Posted on 01/26/2009 10:01:29 AM PST by Lorianne
The stimulus plan will create jobs repairing and upgrading the nation's roads, bridges, ports, levees, water and sewage system, public-transit systems, electricity grid, and schools. And it will kick-start alternative, non-fossil based sources of energy (wind, solar, geothermal, and so on); new health-care information systems; and universal broadband Internet access.
It's a two-fer: lots of new jobs, and investments in the nation's future productivity.
But if there aren't enough skilled professionals to do the jobs involving new technologies, the stimulus will just increase the wages of the professionals who already have the right skills rather than generate many new jobs in these fields. And if construction jobs go mainly to white males who already dominate the construction trades, many people who need jobs the most -- women, minorities, and the poor and long-term unemployed -- will be shut out.
What to do? There's no easy solution to either dilemma. But there's no reason to think about "green jobs" as simply high-tech. Many low-income and low-skilled workers -- women as well as men -- could be put directly to work providing homes and businesses with more efficient and renewable heating, lighting, cooling, and refrigeration systems; installing solar panels and efficient photovoltaic systems; rehabilitating and renovating old properties, and improving recycling systems. "Green Jobs Corps" teams could be trained to evaluate and advise homeowners and businesses on these and other means of conserving energy.
People can be trained relatively quickly for these sorts of jobs, as well as many infrastructure j0bs generated by the stimulus -- installing new pipes for water and sewage systems, repairing and upgrading equipment, basic construction -- but contractors have to be nudged both to provide the training and to do the hiring.
I'd suggest that all contracts entered into with stimulus funds require contractors to provide at least 20 percent of jobs to the long-term unemployed and to people withincomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. And at least 2 percent of project funds should be allocated to such training. In addition, advantage should be taken of buildings trades apprenticeships -- wich must be fully available to women and minorities.
“Green Jobs Teams” are going to advise homeowners? Is this manditory?”
The started doing something like this in Venezuela early on Chavez’ rule. He would send “advisors” to homes to change lightbulbs to fluorescent lamps, and the assistant bulb changer would take note of the contents and composition of the home. In effect, conducting a census.
This is real, folks.
I posted this comment:
________________________________________________________
#1. This is only reverse racism, but directly racist in that it assumes that Blacks and other minorities cannot possibly be highly skilled.
#2. Infrastructure jobs take two to four years to get through:
a. Federal Funding,
b. State Specification & Proposal
c. State Application
d. Federal Approval
e. Transfer of Funds
f. Job Scope Development
g. Generation of the Design Bid Package
h. Reproduction and Issue of Bid Package
i. Time for Contractors to Generate and Turn In Bids
j. Tab the Bids
k. Conditioning Meetings for Finalists
l. Award the Bid
You are now at the design phase and still about a year plus away from the first shovel going into the ground.
The proposed infrastructure spending would stimulate the 2013 economy...
Just change your last name by adding "ez" on the end, and you're ready to go!
Is there any difference between the Repubs and the Dems on this? Seems to me that the Repubs were the biggest pushers of 'Globalism'. Sadly, I don't see any change in the 'Free Trade' policies we have in this country.
I've seen the IT dept. in my former company completely outsourced to India - the only remaining IT people here in the US are H1B visa guys. Locally, this involved about 200 people but nationwide, for the company who bought us (and implemented this change) we are talking thousands of lost jobs for Americans. The company is retail and depends on American dollars - although they laid off Americans. :-(
Same thing here. IT totally outsourced to India (after we trained them and wrote all the documentation) - all IT who remain on US soil are H1-b visa employees who mostly work for Indian companies with offices here in the US. What a world!
Let's just send all the white guys to the gulag and be done with it.
As a guy (white) that's worked in the construction business most of my life I can honestly say these programs are am serious waste of money.
How about 2 million government workers teaching us all about diversity and multi-culturalism. That would really help the economy — not.
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