Annapolis Mayor Moyer Proposes Worst Idea Ever
We know that Mayor Moyer fancies shuttling herself to the far reaches of the contiguous country whilst climate crusading, and now we have a new manifestation of her green ideas:
Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer is examining the future of training workers from the
City’s at-risk neighborhoods in the rapidly growing “Green Collar” jobs sector.
While attending the recent U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Summit
in Seattle, Mayor Moyer heard many speakers discuss the rapid growth of Green
Industries. The sector is growing so fast, there is a critical shortage of
entry-level workers.The Mayor sees this need for workers in an expanding industry as a source of opportunity for those needing good jobs in the City,
“Unemployment is a serious problem in some City Neighborhoods. There is a real need for good jobs for low income residents,“said the Mayor.“Young people, adults with limited skills or education, even those that have been incarcerated and are looking to get their lives back on back can all benefit from solid, living wage Green Collar jobs.”
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Mayor Moyer has already met with Martha Smith, the President of the Anne Arundel Community College about the possibility of bringing some pilot Green Collar training programs to the City of Annapolis in 2008.The Mayor has also approached the Annapolis Community Foundation about raising scholarship funds for the proposed programs.
“During the conference, former President Clinton and
former Vice President Al Gore gave speeches encouraging American innovation in
developing a green economy of clean energy and improved efficiency,”said the
Mayor. “Green Collar job training will ensure that the City of Annapolis is part
of that innovation and will help our citizens benefit from this exciting new
future. It will also continue our longstanding commitment to sustaining and
enhancing our environment. ” Green Collar jobs are essentially blue collar jobs
in green businesses.They are usually manual labor jobs in businesses whose
products and services directly improve the environment. They are often well
paying jobs with relatively low entry requirements.A recent study from the City of Berkeley Office of Energy and Sustainable Development University said, “Cultivating green collar jobs for people with barriers to employment can be an effective strategy to provide low-income men and women with access to good jobs – jobs that provide workers with meaningful, community
serving work, living wages, benefits,and advancement opportunities.”Mayor Moyer said the need for workers is growing,
“Demands for green building, green waste composting, green
landscaping,Non-toxic cleaning in residential and commercial
buildings,recycling, solar installation and overall new green technology create
new workforce opportunities everyday.”
The main reason why this is a bad idea is that the government should not assume such a role in economic distortion (or job creation if you rather), and the reason why it is the worst idea is the proposed industry of the job creation. I will provide the details in later posts.
