Obama taps labor economist for top White House job

Alan Krueger stands by as he President Barack Obama, not seen, announces him as as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Monday, Aug. 29, 2011, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Alan Krueger stands by as he President Barack Obama, not seen, announces him as as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Monday, Aug. 29, 2011, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama shakes hands with Alan Krueger after announcing his choice of Krueger to become chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Monday, Aug. 29, 2011, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama announces that Princeton University labor economist Alan Krueger, left, has been named as top White House economist. during a statement in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Monday, Aug. 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Facing a public deeply dissatisfied with his handling of the economy, President Barack Obama on Monday tapped a prominent labor economist to join his cadre of advisers and help steer a fall jobs agenda that will be critical to the president's re-election bid.

In nominating Alan Krueger as chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Obama gains an economist with expertise in the labor market and unemployment, a key drag on the U.S. economy and Obama's presidency. Krueger, a former Treasury Department official and Princeton University economist, has advocated for hiring tax credits for businesses and increased government spending on infrastructure, two programs Obama aides are considering proposing this fall.

His appointment also caps a wholesale makeover of Obama's economic leadership team during the past year. Several high-ranking advisers, including Lawrence Summers, Christina Romer and Austan Goolsbee, have all left the administration, leaving Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner as the only top official remaining from the president's original economic team.

Obama has often reached within his administration's ranks to fill vacant posts on the economic team, and Krueger is no exception. Though he spent last year at Princeton, he served as assistant secretary for economic policy at the Treasury Department during the first two years of Obama's administration.

Gregory Mankiw, a former CEA chairman under President George W. Bush and long-time acquaintance of Krueger, said Obama's new nominee has a reputation as an analytic, data-driven economist, not as a champion for many specific policy initiatives. While Mankiw said he believes Krueger is highly-qualified for the post, he doesn't expect him to push the administration in any new directions when it comes to tackling the nation's economic and unemployment woes.

"This is more of a continuity appointment rather than a move-in-a-new-direction appointment," said Mankiw, now an economics professor at Harvard University. "I don't think the president wanted a change. He's keeping the basic structure of the team in place."

White House spokesman Jay Carney brushed off questions Monday about whether Krueger would bring any fresh job creation ideas to the White House, saying only that the president's nominee was the best person for the job.

"He's an excellent economist whose particular skills are more relevant than ever in the economic environment we find ourselves in," Carney said. "His expertise in the labor market is particularly relevant as we focus on the need to grow the economy and increase job creation."

Obama announced Krueger's nomination at a Rose Garden ceremony Monday morning and said he would rely on the economist for unvarnished guidance, not partisan political advice.

"That's more important than ever right now," Obama said. "We need folks in Washington to make decisions based on what's best for the country, not what's best for any political party or special interest."

If confirmed by the Senate, Krueger will join a White House grappling for ways to boost sluggish economic growth and bring down an unemployment rate stuck stubbornly above 9 percent. Republican presidential hopefuls are traveling around the country, campaigning hard for the GOP nomination by focusing squarely on Obama's handling of the economy. And an already anxious public is growingly increasingly frustrated.

A new Associated Press-GfK poll shows that 63 percent of Americans disapprove of Obama's handling of the economy. Approval of his economic performance stands at just 36 percent, his worst approval rating on the issue in AP-GfK polling.

Obama has promised to outline a new round of jobs initiatives next week. But it's unclear whether anything he proposes could improve the economy short-term.

The president has already called for an extension of a payroll tax cut that expires at the end of the year and to continue jobless benefits. Aides are considering other measures, including tax incentives for businesses to hire and direct infusions of government money into construction projects.

Obama has also said he intends to call for additional long-term deficit reduction to help pay for the short-term spending his proposals would require.

He said Monday that his jobs initiatives will be "the kind of proposals that everybody can get behind, no matter what your political affiliation might be."

The White House said Krueger would not play a role in shaping the proposals Obama will outline next week because his nomination will still be awaiting confirmation.

