Congressman John Garamendi (D-Calif. 3rd District) has a plan that he says will boost the economy and help secure the nation's shores: shipbuilding. Garamendi said the construction of more maritime vessels in America will put the U.S. ahead both economically and with national security.
"We need to have a domestic shipbuilding fleet, and we can do that by using the export of natural gas and oil and require that a small percentage of that export be on American-built ships," Garamendi told Cheddar.
The congressman acknowledges that investing in ships that will use and transport fossil fuels appears to run counter to climate change efforts, but said, "We know for a fact that we're going to be having an oil economy and a natural gas economy for some time into the future." He argued that in the time it takes for America to transition to more renewable energies his plan would not only offer homeland protection but also add jobs domestically.
"If we move to solve the climate crisis, we will create millions of new jobs in America, and if we couple that with shipbuilding and with infrastructure, this economy will boom in the years ahead," he added.
As the U.S. remains in economic crisis amid the coronavirus pandemic, stimulus talks in Congress have continued to stall, and more than 12 million people remain jobless, Garamendi said his plan would provide some relief.
"For every regard, this is a huge jobs program — some 2,000 mariners on those ships that would be exporting oil, as well as the shipyards, which will probably be several thousand jobs in the shipyards," he said.
Much like all the upheaval shaking the world, the huge swings rocking Wall Street may feel far from normal. But, for investing at least, this is normal.
Joe Cecela, Dream Exchange CEO, explains how they are aiming to form the first minority-controlled company to operate an exchange in U.S. history. Watch!
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
