As the English language goes, if you have to qualify a noun by preceding it with an adjective, then the subject is generally considered diluted.
For instance, if you feel the need to say you’re a “Registered Republican,” then you’re probably not wholeheartedly Republican. If you find yourself saying you’re a “Progressive Democrat,” there’s a strong likelihood you’re more “Progressive” than “Democrat.” And if you know deep down you’re a “bleach blonde” then trust me, you’re not really a blonde.
Such is the case with the nomenclature we’ve assigned to this phrase “Green Jobs.”
It begs the question: Is a “Green Job” really a Job?
Job numbers are hard and fast. Numbers in, numbers out. Each month, we receive a Jobs report showing the Net Loss/Gain of Jobs in this nation.
This week, California’s famed NUMMI plant , a joint project between GM and Toyota , officially closed – eliminating $2.3 Billion in Jobs for California and a loss of $90 Million in Tax revenue. But the closure is being pooh-poohed by green pundits and officials everywhere claiming we needn’t worry; they’ll simply turn the plant into something else and “Green Jobs” will take the place of the Jobs which were lost. Really? $2.3 Billion worth?
I’m all for creating Jobs; therefore, if it comes in the form of a “Green Job” then so be it. But it stands to reason, if we’re aiming to improve the Economy with jobs of this different color then we must, at the very least, have hard and fast figures by which to measure them.
In order to be considered a “Job,” a Green Job should live up to minimal standards. To be considered a success, the number of Green Jobs created in the State must be equal to or greater than the number of regular Jobs we have chased out of the State. The salary of a Green Job should be equal to or greater than that of a regular Job. The Healthcare and Retirement Benefits should be equal to or greater than the “regular” Job whose place it took. And the Green Jobs should have long-term promise and stability, not simply be part of a seasonal or contract position (i.e., a one-time Solar panel installation or government-mandated “green” retrofit).
The bottom line is, if a Green Job is truly “sustainable” it should be enough to sustain a family and put food on the table. And if it’s truly a Green Job, it should provide the kind of “green” we can measure: cold, hard cash that contributes to the Economy. Until that happens, “Green Jobs” – and the governments that promote them – are exactly that. Green.