Krueger is likely to become an important public face for the administration on the economy. Both Romer and Goolsbee, Obama's two previous CEA chairs, were frequent spokesmen for the president, appearing on television and at White House events to promote the president's policies.

The CEA is a three-member panel created in 1946 to analyze and interpret economic development, as well as recommend economic policies. Council members typically come from academic, not political, backgrounds.

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Associated Press writer Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.

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Julie Pace can be reached at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2011-08-29-White%20House-Economic%20Adviser/id-ea283b0d9faa4aa4ae9151b5fec88b62

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Obama: The catastrophe president

NASA

Hurricane Irene

By the end of August 2011, President Barack Obama had already made 181 FEMA disaster declarations, solidly smashing the record 157 declarations made by Bill Clinton in 1996.

For some on the right, it's all about the relentless expansion of Big Government -- the "federalization of fairly routine disasters," as Matt Mayer, the president of the conservative think tank Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, wrote in a blog post for the Heritage Foundation website.

We can leave it to residents of Vermont to decide whether the flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene qualifies as "routine" or not, but there's also another explanation: 2011 has been a banner year for disasters, period. By mid-year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2011 was already one of the most extreme -- and costly -- years on record. And that was before Hurricane Irene.

From Scientific American:

Just shy of the halfway mark, 2011 has seen eight $1-billion-plus disasters, with total damages from wild weather at more than $32 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Agency officials said that total could grow significantly, since they expect this year's North Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1, will be an active one.

And what holds for the U.S. is equally true for the globe:

From MSNBC:

Natural disasters across the globe have made 2011 the costliest on record in terms of property damage, and that's just six months in, according to a report released Tuesday by a leading insurer that tracks disasters....

The first six months saw $265 billion in economic losses, well above the previous record of $220 billion (adjusted for inflation) set for all of 2005 (the year Hurricane Katrina struck), according to Munich Re, a multinational that insures insurance companies.

Earthquakes and tsunamis aside, Munich Re has a pretty straightforward theory to explain what's going on:

"It can only be explained by global warming," said Peter Hoppe, who runs the company's Geo Risks Research/Corporate Climate Center.

If global warming explains the rising incidence of extreme weather events and correlated FEMA disaster declarations, the U.S. government is headed for more budget trouble in years ahead. House Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor made waves this week when he demanded that any government spending on disaster relief be met by offset cuts elsewhere in the federal budget. If Republicans hold to this line in the future, than the increasing costs associated with future extreme weather events will require a steadily shrinking government spending on other priorities.

No wonder the right doesn't want to take any action to stop climate change -- it's the killer app for wiping out Medicare and other entitlements!

Source: http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2011/08/30/obama_the_disaster_president/index.html

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RV Converters | Automotive Electrical

Just when I thought we thoroughly covered RV electrical systems I get another good question about something I failed to discuss in my previous articles. I received one of these good questions the other day and thought there would be many other RVers who would like to hear the answer.

Question: In one of your previous articles you list the RV converter as drawing 5 amps. Since, I believe, the converter is operating any time you plug into a 120 volt AC system (30 Amp), does this mean that in reality you only have 25 amps to work with (30 minus 5 = 25, and not considering clock draws, etc.)? I am developing an electric amp chart to hang inside a cabinet and I need to resolve this question as this would make a significant difference.

First of all let?s talk briefly about what your RV converter does. When you plug your RV into an electrical source, or when you use the onboard generator, the converters job is to reduce 120 volts AC down to 12 volt DC to supply power to all of the 12 volt appliances and accessories in the RV. If you weren?t plugged into an electrical source your RV battery(s) would supply the power to all of the 12 volt appliances and accessories in the RV. The converter basically prevents your RV battery(s) from draining when you?re plugged in.

