Leading up to his third State of the Union (SOTU) address tonight, President Obama appears once again less interested in facilitating real job growth than in creating the mere appearance of job creation. In a SOTU preview video released over the weekend, Obama declared that American energy fueled by homegrown and alternative energy sources is an important step toward rebuilding the economy. This statement in conjunction with last week’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline suggests a continuation of the misguided focus on the government pushing so-called “green jobs,” whether …
“If you build it, they will come,” an ominous voice called out to Kevin Costner’s character, Ray Kinsella, in the movie Field of Dreams. For Kinsella, the “it” was a baseball field in the middle of a farm in Iowa—and despite all the naysayers, the starry-eyed young father put his family’s fortunes on the line in pursuit of his crazy dream. Eventually, “they” came—the ghosts of the disgraced 1919 Chicago White Sox team and carloads of fans from miles away—and Kinsella’s “knight of faith” reliance on the mysterious voice paid …
In a damning report, The Washington Post details its investigation of President Barack Obama’s much-hyped green jobs program. Its findings? Politics, not policy, underpinned the White House’s calculations. From The Post report: Meant to create jobs and cut reliance on foreign oil, Obama’s green-technology program was infused with politics at every level, The Washington Post found in an analysis of thousands of memos, company records and internal e-mails. Political considerations were raised repeatedly by company investors, Energy Department bureaucrats and White House officials. A centerpiece of the Obama Administration’s green jobs …
President Obama’s economic stimulus was supposed to revive America’s economy and put people back to work. But nearly three years after Democrats rammed the bill through Congress, it’s a clear-cut failure. The nation’s 8.6 percent unemployment rate stands out as one of consequences. Then there is the high-profile Solyndra scandal and countless other government schemes gone awry. In a new video from Reason.tv, Jim Epstein takes a closer look at other examples — in a setting just a few miles from Capitol Hill. In Silver Spring, MD, government contractors pocketed …
How’s this for a waste of taxpayer money? According to Energy& Environment News, the Department of Energy is paying $230,000 for a website to promote career paths in the green energy sector–and it has, ironically, prohibited the listing of actual jobs in the industry. Here’s the report: The Department of Energy has awarded a $230,000 contract to the Association of Energy Services Professionals to develop a website on energy efficiency jobs — but the agency has prohibited the listing of actual position openings. Instead, the website will include information on what …
Scribe has reported extensively on the tendency of large government spending projects to reward the politically connected. It’s a virtual constant of federal interventions in the market, and perhaps nowhere is it more evident than in the Obama administration’s “green jobs” push. Writing on National Review Online today, I detail the political connections backstopping California venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and take a look at the extensive taxpayer support given to nine different companies financed by the firm. Here’s an excerpt from the piece: Hoover Institution fellow …
What did the President know and when did he know it, goes the old Washington adage. Thus did the American people learn yesterday in separate but equally startling revelations that the Obama Administration knew more about two scandals than it has been revealing. The first is regarding the Operation Fast and Furious gun running disaster and the second is the now-bankrupt, Obama-backed Solyndra solar power company. Both instances provoke serious questions for the White House and demand long-overdue action. In the case of the Solyndra scandal, it is clear that …
While the Energy Department’s efforts to create “green jobs” have received significant attention – and criticism – since the collapse of solar company Solyndra, another federal agency may soon be in the spotlight for its lackluster performance in stimulating the economy through employment in the green technology sector. The Labor Department’s “Green Jobs Program,” designed to train workers for employment in the field, has placed 8,034 trainees, according to a report from the department’s inspector general. That is less than 10 percent of its target placement rate. What’s more, 39 …
Catching you up on clips, commentary and news of the day. Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe. At 50, the Chinook remains the Army’s workhorse – Michael Hoffman, Army Times Graves eyes upper rungs of conservative ladder – Daniel Malloy, The Atlantic Journal-Constitution Lawmakers: Revamp disaster recovery system – Deborah Barfield Berry, Clarion Ledger A major victory, but the battle rages on – Peter Brookes, New York Post The green-jobs fallacy – Ed Feulner, St. Paul Pioneer Press Obamanomics: Hollow out defense, fatten up cronies – James …
Catching you up on clips, commentary and news of the day. Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe. Leave Google Alone – Bob Barr, The Daily Caller Obama jobs plan: More bureacrats – The Washington Times Warren Buffett Does Not Endorse White House’s “Buffett Rule” – Real Clear Politics Al-Awlaki Is Dead, But Terrorists’ Unholy War Is Far From Over – James Jay Carafano, FoxNews.com China’s Space Lab Launch Closes Gap With U.S. Dependent on Russian Rockets – Ben Richardson and Simone Baribeau The green jobs fallacy – …
