Before his American Jobs Act failed to pass a Senate cloture vote last week, President Barack Obama made a last-ditch speech to talk up his troubled bill. Not once did Obama mention "green jobs" - his erstwhile jobs of the future.
Smart move. Obama's 2009 $787 billion stimulus package included $500 million for training programs that were supposed to create green jobs for thousands of middle-class Americans. Last month, however, the Department of Labor's inspector general conducted an audit that found that as of June 30 - with one-third of the funds spent and more than 50,000 participants - only 10 percent of trainees were placed in jobs. And only 1,336 participants, or 2 percent, had held jobs for six months or longer.
Smart move. Obama's 2009 $787 billion stimulus package included $500 million for training programs that were supposed to create green jobs for thousands of middle-class Americans. Last month, however, the Department of Labor's inspector general conducted an audit that found that as of June 30 - with one-third of the funds spent and more than 50,000 participants - only 10 percent of trainees were placed in jobs. And only 1,336 participants, or 2 percent, had held jobs for six months or longer.
