Where are Obama’s Green Jobs?

[Alan Ray, RLA]

I must agree about the vaccum tubes….give me a blackface deluxe reverb any time over anything made since the mid 60’s…..

[Alan Ray, RLA]

in 1974, the first year cars had smog pumps and such, I bought a new car that got 41 mpg.

today, they make a hybrid that gets 41 mpg and they think they’ve solved the worlds’ energy crisis!

no progress at all in 37 years……

[Trace One]

we did solve the energy crisis – it’s just that industry and corporate america and their political purveyors will not let it happen..Technololgy is  not the issue with reducing impact on our warming earth – it is political will..

[Heather Smith]

Espressoooooooo…

[Rob Halpern]

Perhaps… but 6.9Billion humans (heading quickly to 9Billion) cannot hope to drive around in their amazingly fuel efficient cars and have no energy issues.

 

In 1974 there were 4Billion of us and only a small fraction owned cars.

Neither technology nor planners are going to get us out of this. Neither have ever solved important social and global issues.

[Trace One]

I think there is still hope to ameliorate man’s impact on the earth, Rob, but I am not the least interested in cars – ‘personal vehicles’ as you call them – totally unecessary, and bad for the earth..

and did you see the revised population estimates for the end of the century are up by a billion – 10 billion now..

but I disagree that technology has not solved anything  – planners also – I think sewage systems and the polio vaccine have prevented a lot of misery..One for planners, and one for technology..

no?

[Rob Halpern]

You know, I think that’s not so easy to judge.

Depends on the morality one uses.

I expect that the Western middle class cubicle-plugged-in-life is less terror-filled and pain-filled than the Medieval serf’s… but is it better simply for that reason? (Frankly, to read many posts on Land8lounge you would think that no one knows happiness. And to listen to many politicians and voters, we may not be less terrorized after all).

The Planet is certainly poorer. Gorillas, whales, polar bears aren’t doing so well. (Hell, there are only 6 Northern White rhinos left anywhere and they cannot breed.)

No one on the Planet is free from the relentless march of globalism and consumerism.

Cancer is rampant.In Asia, Bird flu is everyone’s nightmare.

The recession has shown that we are dependent upon the “aristocracy” for our very lives in much the same way we have always been.Except they are a bit more self-made aristocracy than they were (but both used chicanery to get their positions.)

And looking around the USA today, how many people (simple numbers) in Tuscaloosa, Joplin, New Orleans, Cedar Rapids, etc. are in daily panic?

Yes, dysentery is way down in most countries…

I know our Conservative members will scream and insist that things go better with Coke or the Tea Party or whatever, but it seems to me that we trade one human oppression for another, except that now we know how to make real money off of it. And some of us are deluded enough to believe that “I can be the rich guy if they’d just leave me alone.” So clearly stupidity is WAY up. A medieval serf knew he was going to remain a serf.

Obama has demonstrated that Progressivism has erectile dysfunction, the rising generations are the most narcissistic in history, so where is there energy for solving problems?

 

If I grant you 1 for technology and 1 for planners, we could easily find many more strikes against them.

There, now, wasn’t that cheery?

[Trace One]

can’t disagree with anything you said, Rob…Reading Glenn Greenwald of Salon and Andy Revkins DotEarth  is a recipe for complete depression, until you read the comments on their blogs, and that really pushes you over the edge..

How about the new state of the Oceans report….Altho the news of stopping the dam in Patagonia is a temporary boost..

Have to take solace in the here and now, like a fantastic painting or an act of love from pets or children….

from the bleak to the maudlin – sorry about that..!!!

and then of course there is office politics..Is it really funny to shoot rubber-bands at people??

garrrgh! 

[Andrew Garulay, RLA]

… and it would only be available in a little corner of the world if there were know entrepreneurs charging exponentially more for it. The US harnessed the wheel of personal gain and now we have been brainwashed to hate everything about it without thinking it over.

 

There is bad out there, but most of it is good.

[Boilerplater]

but it seems to me that we trade one human oppression for another, except that now we know how to make real money off of it.

 

Exactly.  Those sewage systems and vaccines allowed a LOT more people to survive into adulthood, creating the population explosion.  Got to credit improved farming techniques, modern fertilizers and pesticides as well, both of which have, in turn, created other problems.

[Roland Beinert]

I completely agree about espresso. Another point for technology like Trace was saying. And yet another point for home espresso machines, since I can’t afford to buy espresso at coffee shops.
I found this article about green jobs on treehugger: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/06/green-revolution-working-for-people-not-publicity.php

[mark foster]

Good article, Roland.  Mostly anecdotes, but it echos my perceptions–not fancy jobs, but jobs nonetheless..

[Andrew Garulay, RLA]

…. “no entrepreneurs”.  …. at least it is good font.

[Tosh K]

Govt is in rail b/c most of our freight is moved on rail – there’s a reason Buffet’s been buying out nice chunks of it the last few years.  Our passenger rail doesn’t do as well b/c be subsidize sprawl through our heavy “investment” in roads (paved with oil) via heavy lobbying from big auto (though I suspect this has lessened).  I would think recent TOD projects are a show of confidence in public transportation paying dividends – tax payers do help subsidize private developers indirectly (I’m thinking DC, Atlanta, Minneapolis, St Louis for a few).

 

Air traffic loses money all the time – how many airlines have gone though bankruptcy the last decade?  United, Delta, NWA, TWA…

 

When China’s done, Brazil should have some cash to lend us…

[Tosh K]

Let’s see the top 3 NG reserves are in Russia, Iran and Qatar… not liking where this is going.  Just saying…  of course we could go nuke as Japan did in a desperate attempt to keep to the Kyoto protocol while turning away from conserving energy (running the bullet train every 10~15 minutes empty between Osaka and Kyoto, etc).

 

Germany invested heavily in solar (it’s not very sunny there) and shut down 7 nuke plants, but it cost them a lot of tax money over decades of work and they don’t have oil.

 

We make our choices, and hopefully are willing to accept the consequences.

[Author]

Posts