power and create towers of misery.

Refuse to buy products unless they are organically grown, made of hemp, or made from recycled materials. Refuse to buy products than can't be recycled. This forces manufacturers to get creative and figure out better ways of doing things.

Convert your truck or SUV to biodiesel, or ethanol. It's insane to drive something getting 17 mpg. It's not even the mileage - it's the emissions. You should be ashamed of yourself if you have something that's a heavy polluter. We should shame you. It should be perfectly legal to throw eggs on Hummers, spray paint epitaths over Suburbans, and tip over your land yachts. You're throwing HUGE emissions into the air thanks to that loophole that classifies SUVs as trucks, and lets them pollute irresponsibly. The SUV should become the poster child for a bad citizen, an uncaring citizen, a greedy and disgusting sky-browning citizen.

All the other G8 countries have better mandated fuel economy than ours. Manufacturers can figure out how to produce cars that go 40-50 mpg. Ask Toyota and Honda. Get the hybrid factories up and cranking.

It's time for a new boom economy, but not one fueled on big oil, or crazy hazy internet ideas like Cooking.com. Get that green economy up and cranking. It's time for the US to lead again, and this time, the rallying cry is for full employment, rapid development, and massive exportation of the greenest technologies the world has ever seen.

In the sixties, we did everything possible to get a person on the moon, and the effort spawned huge technological advances that pushed our industries out for decades. The 2000's are the time for consciousness, for restoring the Earth's atmosphere, and for creating the technologies that will keep the planet livable for generations. Why shouldn't we lead the way? Why shouldn't our economy benefit and share that benefit with the whole world?

Why aren't our leaders already doing this?

Better yet, why don't we force them to? Let's make it loud and clear that we won't stand for any more of the 'old brown economics'. Those economics destroy the planet and are bathed in the blood drawn in wars. We want the new economy, one of consciousness, environmental restoration and protection, expansion....and we want it green.