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.”
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.
9 comments:
I believe the unemployment rate in this area is about 3.5%.
Anyone who doesn't have a job, simply doesn't want to work.
Moyer is just once again demonstrating her her total inability to understand economics and how the free marketplace fuctions.
It's scary that we have such a person in charge of a $70,000,000 budget.
Someone needs to help her understand the role of government (e.g. public safety). Her march toward socialism will bankrupt us all.
This is the "worst idea ever?" That's preposterous. It's apparently been successful in other locations, and it's undeniable that it is a burgeoning industry.
If you don't believe government has a role in job training, that's one thing, but your hyperbole is over the top.
I agree that your hyperbole is over the top, and increasingly so with each post, like so many other rightwing bloggers in Maryland. C'mon, it's just an unbridled attack on the Mayor who should be complemented at least for trying something innovative here. And if you think government should not be involved in job creation, then you know next to nothing about how our economy actually works--and many businesspersons appreciate these government efforts.
I also agree that my hyperbole is over the top. If I can pull back the curtain a bit--the #1 requirement of this blog is that it is interesting to me. Neither myself nor the rest of the conservative whacko or liberal whacko bloggers get paid for this, and we have to indulge our fancies to make it worth our while. For me, this blog is a fun way to stay involved in the issues, and learn.
Of course this is not the worst idea ever, but I enjoyed this title more than "Mayor Moyer Proposes Moderately Poor Idea". The second commenter has my main point correct, that I don't like the government considering itself responsible for job training. I am working up a post about this, but it's taking a while b/c this is a busy time.
I can assure the 3rd Anon that I am no more over the top than when I first started writing the blog. Please don't take me too seriously, because I don't take myself as such.
Thanks for reading.
Also may I remind everyone that just this week, the mayor--a paid city employee--claimed that the city is headed for BANKRUPTCY as the result of a recent court decision. Frankly I would expect more outrage at that hyperbole than any on this silly blog.
The Mayor's comment about BANKRUPTCY is nothing more than and excuse for her continued tax increases.
I've seen many people who have decided to leave Annapolis, because their taxes have increased by about 10 times the cost of living.
It's apparent that between O'Malley and Moyer, the goal is to so punish the producers that all that remains are the dependants, people who either live off of or live by government. What will be left is a Socialist state, one that will ultimately collapse.
In the face of a possible recession, we have a government who doesn't understand that higher taxes are just fuel on fiscal failure.
I guess that's what you get when you put someone (like Ellen Moyer) who has no experience whatsoever in real world economics in charge of a $70,000,000 budget.
Actually, the reason the City got into the mess with the police pensions is because the Mayor was afraid to raise taxes when she should have. Rather than pay the officers a raise and have immediate budget difficulties, she thought she could snooker them, by drawing it out over time. Looks like the Police union figured out the gig. Good for them.
And, if the people of Annapolis want a full complement of police, they better get ready to pay for them.
Actually, we've already paid for the police officers. Unfortunately, Moyer has spent it on all kinds of nonsense. Things like a consultant for $25,000 to tell us that trees make O2; a $140,000 rain garden on 4th street, $1,000,000 for the screw up on the Market House; maybe $3,000,000 or $4,000,000 for the screw up on the Police Station, and an untold amount of money on all kinds of consultants, artists and other junk that you don't spend money on when you're 24 police short.
So, when you ask us to "pay for it", you've got to be kidding. We've been paying with blood and money, ever since Moyer has become Mayor. It's an incredible insult to suggest that we now have to pony up more money to fund the things that should have been FIRST PRIORITY!
There's certainly been mis-administration of funds. Why are Bob Agee and Emory Harrison still around?
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