The Green New Deal (GND)
The vitriol against socialist ideas generally, and to AOC specifically coming from partisans on the right is inappropriate. People on the left and right understand AOC is a young millennial freshman congresswoman who put forth a freshman resolution for inspiration. Her resolution was not an attempt to make law. It was an attempt to set goals, and that attempt failed. Her failed resolution was among hundreds of failed resolutions submitted to Nancy Pelosi this year. Nancy Pelosi killed the GND. The GND is gaining ground only because the Republican party wants a boogie man their followers can fear. This effort is lead by Trump and Fox News, and their echo chamber echoes it. If you do not believe Climate Change is real, humankind contributes, and/or the word “socialism” triggers you, then you might be susceptible to this trick. I urge you to resist. Let me explain.
Most people are willing to discuss Climate Change and listen to all sides. I see people with agendas conflating a reasonable talk about Climate Change, with socialism, fascism, hatred of Nancy Pelosi, AOC’s young age, etc. The GND was one of hundreds of rejected resolutions. Why focus on that one? It’s not even on the table? Is hate a good place to govern from?
Food for Thought
Bills pass and make law. Resolutions are ideas and goals, not law. AOC’s ideas in her GND “RESOLUTION”, by definition, is a set of aspirational goals. Nancy Pelosi rejected it along with many other resolutions. No one has voted for the Green New Deal in the House. Mitch McConnell, on the other hand, executed a swampy political trick. He brought up this resolution in the Senate for a vote. Even then, not one Democrat voted for it.
Republican leadership knows the difference between bills and resolutions. Republican leaders such as Mitch McConnell are conflating resolutions with bills in order to provoke fear. That makes me sad. If you’re spending time and energy on AOC’s Green New Deal, is that really a good use of your time?
Socialism vs. Capitalism vs. Fascism vs. Communism vs. Dictatorships
The Republican party is implying some horrible things that appeal to one’s fears.
Sometimes they imply we have to choose between socialism and capitalism. They imply socialism will lead to the death of capitalism. That’s both a false choice and a straw man logical fallacy. The choice isn’t one or the other, and no one is arguing that we get rid of capitalism. Capitalism is good.
Unchecked Capitalism is Bad
Raw unchecked capitalism is bad. Very bad. It leads to the exact same type of corrupt system of government that existed all around the world prior to 1776. Starting about 1600, that swamp led to immigrants migrating to the American Colonies–including our Founding Fathers. One of the tests of a society is how big the economic gap is between the top and bottom. Right now we have the biggest economic gap in the history of America. We’ve gone down a bad path. The middle class is struggling. My opinion is that the Republican party did this to America. It’s one of the reasons I’m a Democrat.
Trump may get re-elected because of his ability to lie and push fear. No one is arguing for socialism over capitalism, nor communism, nor fascism, nor a dictatorship. This is the big lie told by the Republicans in order to stoke fear into the susceptible. There is a big difference between socialism and communism, and there is a big difference between our form of checked democracy and socialism.
40 Acres and a Mule
The phrase “40 acres and a mule” comes from the fact that government gave land to the people. A form of socialism. They didn’t replace capitalism with socialism, they added the idea to it in order to give every man the same chance the aristocracy was given — Capitalism Plus!
Understanding Climate Change
At the core of what AOC is proposing is the shifting of money in our society in order to save Earth. Yes very scary to those in control now, but to those of us that believe in Climate Change, those existing leaders of the current swamp can lead, follow, or get out of the way. Remember, the GND was dead on arrival. So, what are your ideas? What solutions do Republicans wish to implement? If you do not believe climate change is real, that humankind contributes to it, and you are willing to take a fresh look, please consider reading the following article:
Why 2030?
The United Nations released a report that indicates humankind may have as little as 12 years to stop it. The report says there is a strong risk that we will have unprecedented average temperature rise from 2030 to 2052. If you don’t agree that is a possibility, rest assured, the rest of us will continue to pursue this, analyze it, and propose solutions just in case 98% of climate scientists are correct.
UN Climate Change: http://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/climate-change/index.html
Bottom line, either you get it, or you don’t.