There are two types of amperage draw concerning your RV. The AC amps we are using and the DC amps we are using. I?ll try to explain. When you plug your RV into an electrical source and use 120 volt appliances like the roof air conditioner, the microwave and a TV you are drawing amps from the available supply at the campground, usually 30 or 50 amps depending on your RV electrical system and the electrical supply you are plugged into. When you?re plugged into an electrical source and you use DC appliances and accessories like fans, lights, pumps or the TV antenna booster you are drawing amps from the converter. Are you more confused now than when we started? Let?s try wording this a little different.

Let?s say you plug your RV into a 30 amp electrical supply and you only use 120 volt appliances. You?re using available amps from the 30 amp electrical supply for whatever 120 volt appliances are running, but the converter is drawing almost 0 amps because you?re not using any DC accessories. It will use a small amount for items like the LP gas leak detector, clocks or maybe an aisle light, but not enough to really affect the amperage you are plugged into.

Your RV converter is rated for a certain amperage i.e. 30 amps, 45 amps, 55 amps. In other words a 45 amp converter is capable of running 45 amps worth of 12 volt appliances in the RV. When your RV converter is working at its maximum capacity, which in this case is producing 45 amps for 12 volt appliances and accessories, it is drawing around 5 amps out of the 30 amps available from the campground electrical supply.

Let?s say you?re plugged in and you?re using a couple of 12 volt overhead lights (2 amps) and a ceiling fan (4 amps). In this case your converter is drawing very little from the campgrounds 30 amp electrical supply. In another scenario let?s say you?re using a lot of 12 volt overhead lights (8 amps), you?re running the furnace fan (11 amps), water pump (4 amps), 12-volt television (5 amps), range hood fan (2.5 amps), and the battery is being charged by the converter charger (3 amps). Now, when the converter is running close to its full capacity it draws the full 5 amps from the campgrounds 30 amps, leaving you with 25 amps for other 120 volt appliances and accessories. As you can see it?s unlikely that all of this would be happening at one time. The bottom line is the converter amperage draw will fluctuate depending on the 12 volt demand placed on it.

Another question I was asked was; I know my converter is also a battery charger so why won?t it bring my discharged batteries back to a full charge? RV converters do provide a charge to your RV house batteries, but only a small portion of the converters amperage rating is used for this. Normally 3 to 5 amps, which are not nearly enough to charge batteries that are discharged.

The converter battery charger is designed to keep the house batteries topped off with this trickle charge. Another problem with older RV converters is they charge at a fixed voltage in the range of 13.5 volts. If your batteries are fully charged this can be too much for a float charge and over time it will deplete the water level in the batteries cells. This is why it?s important to check the water level in your batteries on a regular basis, especially when you leave the RV plugged in for extended periods of time. You need a three stage charger that can provide a bulk charge then an absorption charge and finally a float charge. Newer RV converters on the market are capable of charging the batteries this way.

Now, to help you out with your amp chart I am including some typical amperage draws for appliances and accessories commonly used in RV?s. Keep in mind I?m not an expert on electricity by any stretch of the imagination. This is just a basic guide to assist you in how many amps you are using at any given time. If you need to know exact amperage ratings you can check the data plate on any motors, appliances or electronic equipment you are using. If you can?t locate a data plate with this information check the appliance or electronic equipment owner?s manual. This information might provide wattage requirements rather than amps. Here are a couple of simple formulas to help you convert some common electrical terms.

Wattage % Volts = Amps
Amps X Volts = Wattage

One other thing to keep in mind is many RV appliances require more amps to start the appliance than they do to run the appliance. A roof air conditioner can draw 16 amps to start, but may only use 13 amps once it is running.

120 Volt AC Amp Ratings:

Appliance or Electronic Equipment Estimated Amps

Air Conditioner (X number of A/C) 12-16 Amps

Blender 5-6 Amps

Coffee Maker 5-8 Amps

Compact Disc Player 1 Amp

Computer (Laptop) 2-3 Amps

Converter 1-5 Amps

Crock Pot 1-2 Amps

Curling Iron

By: Mark Polk

Source: http://www.pearlstreetjazzband.com/automotive/rv-converters

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