Former Vice President Joe Biden urged displaced coal miners to take up coding and computer programming on Monday during a campaign swing through New Hampshire.
Biden, who recently claimed that blue-collar job losses should not stand in the way of a greener economy, made the comment while discussing his plans for expanding “jobs of the future” if elected in 2020. The former vice president, in particular, suggested retraining programs were the key for workers in industries hardest hit by globalization and increased environmental regulations, especially those in the coal mines of Appalachia.
“Anybody who can go down 3,000 feet in a mine can sure as hell learn to program as well,” Biden told an audience in Derry, New Hampshire. “Anybody who can throw coal into a furnace can learn how to program, for God’s sake!”
State Department clamps down on size of Iran’s UN delegation and ability to splurge on ‘shopping sprees’
Trump Prepares Move to Cripple International Criminal Court in Wake of Netanyahu Arrest Warrant: Report
Special Agent Shaq: Kash Patel Grants NBA Legend Honorary Title at FBI
SEE IT: Chinese nationals intercepted in ‘extremely dangerous’ infiltration attempt near Florida coast
Putin’s party dominates Russian election, but votes on the fringes show all is not well with regime
Blue state gov ignites online firestorm with plan to send gov’t into homes of newborn babies: ‘Lunatic libs’
Documents reveal legally insane Virginia escapee’s explanation for killing landlord
Hegseth thinks the solution to his woes is to ‘send himself.’ It’s not
Breaking: Fox News Joins Mainstream Media Networks in White House Boycott
Undercover Video Outs Heresy in Talarico’s Longtime Church: They Hand Out ‘Rewritten’ Bibles That Defy God’s Identity
‘American Idol’ contestant’s 100K texts with mistress show motive in wife’s murder, prosecutors say
Critics pounce as prominent Dem senator seems to make admission about party’s far-left ‘fringe’
Social media erupts over Hasan Piker post targeting Brandon Gill’s wife
Video: After Dozens of US Historical Statues Removed by Left, Indians in TX Have Built Gargantuan 90 Ft. Statue to Pagan ‘God’
Tourists seeking ‘dramatic’ photo on isolated beach trapped by incoming tide
The former vice president’s comments come only weeks after he pledged at the sixth Democrat primary debate to “sacrifice” economic growth and potentially “displace thousands or hundreds of thousands of blue-collar workers” in the interests of a “greener economy.”
“The answer is yes because the opportunity for those workers to transition to high paying jobs is real,” Biden told the audience.
Regardless of the former vice president’s claim, job retraining and other transitionary programs for displaced workers have mostly failed to live up to their promise. Retraining programs are often a poor fit for blue-collar workers, an overwhelming majority of whom tend to be older and lack a college education, in terms of skill set and technological literacy. Even more troubling is that the jobs eligible for retraining often are either in short supply in areas hardest hit by globalization and automation, or pay significantly less than those initially displaced.
For instance, the average pay a coal miner can expect to make, under a contract negotiated by the United Mine Workers of America union, “comes out to at least $61,650 a year, and closer to $85,000 a year with overtime.” This does not include healthcare, pension, and other benefits usually offered by such jobs. Meanwhile, the jobs available after workforce retraining generally tend to be lower-paid hourly wage positions.
State Department clamps down on size of Iran’s UN delegation and ability to splurge on ‘shopping sprees’
Trump Prepares Move to Cripple International Criminal Court in Wake of Netanyahu Arrest Warrant: Report
Special Agent Shaq: Kash Patel Grants NBA Legend Honorary Title at FBI
SEE IT: Chinese nationals intercepted in ‘extremely dangerous’ infiltration attempt near Florida coast
Putin’s party dominates Russian election, but votes on the fringes show all is not well with regime
Blue state gov ignites online firestorm with plan to send gov’t into homes of newborn babies: ‘Lunatic libs’
Documents reveal legally insane Virginia escapee’s explanation for killing landlord
Hegseth thinks the solution to his woes is to ‘send himself.’ It’s not
Breaking: Fox News Joins Mainstream Media Networks in White House Boycott
Undercover Video Outs Heresy in Talarico’s Longtime Church: They Hand Out ‘Rewritten’ Bibles That Defy God’s Identity
‘American Idol’ contestant’s 100K texts with mistress show motive in wife’s murder, prosecutors say
Critics pounce as prominent Dem senator seems to make admission about party’s far-left ‘fringe’
Social media erupts over Hasan Piker post targeting Brandon Gill’s wife
Video: After Dozens of US Historical Statues Removed by Left, Indians in TX Have Built Gargantuan 90 Ft. Statue to Pagan ‘God’
Tourists seeking ‘dramatic’ photo on isolated beach trapped by incoming tide
Biden, himself, should be aware of such circumstances. A study measuring the impact of retraining programs, both existing ones and those began under the Obama administration, found that while they helped enrollees find work faster, there was little proof such programs led individuals to jobs of equal or higher wage to those they lost.
Despite such evidence, Biden has not only continued touting the idea of job retraining, but has also promised to ban energy sources such as coal, fracking, and other fossil fuels if elected president—to the detriment of millions of workers in those fields.
Story cited here.
