Posted on 08/16/2011 5:41:32 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Last year, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn announced the city had won a coveted $20 million federal grant to invest in weatherization.
McGinn had joined Vice President Joe Biden in the White House to make it. It came on the eve of Earth Day. It had heady goals: creating 2,000 living-wage jobs in Seattle and retrofitting 2,000 homes in poorer neighborhoods.
But more than a year later, Seattle's numbers are lackluster. As of last week, only three homes had been retrofitted and just 14 new jobs have emerged from the program. Many of the jobs are administrative, and not the entry-level pathways once dreamed of for low-income workers.
"The jobs haven't surfaced yet," said Michael Woo, director of Got Green, a Seattle community organizing group focused on the environment and social justice.
Organizers and policy experts blame the economy, bureaucracy and bad timing for the program's mediocre results.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattlepi.com ...
While my first (and still) love is my ‘61 Impala Bubble Top - it was the ‘55 Chevy that started the ball rolling for American muscle cars. It is and will always be the production icon of kickin’ asphalt.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.