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-Short Attention Span Theater- |
Seattle's 'green jobs' program a bust |
2011-08-16 |
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. Some people wonder if the original goals are now achievable. "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. "It's been a very slow and tedious process. It's almost painful, the number of meetings people have gone to. Those are the people who got jobs. There's been no real investment for the broader public." Really...is this any surprise? |
Posted by:DarthVader |
#11 Can you guys come over and do our house? We can only pay a million, though. |
Posted by: Perfesser 2011-08-16 22:41 |
#10 So $20M is 327 man/years. |
Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 2011-08-16 21:50 |
#9 That extorted 20 million will has caused much more than 14 people to be unemployed, mal-employed, under-employed or lower-paid. The average total compensation of the US private sector worker in 2009 was $61K. So $2M is 327 man/years. Or halve the man years if that $20M is paying government employees. creating 2,000 living-wage jobs in Seattle and retrofitting 2,000 homes in poorer neighborhoods. Relive the Good Times of 2009. That is a sterling example of Obama's Jobs Created Or Saved math. Planning on only paying the workers $10K/year and confiscating materials and transportation? |
Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 2011-08-16 21:50 |
#8 Ah, yes. Green jobs. Massachusetts gave 58 mil to Evergreen Solar last year. Yesterday, they declared bankruptcy... |
Posted by: tu3031 2011-08-16 21:24 |
#7 Liberal compassion: Giving the homeless new, improved Styrofoam boxes to live in during winter, so they don't freeze. |
Posted by: Silentbrick - Halliburton Lost Drill Bit Division 2011-08-16 21:20 |
#6 That extorted 20 million will has caused much more than 14 people to be unemployed, mal-employed, under-employed or lower-paid. |
Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2011-08-16 20:23 |
#5 actually, a number of public buildings and buildings owned by non profits have been insulated these kinds of programs generally come with a complicated application process (to prevent fraud you need that unfortunately) and its pretty burdensome for the individual homeowner or the apartment owner the grants are also for low income people and most people like that have owned their home for many years and don't like strangers fooling around in their attic |
Posted by: Lord Garth 2011-08-16 19:29 |
#4 being Crepe. |
Posted by: Pollyandrew 2011-08-16 19:17 |
#3 Not to weep, it's to laugh. Looking at these numbers -- 14 jobs created and three houses retrofitted in more than one year -- tells me that 13 of the fourteen jobs are administrative with one additional laborer doing part-time retrofit work (and no doubt be paid a full-time salary). In other words, all of the jobs are administrative. |
Posted by: Pollyandrew 2011-08-16 19:16 |
#2 As of last week, only three homes had been retrofitted and just 14 new jobs have emerged from the program. A $20 million grant for that? That is enough to make one weep. For crying out loud, throw these loons out of power. |
Posted by: JohnQC 2011-08-16 17:40 |
#1 We ain't seen nothing yet, wait until they take this model national for a Department of Jobs. |
Posted by: swksvolFF 2011-08-16 17:15 |