CONTRIBUTOR

REGIONAL PERSPECTIVES / NATIONAL IMPACT

American Solutions

American Solutions

Member For

23 weeks 2 days

BIOGRAPHY

 

We launched American Solutions for Winning the Future, a unique tri-partisan organization designed to rise above traditional gridlocked partisanship, to provide real, significant solutions to the most important issues facing our country.

The breakthrough impact of this organization is driven by its powerful approach:

  • Broad scale engagement of elected officials and candidates of both parties at all levels of government, interested citizens, private sector leaders, reporters, scholars and students.
  • Development of big, breakthrough solutions to the most important issues facing this country, including creating jobs and prosperity, energy independence, protecting workers' rights, reforming education, moving government into the 21st Century and more.  
  • A process to educate, ignite collaboration and implement these solutions across all levels of government with widespread support from citizens.

I serve as General Chairman reflecting my strong conviction in this approach to addressing our nation's problems. Let me explain in more depth why we formed American Solutions.

It is clear America is faced with enormous challenges both at home and abroad. It is equally clear that the current political-governmental system is stuck in pathology of negative ads, short attention spans, gridlocked partisanship and lack of effective solutions that work and can be implemented. This is a big not a small problem. Solving it will require a big not a small solution.

We believe that it is possible to create solutions for America by using the principles that have historically worked in America.
 

We also believe the great increase in productivity and quality we have seen in the private sector over the last 50 years could be applied to create dramatically more effective services in the public sector.

Finally, we believe that the coming explosion in scientific knowledge (four to seven times as much new knowledge in the next 25 years as in the last) will make possible many solutions for learning, for economic productivity, for a better environment, and for a more effective homeland and national security.

Yet faced with these great challenges on the one hand and great opportunities on the other, the political-governmental system is mired in bureaucracy, paperwork, negativity, disorganization and ineffectiveness. We do not believe electing one or two more officials will change this. Neither do we believe politics as usual by either the Democrats or the Republicans will change this. Finally, we do not believe that a campaign focused solely on the White House can change this.

There are 513,000 local, state, and federal elected officials in America. There are candidates for these offices, incumbents in these offices, and staffs sustaining these offices. There are reporters, analysts and scholars who attempt to cover these 513,000 offices. Most if not all would have to be part of a movement for American Solutions to help win the future. That is how America historically has worked.

In addition there are millions engaged as volunteers in non governmental organizations. They can also bring a great deal to bear on developing new solutions and helping implement solutions.

This process of invention, development, education, collaboration and implementation requires a far longer time horizon, a far larger outreach, and a far deeper commitment to learning and implementing than can be found in a narrow political campaign.

If you think the current mess will be fixed by doing more of the same, this approach will not interest you.

If you agree with three principles:

1.      Einstein: "Insanity is when you think that doing more of what you are already doing will lead to a different outcome."

2.      Eisenhower: "When I can't solve a problem I always make it bigger until I can find a solution. I can never find a solution by trying to make it smaller."

3.      "Real change requires real change." Then you will find American Solutions a useful project for improving America's chance to be successful in the next generation.

If you want an America that is safer, more prosperous, healthier, and freer, then American Solutions is a more practical investment in real change than any traditional political project defined by traditional campaign consultants.

If you want to have a role in collaborating, learning, inventing and implementing a new generation of solutions, then American Solutions is a useful place to invest your time and creativity.

I hope you will consider joining this effort to truly help America win the future for our children and our grandchildren through a generation of American Solutions.

Your Friend,

Newt Gingrich - Signature
Newt Gingrich
General Chairman
American Solutions for Winning the Future

 

COMMENTARIES

 
Over 4 Million Jobs "Lost and Dislocated" Since Stimulus Plan Enacted

By American Solutions | 11/06/09

The White House announced last week that the $787 billion stimulus package has "saved or created" more than 1 million jobs. Yet on Friday we learned that unemployment increased to 10.2%, and the number of unemployed Americans rose by 558,000 in October. If you factor in workers who gave up looking or settled for a part-time job, the real unemployment rate--what's known as U6--is an astounding 17.5%. Look out now for even more... read more »


2 Comments | Related Topics »National |

 
Cap and Trade Bill Cleared by Senate Panel without GOP Input

By American Solutions | 11/05/09

Despite a wave of concern about the Senate energy tax not having an accompanying full analysis, Senator Barbara Boxer rammed it through the Environment and Public Works Committee today. Evidently understanding the economic impacts of the bill was not important for Boxer, who refused to wait for the EPA to provide that kind of analysis. Typically, votes in the EPW Committee do not happen unless at least two members of the minority party... read more »


7 Comments | Related Topics »National |

 
Obama's Energy Secretary: What is He Hiding?

