Frank Miele writes for Real Clear Politics that the proposed Green New Deal represents old left-of-center thinking.
The allure of the Green New Deal can be summed up in three words: “other people’s money.” …
… It is important to remember that only a handful of the proposals in the Green New Deal involve climate change, and that they are simply the fig leaves covering up the naked socialist takeover of the U.S. economy that is being proposed. Free college? Check. Free home remodeling? Check. Massive federal investment in mass transit and other infrastructure? Check. Guarantee of high-paying jobs for everyone? Check. Free health care? Check. Free housing? Check.
And to sum it all up: Free lunch? Check.
But who is going to write the check to pay for the free lunch? As Wimpy tells Popeye (and anyone else who will listen), “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.”
House Resolution 109 (“Recognizing the Duty of the Federal Government to Create a Green New Deal”) is largely silent on where the money comes from, but conveniently provides this acknowledgement of the socialist goals:
“A Green New Deal will require the following: … providing and leveraging, in a way that ensures that the public receives appropriate ownership stakes and returns on investment, adequate capital (including through community grants, public banks, and other public financing), technical expertise, supporting policies, and other forms of assistance to communities, organizations, Federal, State, and local government agencies, and businesses working on the Green New Deal mobilization.”
I believe it is self-explanatory that the public receiving “appropriate ownership stakes” is a tacit acknowledgement that the government will own the means of production and distribution, the traditional definition of socialism.
