Another Obama Failure: Green Jobs Program A Bust

M

miles

Guest
Let's see how many typical liberal tactics are used in this thread. I expect to hear crickets.
.................................

A recent lengthy report by Reuters confirms what many conservatives have long known: President Obama's promise to create millions of so-called "green jobs" has been a colossal and expensive failure.

A few highlights from the report:
Since 2009, the wind industry has lost 10,000 jobs, even as the energy capacity of wind farms has almost doubled. By contrast, the oil and gas industry have created 75,000 jobs since Mr. Obama took office.

"A $500 million job-training program has so far helped fewer than 20,000 people find work, far short of its goal." The program was so bad that "the Labor Department's inspector general recommended last fall that the agency should return the $327 million that remained unspent." They didn't. And now, the department "remains far short of its goal of placing 80,000 workers into green jobs by 2013."

According to the Labor Department's own figures, the push for so-called "green jobs" has been an abysmal failure. "By the end of 2011, some 16,092 participants had found new work in a "green" field, according to the Labor Department - roughly one-fifth of its target."

The article also highlights the degree to which Obama's big jobs promises have fallen flat. For example, in 2008, Obama promised that "investing" $150 billion taxpayer dollars would create 5 million jobs over 10 years. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden's past green jobs statements now read like punchlines:
"We'll put nearly half a million people to work building wind turbines and solar panels, constructing fuel-efficient cars and buildings, and developing the new energy technologies that will lead to new jobs," he said at a wind-turbine plant in Ohio the day before he took office.

In December 2009, Vice President Joe Biden said the effort would create 722,000 green jobs.

None of this will come as a surprise to conservatives and Republicans. Indeed, the ream of failed green energy stories is endless. Still, it's encouraging to see a consensus among mainstream media begin to sprout--even if green jobs aren't.
 
Let's see how many typical liberal tactics are used in this thread. I expect to hear crickets.
.................................

A recent lengthy report by Reuters confirms what many conservatives have long known: President Obama's promise to create millions of so-called "green jobs" has been a colossal and expensive failure.

A few highlights from the report:
Since 2009, the wind industry has lost 10,000 jobs, even as the energy capacity of wind farms has almost doubled. By contrast, the oil and gas industry have created 75,000 jobs since Mr. Obama took office.

"A $500 million job-training program has so far helped fewer than 20,000 people find work, far short of its goal." The program was so bad that "the Labor Department's inspector general recommended last fall that the agency should return the $327 million that remained unspent." They didn't. And now, the department "remains far short of its goal of placing 80,000 workers into green jobs by 2013."

According to the Labor Department's own figures, the push for so-called "green jobs" has been an abysmal failure. "By the end of 2011, some 16,092 participants had found new work in a "green" field, according to the Labor Department - roughly one-fifth of its target."

The article also highlights the degree to which Obama's big jobs promises have fallen flat. For example, in 2008, Obama promised that "investing" $150 billion taxpayer dollars would create 5 million jobs over 10 years. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden's past green jobs statements now read like punchlines:
"We'll put nearly half a million people to work building wind turbines and solar panels, constructing fuel-efficient cars and buildings, and developing the new energy technologies that will lead to new jobs," he said at a wind-turbine plant in Ohio the day before he took office.

In December 2009, Vice President Joe Biden said the effort would create 722,000 green jobs.

None of this will come as a surprise to conservatives and Republicans. Indeed, the ream of failed green energy stories is endless. Still, it's encouraging to see a consensus among mainstream media begin to sprout--even if green jobs aren't.

Well, that part is true. He just failed to mention that those jobs were in China.

Ishmael
 
You didn't even know how many government green projects had failed.



Maybe you should listen to someone other...
 
Green energy has its niche...ocean buoys, lighthouses on shoals, yardlites, etc. But the industry is pretty much a luxury cash-cow for well-connected Democrat donors.

Keep in mind that every Solyndra fiasco wastes enough money to fund entire school districts for a whole year. So when Democrat teachers whine about no money, point to green energy.
 
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WHERE THE JOBS ARE: Texas to Play Significant Role in Future U.S. Crude Oil Growth.“The Eagle Ford shale boom has brought tremendous opportunities to South Texas in terms of jobs. For example, an 18-year old high school graduate who can pass a drug test can earn $55,000 a year working in the Eagle Ford, and if they have a commercial driver’s license, they can earn $80,000 a year for a starting salary, said state Sen. Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio).”


Every else is BLOWING HOT AIR
 
WHERE THE JOBS ARE: Texas to Play Significant Role in Future U.S. Crude Oil Growth.“The Eagle Ford shale boom has brought tremendous opportunities to South Texas in terms of jobs. For example, an 18-year old high school graduate who can pass a drug test can earn $55,000 a year working in the Eagle Ford, and if they have a commercial driver’s license, they can earn $80,000 a year for a starting salary, said state Sen. Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio).”


Every else is BLOWING HOT AIR
What a great opportunity for all those illegal aliens.
 
I don't care if green energy initiatives create zero jobs. Countries like China and Germany are investing mega-billions into it with the knowledge that they'll take short-term losses. If we don't do the same then foreign companies will dominate these technologies and leave our companies with no market share. And that's not in our nation's best interest.
 
I don't care if green energy initiatives create zero jobs. Countries like China and Germany are investing mega-billions into it with the knowledge that they'll take short-term losses. If we don't do the same then foreign companies will dominate these technologies and leave our companies with no market share. And that's not in our nation's best interest.

