Green Energy Jobs? Not From Obama's Big Government Meddling

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Let's get creative and manifest a way for the government to create jobs...for example: Speaking of jobs... worker own coops have been around for years...and now, the UN has declared 2012 as year of the coop..the time to development worker owned manufacturing cooperatives to create jobs all across this nation is now...the resources to design and guide the development of coops exists across the planet...there are localized organizations capable of managing the development of the appropriate cooperatives...what is needed is national leader(s). A leader to utilize the inherent qualities of worker owned manufacturing coops to manifest a national movement to create jobs for the low and middle class working class, a movement designed to return manufacturing jobs to America and to strengthen democracy as the movement naturally shifts the focus of jobs in America from corporations to cooperatives

herb of OR 11:11PM December 26, 2011

The ironically-named Kenneth Green does a poor job in this article. I would like to have seen deeper research and more incisive analysis. The subject is fascinating but the treatment failed herein. Reader Marc Fountain is on the right track.

CLR of CA 12:24PM August 16, 2011

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/02/solyndra-obama-biden-stimulus-waste.html

Dan of MD 1:06PM February 27, 2011

The only reason the economics don't always work yet for green jobs and the green economy is that externalities associated with "traditional" i.e non-green jobs in Ken Green's lexicon aren't priced into the cost of doing business. Digging up and burning coal damages the environment and depletes a non-renewable resource. Is the cost of those damages to a common good paid for by the mining company, the utility or the end-user? No. The costs are ignored; born by all of us collectively as damage/pollution and as future unavailable resources. As one of the few powerful guardians of the common good, the government has a responsibility to price these damages into the cost of doing business for the non-green companies. The green economics will work just fine if all of these costs are included.

Marc Fountain of CA 9:41PM April 15, 2010

NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/46261.pdf) and other reputable sources (http://greeneconomypost.com/debunk-spanish-study-green-jobs-1582.htm & http://www.tnr.com/topics/gabriel-calzada) have openly questioned Gabriel Calzada Alvarez' "research," which is based off a UNPUBLISHED working paper, and off of QUESTIONABLE METHODOLY.
Of course Mr. Kenneth Green uses Calzada's dubious claims as his MAIN ARGUMENT, conveniently ignoring the fact that Calzada "is reportedly a FOUNDING MEMBER of the Prague Network, which, according to Radio Prague, is 'an international grouping of institutions aimed at countering panic connected with global warming,' or that Calzada is reportedly a fellow at the Centre for the New Europe, an organization that has reportedly RECEIVED FUNDING FROM EXXONMOBIL." http://mediamatters.org/research/200904150032 (emphasis added)
People really need to do some research before taking any of these loons for their word.

Luis of CA 8:24PM March 02, 2010

I'm so happy to see someone put this out for people to read."Green Jobs" is no more than a major scam!! Hasn't Al Gore made enough money on this scam? Now the goverment wants in on it to tax us even more and have more control over how we live our lives.
If they were seriuos about getting people back to work,getting states out of debt and getting this country off of foreign oil we would develope our own resourceses.
Build new clean power plants,coal,nuke,hydro,nat.gas,and don't say we can't Americans are darn sure smart enough.Build more refineries.
Imagine if Calif.developed it's resourceses and sold them,jobs for the state,revenue to Calif.instead of another country.Almost not almost every state the country as a whole would benifit..
We are being held hostage by a few politicans and special intrests (enviromentalist)for either higher taxes or their agenda.AS WE AS A NATION FALL FURTHER BEHIND!!!

Hunter of WI 10:41PM March 01, 2010

The government spends money, they do not create wealth.
What they spend is created by private industry.
There is not a quantum leap only the evolutionary changes. Changes do not come from a government that can not get smaller, and spend less under the current administration.

Winston of CA 10:48AM February 25, 2010

China will surpass Americain the next 10 years because China is developing fastly.

dfde 10:12PM February 24, 2010

Funny how all you critics don't address Green's merits but rather attack his organization and funders. I'm sure you all also think the Soros/Gore funded orgs are credible sources of information. How about dealing with the facts instead of always simply launching ad hominem attacks as if that settles the argument?

Matt of PA 5:40PM February 24, 2010

Wow, Kenneth Green of the ExxonMobil-funded American Enterprise Institute thinks the creation of green jobs is a myth. I'm shocked! Shocked!
And I'm even more shcoked that he cites the long-debunked Calzada study, which (surprise) was also funded by ExxonMobil. See http://greeneconomypost.com/debunk-spanish-study-green-jobs-1582.htm.

Bill W of CA 12:35PM February 23, 2010