How can anyone complain about training kids for green jobs? But think about it a little beyond the headline. I am all for green energy: I don't use petroleum because I've got a veggie car and an electric bike, I've got best in energy appliance and keep my PG&E bill below $40, and I can talk your ear off about the wholesale cost of wind energy vs. coal (really).

But should the taxpayers of Oakland be shelling out $250,000 for this program. I'm all in favor of people voluntarily DONATING to this cause. Go for it! But, according to our dear leaders, like Dellums, Nadel and Brunner, Public Safety is Top Priority.

If Public Safety is our Top Priority, how are we doing? Do we have enough cops? Do we have an effective OPD managment team? Do we have effective policing policies?

I can't imagine an sentient being in Oakland who would claim we are successfully meeting this Top Priority.

So why are we spending $250,000 for this charity function? Of course, we can add the $300,000 taxpayers have given to Mandela Food Co-op (by Nadel's efforts) that is still an empty rented space, or the millions of taxpayer's dollars we gave to YOUR Black Muslim Bakery, or the $25 Million we give EACH YEAR to the Raiders....the more you look, the more the money is poured in the trash.

But when it comes to our Top Priority, Dellums+Nadel+Brunner tell us there's no money. We need even higher taxes. And that's after passing Prop Y, which, after collecting more taxes for 3 years already, not a penny has been used for policing, but all the money available has been used for "social programs" such as Youth Uprising, and organization whose web site had allegedly promoted our famous Side Shows until they took it down because of exposure on other web sites. Imagine that: our tax money being used to promote Side Shows, but there's no money for policing.