Democrats’ Green New Deal is a sham
Democrats’ climate change stunt, otherwise known as the Green New Deal, was exposed as a sham this last week.
When put to a Senate vote, not one Democrat voted for it — not one. Unwilling to go on record as supporters of a potpourri of socialist goals, instead they voted “present.”
The resolution’s sponsor, Sen. Edward Markey, had described it as a “life or death” matter. “We cannot deny the devastating consequences of climate change; it is the national security, economic, health care and moral issue of our time. We must act now.”
Yet Markey himself failed to vote for the resolution. So much for life or death in the Senate.
Others who failed to vote in favor included all 12 Democratic Senate sponsors of the resolution. Three of those sponsors are in the running for the Democratic presidential nomination: Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, and Elizabeth Warren.
Two more announced candidates, Bernie Sanders and Kirsten Gillibrand, have specifically endorsed the resolution but also failed to vote for it.
Progressive Democrats introduced the Green New Deal as vehicle to show voters their concern about climate change, hoping to put Republicans on the defensive on the issue. They knew it would never become law in anything close to its present form.
Confirming Democrats’ duplicity, Speaker Nancy Pelosi won’t bring it to a vote in the House. She calls the resolution “too broad and unfocused.”
Tiptoeing between reality and the progressive wing of her party, Pelosi calls for unspecified action on climate change. So much for life or death in the House.
The Green New Deal defines goals without enacting any government programs. So why did Democrats refuse to vote for it after publicly endorsing those goals?
The answer is that they know that Republicans are waiting to pin the $93 trillion (yes, trillion) cost on them — and that’s a conservative estimate. That’s over $600,000 per American family.
As written, the Green New Deal would require shutting every oil and gas well, every refinery, and every gas station in the country. We’d all need electric cars and trucks and charging stations galore.
Solar and wind power expenditures in the trillions would be needed along with a new national electric power transmission grid and massive battery installations using an as yet undiscovered battery technology.
Every home and building in the country would be retrofitted with energy-saving technology. Sayonara to your gas furnace and cooktop.
The resolution’s authors threw Medicare for All into this socialist grab bag just for good measure, although it has nothing to do with being green. That alone would cost at least $32 trillion.
Adding insult to injury, Bernie Sanders now proposes to add “free” long term care for all to the mix.
Oh, did I mention that all this is to be done in the next 10 years? When will this madness stop?
It’s not surprising that Democratic Senators didn’t want to embarrass themselves with a “yes” vote. Much better to talk climate change than to let voters discover how much even less ambitious proposals would cost.
The Green New Deal is little more than a vehicle for mainstream Democratic politicians to advertise their environmental credentials. But the party’s hardcore progressive wing is using it as an opportunity to drag its party further and faster toward a socialist nightmare.
Socialism is based on good intentions but disastrous economics. It has never worked in practice — not in Russia, Cuba, or Venezuela. Scandinavia has abandoned it.
Don’t believe this country’s so-called democratic socialists when they tell you they’ll get it right this time.
The viewpoints expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Independent.
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Occasional Cortex is the greatest thing since, well, maybe, uhhhh, lysergic… Let’s not spoil it Howard. Let’s all hallucinate together, and let the Democrats have their green dealism moment. All good. Seems they are not all in though. Badge of honor, we dont need no stinking badges! Please no more criticism. Let it ride. Kind of like being at a poker table with Barney Rubble. Don’t spoil the MOMENTUM. It’s a win win for all.