Green Jobs – Just a Lot of Talk?
As Autumn shows itself in some parts of our country by fading green leaves which briefly change color and then become dry and crumbly, sadly the “green jobs” that President Obama and many jobless Americans had hoped for seem likely to be met with the same fate. Those in the “know” do not expect the concept of a transformation in the energy sector which will in theory create jobs to ever come to fruition. It is not simply an American problem either as other countries have also seen lack luster results from attempts to bring “green jobs” into bloom.
The promise of green jobs and the lack of delivery on the promise has lost the President support from both Democrats and Republicans alike. Former MA Governor Romney at the GOP debate is quoted as saying that Mr. Obama “keeps talking about green jobs. Where are they? Let’s have real jobs.”
Rep Maxine Waters, a Democrat from CA was recently heard to say that green jobs “have been more about a lot of talk, and not a lot has been happening on that.”
What is the President’s place in all this? One can only note what is NOT being said. As he addressed a joint session of Congress on Sept 8, 2011, he made NO talk on green jobs. This is not surprising with the string of solar energy companies filing for bankruptcy and the numbers of jobs being eliminated at these companies; companies which are said to often be reliant on government loans and stimulus packages. Will loans be paid? Was stimulus money used wisely? Will American tax payers be left with a bigger financial burden in an economy where so many are underemployed or completely without jobs?
What is being talked about? Who has a right to rely on government money and who does not. Also being discussed who is “ripping off” the government and ultimately the tax payers, and who is not. There is also much talk of how one is to define “green jobs” in the first place. It’s a numbers game. It’s a sea of papers, spreadsheets, charts, and graphs. Each claiming to be “the answer” and all contradictory.
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