Green Jobs

There is a line in the movie "It's A Wonderful Life" that goes something like this: "The teacher says every time a bell rings, and angel gets it's wings"
It was a catchy line that has survived the test of time. I am afraid the term "green jobs" may not. It was great for an election, but I am afraid that it was mere cannon fodder for the masses.

A little history lesson here. Forty years ago electricians started putting in resettable breakers panels instead of throw away fuse panels. It was a pretty big technology change and most electricians had to learn how to do it. Once they had mastered the task, we called them "electricians". Thirty years ago ground fault interrupters were introduced by companies to keep us safe in our bath rooms and other wet places where electricity was present. Electricians had to learn how to wire them and what circuits needed to be on them. Once they learned how to do this task, we called them "electricians" This is how it has been through history, and not just with electricians, but with plumbers and other trades as well.

As I was driving to work today, I was listening to NPR and they were interviewing some bureaucrat that is running a $40 billion dollar green jobs program for the current administration. I don't remember his name and it is just as well since he is likely to be remembered just about as well as the guy that ran the bomb shelter program for government in the 1950s. At any rate this wizard explained that when an electrician had been trained to install a solar panel, that a green job had been created. What! That is right, and when a plumber learns to install a solar hot water heater what do you think happens? That's right we just created another green job. And a carpenter that learns to install thermopane windows, you guessed it another green job. Sounds like our government caught a big sell on Easy Buttons at the Staples store doesn't it.

Green jobs are important to us. It sure would be nice if our politicians could be honest about it. It is in the same vane as when a politician tells us he is cutting a programs funding or other spending, when what they are really doing is cutting the rate of growth increase. In my house when we cut spending, we actually spend less money.

We sure could use some straight talk.