Who does this guy think he is? FDR?
Democrats have yet to fall out of love with Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal-era programs. In some ways, they wish that FDR would rise from the grave and lead them to victory at the polls — as he did for 14 years straight in the 1930s and ’40s.
Alas, the sands of time move inexorably through the hourglass. FDR is moldy, and the coalition that brought Democrats that string of electoral victories is just as corrupted as old Franklin’s bones.
But a Democrat can dream, can’t he?
Biden is old enough to remember New Deal programs. And he had a hand in creating the modern welfare state in the 1970s and ’80s. Whether Biden is nostalgic for big government programs or just completely bereft of new ideas, the president has married his love of the climate crisis with his love of big government. The result is a Frankenstein monster guaranteed to be a black hole of government funds.
It’s a jobs training program for young people that I’m calling the ‘Kiddie Klimate Korps’ to highlight the utter ridiculousness of trying to shoehorn the 1930s into the 21st century.
Big News: The Biden-Harris Administration is launching the American Climate Corps – mobilizing more than 20,000 young Americans to work on the frontlines of conservation, clean energy and climate resilience.
Learn more at https://t.co/O32BxmJdgS. pic.twitter.com/KOrqZXIrmk
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 20, 2023
The American Climate Corps is modeled after a program that put millions to work during the Great Depression. President Biden’s climate policy adviser Ali Zaidi told reporters that the program has broader goals beyond addressing the climate crisis.
“We’re opening up pathways to good-paying careers, lifetimes of being involved in the work of making our communities more fair, more sustainable, more resilient,” Zaidi said.
The program will pay participants, and most positions will not require previous experience. The administration is also proposing new regulations aimed at making it easier for participants to enter the federal public service after the program.
The 20,000 jobs will all be “low-carbon energy and climate resilience jobs,” according to Axios.
The paid training program aims to provide “pathways to high-quality employment opportunities in the public and private sectors,” according to the White House.
“It envisions training in areas like wetlands restoration, low-carbon energy deployment, forest management, and more. The goal is to move 20,000 people through the program in the first year,” according to Axios.
Does anyone really think Biden is going to find 20,000 young people to work outside in forest management? Wetlands restoration? These kids can’t survive without wifi—and forget about sleeping in a tent.
The idea of a climate corps began with progressive environmental activist groups, including the youth-led Sunrise Movement.
“We need millions of people, especially young people, employed to do the essential work of averting climate catastrophe and building a fair and equitable new economy,” said Varshini Prakash, the group’s executive director, who has advised the White House on climate issues.
“I am thrilled to say that the White House has been responsive to our generation’s demand for a Climate Corps and that President Biden acknowledges that this is just the beginning of building the climate workforce of the future,” Prakash told reporters.
In truth, this is a political bone thrown to activist groups that think young people are just champing at the bit to go to work in low-wage, dead-end jobs. If they’re given enough breaks and a vegan menu — maybe they will.
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