Clean-Tech Jobs and Broken Political and Economic System

Clean-Tech Jobs Cannot Overcome a Broken Political and Economic System

Two recent editorials by Clean Economy Network's Alison Wise and Breakthrough Institute's Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger, in addition to a book by MIT's Simon Johnson, have called into question whether the promise of clean-tech jobs can ever be realized without fixing the current broken economic and political systems. I've highlighted three of the most important root causes that I believe, if not addressed, make it impossible to generate the millions of clean-tech jobs vital for the U.S. to regain its economic competitiveness.

Congress' Wall Street ties

Free-market ideology is increasingly the centerpiece of both major political parties. To its own (and the country's) detriment, the important restrictions intended to reign in the excess of free-market capitalism have been largely fought off by financial industry lobbyists. As Senator Richard Durbin said in a May 2009 radio address, it's "hard to believe in a time when we're facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created – [they] are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. And they frankly own the place." {read rest}