BRETT: Green jobs. Oh, climate change, climate change, jobs, jobs, jobs. President Biden last night at the Capitol said, “When I think of climate change, I think of jobs.”
BIDEN: For too long, we’ve failed to use the most important word when it comes to meeting the climate crisis: Jobs. Jobs. Jobs.
CROWD: (applause)
BIDEN: For me, when I think climate change, I think jobs.
BRETT: Come on, Mr. President. You think of jobs when you think of climate change? You weren’t thinking of jobs when you killed the Keystone XL pipeline. Here’s Rush on the regime’s lies on green jobs.
RUSH: Yesterday in Washington, during a House Oversight Reform Committee (it’s Darrell Issa’s committee), there was a hearing on the Labor Department’s jobs report. The Acting Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a guy named John Galvin, testified. And there was a Q&A.
And we put together a montage here of Darrell Issa and Galvin. They’re having a conversation about “green jobs.” Now, what’s interesting here is this is a regime hack from the Labor Department defining what a “green job” is. Now, keep in mind the regime is pushing green energy, green sector. They want you to believe that there’s a future in green jobs and that they’re out there creating a bunch of green jobs. So what Issa did is he went through the BLS report, and he was astounded when he found out what the regime is counting as “green jobs.” And that’s what the Q&A is all about.
ISSA: If you sweep the floor in a solar panel facility, is that a green job?
GALVIN: Yes.
ISSA: If you drive a hybrid bus, public transportation, is that a green job?
GALVIN: According to our definition, yes.
ISSA: What about just any school bus driver?
GALVIN: (pause) Yes.
ISSA: What about the guy who puts gas in the school bus?
GALVIN: Yes.
ISSA: How about employees at a bicycle shop?
GALVIN: I guess I’m not sure about that.
ISSA: The answer is yes, according to your definition. What about someone who works at an antique dealer?
GALVIN: I’m not sure about that, either.
ISSA: The answer is yes. Those are “recycled goods.” What about someone who works at the Salvation Army in their clothing recycling and furniture?
GALVIN: Right, because they’re selling recycled goods.
ISSA: What about workers at a consignment shop?
GALVIN: That’s a green job.
ISSA: Does the teenage kid who works full time at a used record shop count?
GALVIN: (irritated) Yes.
ISSA: Do garbage men have green jobs?
GALVIN: Yes.
ISSA: How about an oil lobbyist? Wouldn’t an oil lobbyist count as having a green job if they’re engaged in advocacy related to environmental issues?
GALVIN: Yes.
ISSA: Thank you.
RUSH: Green jobs.
That’s how they’re counting ’em.
That’s Darrell Issa talking to John Galvin from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So the next time you hear ’em talk about how great “green job” creation is, you now know it includes kids at bicycle shops and used record shops.
BRETT: This is the problem with the Green New Deal and the idea of green jobs. You don’t have to deliver the goods as you just heard. You don’t have to deliver any of the goods, any of the goods. You just have to be aspirational — and if you’re working really hard, right…?
Remember all hear these phrases that come up from time to time? Bill Clinton would talk about, “I’m working so hard to do this. I’m working so hard to do that. You don’t understand how hard I’m working to find this and do that.” You also hear it from politicians who run and they say, “We’re gonna pay for this with waste, fraud, and abuse!
“We’re gonna work the waste, the fraud, and abuse out of the system.” That means nothing. Green jobs are nothing. They’re not. They’re important, and if they’re successful, they’ll materialize in a free marketplace. But for what government is looking to do with these green jobs, they’re looking and they’re pushing and they’re trying to make it look like they can competently deploy an entire sector of business by government fiat, and that is insane.
That is loony.
Let’s go out on the phones and talk to Victor in Silver Springs, Maryland. Victor, welcome to the program.
CALLER: Thank you. A couple years ago when I was making money hand over fist, I took advantage of all the money I was making and really did some home improvements: New roof, siding, windows, et cetera. Now if somebody comes to me and says, “Well, what about this or what about that?”
I say, “Well, I’d like to, but because rich people like me are gonna get hit with high taxes, I won’t be able to afford your services anymore.” Speaking of green, the electric car is the worst thing that could happen to the blind. They don’t make any noise. I almost got hit three or four times because I couldn’t hear the car coming as I was crossing the street.
BRETT: That’s an important note on the dangers of electric cars. That’s true. But let me take the occasion of your call — and I appreciate you calling in today, Victor. Thank you so much. Let me take the occasion of your call to point out something else. We keep hearing about the 500,000 charging stations that are gonna be put up around the country.
First of all, these things are gonna be eyesores.
Second of all, people are not acclimated to driving a certain distance and having to sit there for half an hour or an hour or hour and a half to recharge the cars! That’s the problem with the New Green Deal. The country needs an education on taxes. The country needs an education on aspiration and legitimate expectation. What you have in the case of the sales pitch last night is whole lot of aspiration, hoping that we never show up with any real expectation of this stuff manifesting as a real legitimate option.