Aquaman and Velociraptors may not initially seem like the most logical spokes-cartoons against freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Green New Deal initiative, but given the radical return to prairie life proposed, it seems as though the plan to Make America Regress Again might deserve a vintage image. Consider that AOC proposes freeing us all from the conveniences that were heralded as miracles to my mother’s generation, and that almost daily presidential contenders promise to do the same. Oh for the good old days.
My mother was 18 when electricity finally made it to the Iowa farmhouse where she lived with her parents, brother, sisters and grandmother. In a home that did not include indoor plumbing, they braved the weather every time they wanted to commune with nature. A windmill graced the property, meaning that resources like water could be uncertain but sometimes available, depending on how the wind blows.
And blow it has been in Washington recently, with assurances from AOC that money would be no object … a pledge easy to make when it’s not your money … as she strips away the infrastructure of modern civilization.
To paraphrase the adroit Bill Clinton, it all depends on what the definition of net-zero emissions is. Like a visit to some colonial village usually kept for school field trips, ordinary Americans could be graced with the wonders of life without cars, or planes or burdensome hamburgers as even animals must be restricted for the troublesome flatulence. The Amish would be applauding their foresight in giving up all modern conveniences if they had the ability to follow AOC on Twitter.
The New Yorker with her band of merry men and women wants to take from the masses to give to the government all kinds of amenities to ensure that an agenda of her choosing takes place. Politicians will play “I see something green,” leading us into a cultural guessing game in which they let us know when we’ve hit the mark -- as we lose those things deemed by our climate betters as not worth our time, comfort or use.
And what might that entail?
Will access to green space mean eminent domain will be used by Uncle Sam to seize property to be bulldozed into parks or gardens, cared for by people assigned to these tasks? Will rickshaws replace Uber for those reckless enough to forgo walking to work? Will we build the Titanic II for travel from Hawaii to the mainland, as planes are retrofitted for housing for the homeless?
But wait, there’s more. The plan also guarantees government-funded economic security for those “unable or unwilling” to work. Most people see a great divide between those two categories as the first inspires compassion and the second requires a lesson in economic truth – building a life requires diligent effort.
Unwilling to work, in fact, leads to all kinds of problems. Consider Ecclesiastes 10:18: “Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.”
But not to worry, if someone is too lazy to take care of their property, the green plans include tearing down buildings to be replaced by approved housing.
I watched my parents weep when men first walked on the moon, an accomplishment recently immortalized in First Man. My grandfather once told me that he lived during the greatest period of world history as his generation witnessed innovation from the first cars to rocket ships. But with AOC’s help, we can safely put these reckless accomplishments in history’s rearview mirror and get back to the family farm.
Too often, lofty governmental programs are rolled out to be endured by the nation while in the warmth and safety of Washington D.C., politicians get to say “my bad” when things fail. With 68 sponsors in the House and 11 in the Senate, along with a panoply of Democratic Presidential contenders putting their own plans forward, there exists a working group of well-funded left-leaning activists, some with ties to billionaire George Soros, available for role reversal.
Unlike the disaster that became Obamacare – in which we had to pass it to see what’s in it – let’s refuse to trust our economic futures, our vehicles, and indoor plumbing to those who are short on details, but long on agenda. Let’s trust but verify.
AOC and the supporters of any Green New Deal should retrofit their lives and show us how it is done. Let them give up their taxpayer funded plane travel and car service, tear down their homes to be rebuilt to AOC’s satisfaction, and retrofit the halls of government. Let the politicians bear the burden of this grand, green experiment.
Politicians want to take America back to the future for a Green New Deal? You first.