I don't know anyone who thinks investing in green (renewable) energy is a bad thing. I do know many people that are pragmatic about it though. Ethanol production uses more energy than it produces. It hasn't fallen on it's face because it's subsided by the government (another too big to fail story). Because of this, many farmers grow field corn for this instead of sweet corn for food. People are starving around the world because the Breadbasket of the World is making ethanol instead of food. Now, once the technology matures to use switch grass for ethanol instead, you might have something.
This is an example of how liberals throw money at a problem to fix it. They also think this approach can make jobs. All it does is create a $50,000.00 dollar job by spending $150,000.00. All you are doing is having the taxpayers support this job. You need to create a market demand for this job. To do this, you have to create a market demand for a company's product or service. In this case, green product.
Demand will be created if
A. If consumers have more money to buy stuff. This can happen by a stimulus that goes TO THE PEOPLE. This worked under the Bush Administration. You could also cut taxes across the board (especially on those "evil" rich). This will allow consumers (people and companies) to buy these things.
B. The company lowers the price on their product.
C. The company invests money into R&D to develop a better mouse trap. Investing means the company has to make a profit. Liberals have been demonizing companies lately for doing that.
Once the demand for the companies goods or services grow, the company can expand. When they expand (or resume their prior operations), they need to hire and there's your job creation.
When solar cells, wind power, superconducting power transmission and the other green technologies mature and become cost-effective (i.e. without government subsidies), that's when you'll see real job creation. Real jobs are created by the private sector, not the government.
Want to make more jobs? GET GOVERNMENT OFF THE BACKS OF THOSE WHO KNOW HOW TO DO IT! National healthcare and Cap & Trade will be HUGE costs to the economy and business respectively.
While we are allowing companies to develop this new whizzbang green technology, let's not go through this self-imposed guilt trip about fossil fuels. Drill, drill, drill! We gain energy independence, keep fuel prices low until the green tech is ready for prime time.
One of these technologies is solid state lighting (SSL) or high-intensity LEDs. This tech is taking over the flashlight industry and making moves into home lighting. They are at least twice as efficient as compact fluorescent bulbs, have no mercury, can be dimmed like incandescent bulbs and last longer. Why haven't you heard more about them? Because the government is fixated on CFLs. Only recently has the government offered 10 million bucks to the company that can make an SSL to replace a 60w incandescent bulb. They can't even do that right. Phillips is close to doing this anyway. Instead of spurring R&D of companies with prize money, this will be "free money" to Phillips. The government should have done this long ago.
