is Maine effing up the "weatherization" stimulus?

How do other states plan to work this? Has your state started a program yet?

Last week at my University's local college, I saw a little, handwritten notice for a 3 1/2 weeks course in weatherization sponsored by Maine Housing Dept. Cost is $250 and it leads to Maine certificate in weatherization. The notice says they'll help you find work after getting the certificate.

I just got off the phone with a HUD rep. There is no certainty of any work at the backend. You get the certificate and then you bid on jobs as an independent contractor. Not sure how much work there will be -- they have a list of a couple clients in a couple towns so far. Not sure how many people will be going through this program competing for the work. Not sure what the work will pay -- every town will be different and bids go to one contractor or another based on I don't know what.

It just looks like another Maine scheme to get into the wallets of the people who can least afford it, to me. What jobs there are, like all jobs around here, are likely to go to people who are connected. They get $250 from a slew of desperate people for their coffers. Some handful of them will win the work. The rest of us are out $250, at the time we can least afford it.

Can you tell I'm more than a little jaded?

you'll have a CERTIFICATE!

be well spent on training people to do it. I can't see how the state housing dept can get away with charging people... most likely those down on their luck, when the federal govt is handing the state money as part of a stimulus package. Then again, I've seen enough of Maine govt to believe they couldn't find snow in the County in January if you buried them up to their noses in it..