Good Jobs First held its first national conference May 7 and 8, 2008, near Baltimore.
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“Green my job.”As I track the emerging “green jobs” debate about renewable energy, energy independence, and green pathways out of poverty, I am struck by how disconnected it seems from progressive tax policy. There are some large “policy forks in the road” being taken, although environmentalists seem unaware they are making choices. As an antidote, I offer two observations and a trial balloon.
Observation #1: Some new energy proposals are corporate copycat
Some green-jobs policy proposals call for new economic development subsidies to promote the construction of manufacturing facilities for making renewable energy products. However, the average state already has more than 30 different economic development subsidy programs, and companies routinely get 8 or 10 subsidies in a single deal.
Manufacturing has long been the most coveted kind of jobs investment. Build a windmill gearbox factory in a major industrial state in America today and it will be showered with so many corporate incom... Read more
