More on the stimulus plans

The conversation on the lack of "green" funding in the US and Canadian stimulus plans (stimuli?) continues at the Energy Collective, where Maribo is cross-posted.

Geoff Styles:

We want our stimulus dollars to boost the flagging economy as effectively as possible, without making other problems worse in the future--beyond the unfortunate but unavoidable consequence of larger deficits. Targeted tax credits for efficient cars and appliances make more sense in this context than stuffing $500 into the pockets of every American, who might prudently save it or use it to pay down debt. Those are worthy outcomes in the long run, but not what an urgent fiscal stimulus is intended to accomplish.

Rod Adams:

Why do all the jobs that people talk about have to come with a shovel? From my point of view, we could provide some terrific near term employment by filling some of those currently underused science and engineering buildings with experienced engineers and scientists who have created space vehicles, terrific concept cars, or automated factory equipment, but whose jobs were outsourced or cut in short sighted budgetary decisions. In those same classrooms we could pay small stipends to very bright, numerically competent students who got seduced by the bright lights of Wall Street to create phantom financial instruments so that they can be retrained into valuable human capital for the green transformation that we recognize needs to occur.