Posted on 08/30/2005 12:50:19 PM PDT by ZGuy
Gov. Schwarzenegger's latest green initiative – to blanket the state with solar power - has come under attack from, of all places, Democrats.
The bill - SB 1 - shows once again how closely tied California's Democratic politicians are to organized labor, their biggest source of money. The Democrats talk a good game about improving the schools, helping the poor or protecting the environment. But on almost every issue, their actions come down to: What do the unions want?
What the unions wanted was a guaranteed piece of the business.
They amended the bill to require that only certified electricians could install solar panels. Then that was altered, grandfathering in existing contractors while raising the bar for future entrants into the field -- funneling business to electricians who are trained in all kinds of things in addition to solar connections, while stunting the growth of an industry of people trained just for this very specialized field.
The Democrats added another amendment requiring all installers to be paid a government-mandated union scale.
That provision prompted Sen. John Campbell, the Republican co-author of the bill, to drop his support and become an opponent.
"The whole point of this bill is that solar power is too expensive right now," Campbell told me. "To intentionally increase the cost of a commodity that you're going to subsidize is beyond absurd. It's disgusting."
Democrats insist that any job done with government money be done with union labor or by workers paid a union wage - even if it undermines the economics of the project.
The Assembly Democrats added these amendments at the last minute, without public review, no study of their potential effects, and no debate. They are showing that their commitment to the environment ends at the union hall door.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Has the dem party's death spiral got organized labor in tow or has the death spiral of organized labor got the dem party in tow or are they in independent death spirals, each foolishly hoping (certainly, not "praying") that the other is really healthy and will save them?
Thought this might be of interest.
Absolutely true! However, that is exactly what is going on with Medicare, college tuition, prescription drugs, highway construction, and much, much more.
Improperly installed systems are a significant risk to both personal safety and property, and need to be installed by people with an in-depth understanding of residential wiring, not by people who have attended a few weeks training – as it stands, and even without solar, I frequently encounter various sorts of dangerous installations of low voltage and other auxiliary wiring working by such installers around AC distribution systems.
How many local muni's carry diesel? You may have to ditch the two rear seats and bring a bunch of 5 gallon cans with you!
Diesels can also run on Jet A ...
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