Newly elected radicals in the U.S. House of Representatives say the world will end in twelve years unless we pass their “Green New Deal.” Candidates for President have lined up to endorse the plan, which would completely overhaul our entire economy and ban affordable energy options. They say the climate is “our World War II,” but their plan is a war on working families and the American economy.
What blows me away about the Green New Deal is how unbelievably unrealistic it is. Their plan calls for forcing every single American family to rebuild their homes according to their standards. It calls for eliminating air travel and constructing taxpayer-subsidized high-speed rail across the United States. At the same time, the Governor of California recently admitted the taxpayer-funded, $77 billion high-speed rail project in his state is way over budget and behind schedule.
The Green New Deal is an attack on rural America and agriculture. It would force every farm to replace their tractors that run on gas or diesel and find a way to “stop cows from farting.” Take it from this family farm owner who has spent his entire life around livestock – the only way to do this is to end the cattle industry entirely or force every American to become a vegetarian.
As it turns out, guaranteeing wages for people unwilling to work, giving away free college tuition to everyone, and remaking the entire economy would be pretty expensive. The former director of the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the Green New Deal will cost taxpayers 93 TRILLION dollars, 86 percent of the entire net worth of all American households. It is not hyperbole to say this plan would bankrupt our country – every household would be on the line for $600,000. On top of this, it’s estimated that your energy bills would skyrocket by $3,800 per household as we ban all affordable energy options.
This plan is completely misguided, as the United States has already reduced carbon emissions more than any other country in the world. At the same time, China emits more carbon than the United States and the entire European Union combined and is increasing their emissions by billions of metric tons. The Green New Deal would eliminate American jobs, handicap our economy, and bankrupt our government without doing a single thing to address countries like China and India who increase their emissions.
But misguided policies erring on the side of attacking American citizens is the new normal with the Democrat majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. This week House Democrats passed H.R. 8, a bill that targets law-abiding gun owners but would do nothing to prevent violent crimes or mass shootings. Under H.R. 8 you could face a year in prison and a $100,000 fine for safekeeping guns from a suicidal friend, lending a rifle to someone for a hunting trip, or letting a family member use your firearm at the shooting range. I voted NO on this bill which infringes on your 2nd Amendment rights but does nothing to stop criminals who break the law.
We should bet on the American people, not the federal government. Time and time again the bureaucrats in Washington waste our tax dollars and make life harder for farmers and small businesses. When someone is new on the job and doesn’t quite know what they’re doing yet, we often say they’re “green.” In that sense, this really is a “Green” New Deal.
