It is good to have your arguments verified by reality. The latest of these is the argument that so-called “green” jobs created by government incentives are basically a costly myth. Check out previous postings here and here.
The recent confirmation that “green” jobs are a myth comes from none other than the New York Times. Veronique de Rugy expounds upon and explains the issues uncovered by the Times story over at National Review Online.
De Rugy nicely summarizes the issues with government job-creation efforts, saying:
This story shows once again that the government can’t pick winners and losers and successfully create green jobs — or any other kind of jobs. Government can’t create sustainable jobs, and when they do, or even when they try and fail, it is at the expense of taxpayers, who are left footing the bill. Unfortunately, administration after administration refuses to learn the lesson.
Of course, we in New Mexico knew this already. But when it comes to the Environmental Improvement Board’s carbon cap, we still need to get the green jobs myth taken care of.
To get specific, here is what Heather Wilson did the last year she was in the Congress representing New Mexico: She introduced HR.2555 (5/24/2007) To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the credit for electricity produced from certain renewable resources. She introduced H.R. 2556 (5/242007) To enhance the energy security of the United States by promoting biofuel, energy efficiency,and carbon capture and storage. She introduced H.R. 2950 (6/28/2007) To reduce our Nation’s dependency on foreign oil by investing in clean, renewable, and alternative energy resources, promoting new energy technologies developing greater efficiency, and creating a Strategic Energy Efficiency and Renewables Reserve to invest in alternative energy. As you can see, she was totally committed for complete control of America’s energy resources, their production, use and pricing by politicians in Washington. She simply does not trust the free enterprise system and thinks the government must pick winners and loosers by force of law that she decides is best for us. She now wants to take her agenda to the US Senate and do more of the same in a more powerful position. My State Representative, James White agrees with her and has endorsed her primary run to be the Republican candidate for the US Senate. You would think that after President Carter’s energy debacle (we tried all this before) and all of the failures that government meddling has produced smart people would get the message.