By American Solutions | 10/26/09

For eight months, Americans submitted comments to the Minerals Management Service regarding the newest offshore oil and gas leasing program in the Outer Continental Shelf.  Even though the comment period ended over a month ago, MMS has been mum on the breakdown of the results.  Despite claims by Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar that the process for leasing portions of the Outer Continental Shelf for oil and gas would not happen... read more »


1 Comment | Related Topics »National |

 
EPA's Decision Kills Coal Mining Jobs in West Virginia

By American Solutions | 10/25/09

In yet another bizarre turn of events, the Environmental Protection Agency completed an about face on coal by planning to veto a permit for a coal mine in West Virginia. The EPA itself had issued the permit after assessments by the state, the Army Corps of Engineers and... the EPA! The announcement came one day after the EPA's director, Lisa Jackson, said in a hearing before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that the... read more »


6 Comments | Related Topics »National |

 
Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Locks Doors on Republicans

By American Solutions | 10/21/09

It's not hard to argue that government reform is taking a big step in the wrong direction when the Government Oversight & Reform Committee Chairman Ed Towns is doing everything in his power to stop an investigation into sweetheart mortgage deals issued by Countrywide Financial to Sens. Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad. The Ranking Committee Member Darrell Issa has been leading the charge for a formal House investigation, but his efforts have... read more »


3 Comments | Related Topics »National |

 
Obama Grants Preliminary Approval to Shell Oil to Explore in Alaska

By American Solutions | 10/19/09

According to the Anchorage Daily News, the Obama administration has given preliminary approval to Shell Oil to explore for oil in Alaska's Beaufort Sea. Shell will begin operations next year, after obtaining a drilling permit from the Minerals Management Service. Of course, the two leases approved by the administration are less than what Shell had hoped for, thanks to the usual suspect: litigation by environmental extremists. Shell's plan is... read more »


2 Comments | Related Topics »National |

 
Lawsuits Shed Light On "Green Movement" Hypocrisy

By American Solutions | 10/19/09

Supporters of the Energy Tax tell us that it will create new "green jobs" in America, and that massive new investments in wind and solar power will usher in a new "clean energy economy" that puts Americans back to work. Not so fast. Lawsuits in southern California have stalled energy projects throughout the desert, cases which have been brought in part by the Center for Biological Diversity, an organization that... read more »


3 Comments | Related Topics »National |

 
Obama Favors More Oil and Natural Gas Production

By American Solutions | 10/17/09

Yes, you read that correctly. President Obama, during a town hall meeting in New Orleans this week, said that he supports more American energy, which includes developing more oil and natural gas here in the United States. He also said that he wants more nuclear power, in line with France and Japan:   "So what I think we need to do is to increase our domestic energy production. I'm in favor of finding environmentally sound ways to... read more »


5 Comments | Related Topics »National |

 
"Green Jobs" Creation is all Hot Air

By American Solutions | 10/15/09

For the second day in a row, the truth behind the "green jobs" push from Congress and President Obama has come to light: it is not an effective program for job creation. The New York Times reported on a new study by Clean Edge and PayScale that suggests "green jobs" are among the highest paying new jobs created. As the post points out, many lawmakers (including those trying to pass the energy tax in the Senate) are hoping... read more »


2 Comments | Related Topics »National |

 
Senate Hearings on Energy Tax Scheduled for End of the Month

By American Solutions | 10/14/09

According to Politico, the Senate will hold hearings on its version of the energy tax on October 27th.  Those tentatively scheduled to testify include Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Barbara Boxer also plans on marking up the legislation in early November, a process that will include five committees: Finance, Agriculture,... read more »


1 Comment | Related Topics »National |