(S. Wilson & D. Nakamura/Washington Post)
President Obama warned the nation Tuesday that the decades-old promise of a secure and rising middle class is under threat because of growing disparities between the rich and everyone else in America.
In an election-year State of the Union message that will likely serve as the template for the months of campaigning ahead, Obama outlined a series of steps that he believes will reinforce the tentative economic recovery, including proposals to eliminate tax incentives for companies to move jobs overseas, to make college more affordable and to expand help for credit-worthy homeowners looking to refinance mortgages at historically low interest rates.
(Full coverage at Washington Post)
Obama tells Congress he wants “all of the above” energy strategy (Fuel Fix)
President Obama made the case Tuesday night for producing more of the United States’ energy supplies domestically in pursuing an “all-of-the-above” approach to further bolster the economy and national security.
He said his administration would open most of the nation’s offshore oil-and-gas resources for development, continue supporting shale-gas production and put more renewable-energy projects on federal lands.
But he also made requests of Congress. He repeated his unsuccessful call last year for a mandate on clean power sources and asked Congress to pass tax incentives for cleaner energy sources while rolling back subsidies for fossil fuels.
(See more at Fuel Fix)
OTHER HEADLINES:
- Crews Work to Minimize Storm Impact (KTRK 13 News)
- College Students Now Have Until Jan. 31 to Show Proof of Vaccination (Houston Chronicle)
- Fired BP Worker Says He Was Asked to Fake Spill Data (Fuel Fix)
- HISD Undergoing Intensive School Food Audit This Week (Houston Chronicle)
- Texas’ Charitable Giving Spikes in 2011 (Houston Business Journal)
OPINIONS OF NOTE:
- How Houston Can Remain The World’s Energy Capital: Embrace Wind & Solar Now (Houston Culture Map)
- Future of our Community Lies in Improving Education (Houston Chronicle)