What Kind of Green-tech Jobs Do Your Tax Dollars Buy?

It’s easy to criticize the federal government’s attempt to boost economic growth by promoting “green” technology. The idea has a certain superficial charm, and it goes something like this: Since we all know that environment-friendly and energy-efficient technologies are the Next Big Thing, why shouldn’t the federal government “invest” billions of public dollars in the green energy industry? That will (a) create jobs in the short term and (b) put the U.S. economy ahead of the curve in the long term.