China Goes Green On US Stimulus Funding
After months of hearing the Obama administration tout the promise that green jobs would provide the path to renewed economic greatness, the silence on that subject is almost deafening.
About $92million of the president’s stimulus funding was targeted at green jobs, but only about $20million has been spent. And it’s a good thing, for according to the Department of Energy, about 82,000 jobs have been created and 80% of funding for green programs, including $2.3billion in manufacturing tax credits, went to companies who employ their primary workforce in China, South Korea and Spain.
For example, a report issued last fall by American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop that proved highly embarrassing to the administration indicated that eleven US wind farms used their stimulus grants to purchase over 70% of their turbines from overseas manufacturers.
It seems that grants for wind turbines and solar panels created manufacturing jobs overseas rather than domestically as the administration presumably envisioned. Congressional Democrats are livid, but little can be done to force domestic purchasing without creating a trade war. And the United Steelworkers union has filed a lawsuit against China accusing them of subsidizing their manufacturers of such products so as to own the market. (An interesting aside, that unions welcome our government to fund them against pension collapses, state employee layoffs, or to “save” General Motors, but if China subsidizes their industries, they aren’t playing fair.)
But with the escalating evidence that green jobs, and American greenbacks, are moving overseas, the administration and its environmental supporters quietly abandoned their efforts to promote green jobs as the panacea our economy needs.
And that’s a good thing, for you may recall that, as Obama was promoting the US emulating Germany, Spain, Denmark, and Japan, we were reporting on the devastatingly destructive such programs were having on the economies of those countries.
So don’t be overly angry that your tax dollars went to the creation of jobs in China. Rather, be grateful that this fact came to light before Chinese wind turbines and solar panels littered our majestic mountains and fruited plain, and drove our economy into a European tailspin.
This administration is not really interested in going green as ballast water policy shows.
If the military continues a plan offering incentives to foreign shipping bringing foreign goods into our country , asking them not to pollute our environment, while trying to limit US carbon emissions in manufacturing, while the administration negotiates currency manipulation, and hidden carbon emissions with a communist country, why would American manufacturing invest heavily in our country? Why is our president, trying to ease the economic problems of foreign ships, rather than trying to level the playing field for American manufacturing, by NOT helping them and protecting our environment and our economic interest?
This administration is not really interested in going green as ballast water policy shows.
If the military continues a plan offering incentives to foreign shipping bringing foreign goods into our country , asking them not to pollute our environment, while trying to limit US carbon emissions in manufacturing, while the administration negotiates currency manipulation, and hidden carbon emissions with a communist country, why would American manufacturing invest heavily in our country? Why is our president, trying to ease the economic problems of foreign ships, rather than trying to level the playing field for American manufacturing, by NOT helping them and protecting our environment and our economic interest?
Ballast Water and how it is handled, mainly the timeline will create "CHANGE" that will affect America's stature in the world for many decades to come. It would be quite understandable for an American plan to subsidize what little shipping industry we have and perhaps even helping promote its growth.
Ballast Water and how it is handled, mainly the timeline will create "CHANGE" that will affect America's stature in the world for many decades to come. It would be quite understandable for an American plan to subsidize what little shipping industry we have and perhaps even helping promote its growth.
A slow plan helping foreign shipping will allow, for foreign ships to continue polluting longer, till foreign shipping industry decides to "take a step". The type of stimulus this administrations, military plan for change is offering, will only help foreign shipping and those who import foreign manufactured products, but may offer temporary economic recovery as foreign manufacturing powers carry the US on their coat tails , until the next economic crisis.
A slow plan helping foreign shipping will allow, for foreign ships to continue polluting longer, till foreign shipping industry decides to "take a step". The type of stimulus this administrations, military plan for change is offering, will only help foreign shipping and those who import foreign manufactured products, but may offer temporary economic recovery as foreign manufacturing powers carry the US on their coat tails , until the next economic crisis.
Fast decisive legislation for ballast water as the law of the land, not providing economic incentives for ships, from a foreign tax base, bringing foreign goods into our country, would send a message to American manufacturing and perhaps affect their investing policy, as it would level the playing field for industry to grow, providing long term jobs and economic security to our country and may even create stronger countries on our borders where poverty and a bad quality of life is breeding growing instability and violence. Soon, September this new military study created for "change" coinciding with the Coast Guard 20 year plan, and the EPA, — over two years after Senator Boxer killed the legislation created by the largest elected legislative voice of the American people,– they will meet to discuss their "new findings" and might have "new" recommendations. Will they continue on a slow course for change to protect foreign economic interest, or will they speed up mandatory requirements allowing faster protection of our waters and economic growth for our country?
Fast decisive legislation for ballast water as the law of the land, not providing economic incentives for ships, from a foreign tax base, bringing foreign goods into our country, would send a message to American manufacturing and perhaps affect their investing policy, as it would level the playing field for industry to grow, providing long term jobs and economic security to our country and may even create stronger countries on our borders where poverty and a bad quality of life is breeding growing instability and violence. Soon, September this new military study created for "change" coinciding with the Coast Guard 20 year plan, and the EPA, — over two years after Senator Boxer killed the legislation created by the largest elected legislative voice of the American people,– they will meet to discuss their "new findings" and might have "new" recommendations. Will they continue on a slow course for change to protect foreign economic interest, or will they speed up mandatory requirements allowing faster protection of our waters and economic growth for our country?
We can not have the different aspects of ballast water delegated out to branches of government not capable of enforcement, as was evident by the Gulf disaster, where niether this administration(despite warnings), the Coast Guard, nor the EPA checked the ballast water of ships entering Lake Pontchartrain, transporting tar balls. We need a comprehensive plan run by one organization, with infastructure for enforcement, our Coast Guard, put on a mission by American law.
We can not have the different aspects of ballast water delegated out to branches of government not capable of enforcement, as was evident by the Gulf disaster, where niether this administration(despite warnings), the Coast Guard, nor the EPA checked the ballast water of ships entering Lake Pontchartrain, transporting tar balls. We need a comprehensive plan run by one organization, with infastructure for enforcement, our Coast Guard, put on a mission by American law.
[...] Of the Million$/Billion$ spent on "job and business creation" where did the "GreenBacks" go??? The $92million of stimulus funding was targeted at green jobs, only about $20million has been spent… of which 80% of funding for green programs, including $2.3billion in manufacturing tax credits, went to companies who employ their primary workforce in China, South Korea and Spain. – thehayride [...]