The Chinese are NOT investing mega-millions is green technology. They're building coal fired plants at an unprecedented rate. The Germans are because they've boxed themselves into a corner and are are rapidly on the path of energy dependence on other nations.

Neither wind nor solar will have the ability to service baseline energy needs in the foreseeable future. That will require quantum leaps in storage technology and there is no magic bullet on the horizon there either.

There has been but one relatively small jump in solar technology since the billions spent during the Carter years and that was back in the 90's. It is all incremental now and will be unable to compete with fossil fuels for decades.

Wind is fairly mature now and we are learning that it's not as ecologically friendly as all those scientists told us it would be.

Electrically powered transportation will never be practicable outside of major, and well planned, urban areas. It is absolutely worthless over the greater areas of the nation. (See comments re. storage technology for reason.)

What this administration is doing is artificially forcing the costs associated with the use of fossil fuels higher so as to make the 'green' alternatives more competitive. Fully realizing that they are creating an artificial market that is as doomed to collapse as the derivatives caused the collapse of real estate. And while Obama is mouthing the words "all of the above" his policies are anything but all of the above.

One can only hope it's good riddance to bad rubbish after this Nov.

Ishmael
 
How is the administration pushing up the costs of fossil fuels?

The rest of your post is mostly stuff that's common knowledge.
 
The Chinese are NOT investing mega-millions is green technology.

I didn't say millions. I said billions.


China invested $45.5 billion in clean energy in 2011, causing the country to cede its top ranking in such expenditures to the United States for the first time since 2009.

Even so, China's ambitious goals will continue to make it a clean-energy hub for the world, The Pew Charitable Trusts, a Washington-based research group, said on Thursday.

In 2011, $48.1 billion went into clean energy in the US, a 44 percent increase from 2010, making it the country where the most money was put toward that purpose in 2011. In third place was Germany, where $30.6 billion was invested in clean energy.

"China's overall economic growth rate slowed in 2011, so it is not surprising that investment growth in the clean energy sector also slowed," said Phyllis Cuttino, director of Pew's clean energy program.

But because of the falling prices of solar and wind-energy technologies, the same amount of investment was able to support the use of even more renewable power in 2011, he said.

Despite China's decline in the rankings, the country remains a global hub for clean energy, particularly in its support and use of wind energy and in wind-energy and solar manufacturing. China has the capacity to generate 133 gigawatts of clean energy, accounting for 26 percent of the world total.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2012-04/13/content_15039943.htm

The only reason US investment is as high as it is, is because of $90 billion from the stimulus and a few Obama policies.

How much do you think it should be?
 
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The answer to the jobs problem is pretty simple. Amazingly, both Democrats and Republicans miss the obvious: jobs are gone because of "free" trade.

That giant sucking sound, anyone? :confused:
 
How is the administration pushing up the costs of fossil fuels?

The rest of your post is mostly stuff that's common knowledge.

I didn't say millions. I said billions.




The only reason US investment is as high as it is, is because of $90 billion from the stimulus and a few Obama policies.

How much do you think it should be?

Sometimes it's hard to know where to start.

If all of that is such common knowledge why are we dumping billions of dollars into it? Might as well shovel the money into a furnace.

re. China's billions investment. The overwhelming majority of that money has gone into hydro projects, dams in other words. Something we aren't doing anymore. China IS that largest manufacturer and exporter of solar panels, but anyone familiar with Obama's 'investment' plans knows that. They aren't so big on using them themselves though. There is approx. 150MW of installed solar most of which is NOT grid connected (and is thought to include hot water heating panels). Installed wind is approx. 100GW.

And it's all coming to a screeching halt as China has announced that there will be no more 'blind' investment in wind, solar, or geothermal. Their future energy developments will revolve around nuclear, hydropower, and shale gas essentially giving the big middle finger to the eco-freaks.

How much we should invest would require a hell of a lot more research on my part than I'm willing to devote but as a start ALL developmental targeted research should be defunded immediately. Basic research should continue, albeit at a reduced level with considerably greater review and oversight before research grants are awarded. The concept of throwing a huge bag of money on the table on a yearly basis with a 'must award' mentality is wasteful and has to end.

As far as driving prices up, how about the recension of drilling licenses in the Gulf? (And in quite a few other areas.) Or the new policy regarding licensing on federal lands on the continental land mass? The developer must first apply for a license to drill and then, if they are fortunate enough to find oil or gas, must then apply for a permit to put the well into production, a permit that might be denied for any number of reasons mostly revolving around suits and petitions from the eco-freaks. This has led to many developers to say, "Fuck it, I'm not going to invest in drilling operations and then be subject to denial of the right to exploit a successful venture." Or how about the new "Fraking Commission" that Obama has loaded up with eco-freaks to circumvent the findings that the EPA tried to shove bogus science down the public's throat? How about the renewed war on coal? All of this drives the costs upwards.

As a side note there is also his renewed war on the 'speculators.' It seems to escape him that to engage in the purchase and trade of commodity futures is by definition 'highly speculative.' And that those concerns/individuals that attempt to manipulate said markets are generally rewarded by losing their financial asses. (Anyone remember the Hunt brothers and their attempt to manipulate the silver market?) If Obama truly wants to eliminate the volatility in the oil markets he's going to have to deal with Iran with finality. This is a situation that Obama did not create, but one that he seems highly reluctant to deal with.

Ishmael
 
bro, every time you present him with information that counters his premise, he merely takes his premise to the next thread.



But then, you already know that.

;) ;)
 
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