Green New Deal

[Merrill]

What is the Green New Deal and how would it benefit society?
What is the Green New Deal and how would it benefit society?

How would it fight climate change?
The goals of the document include a “10-year national mobilization” to:

• build resiliency against climate change-related disasters
  
  
• upgrade infrastructure
  
  
• meet power demand with “clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources”
  
  
• expand energy efficiency and access to power
  
  
• work with farmers to cut emissions
  
  
• overhaul the transportation sector with electric vehicles, public transportation and high-speed rail
  
  
• remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere by bolstering forests

What would the Green New Deal do for people?
The proposal lays out numerous “crises”, including declining life expectancy for many Americans, as well as wage stagnation and income inequality.

The Green New Deal calls for:

• a guaranteed job with fair pay, family and medical leave, paid vacations and retirement security
  
  
• universal high-quality healthcare
  
  
• free higher education
  
  
• access to affordable, safe and adequate housing
  
  
• stronger labor, workplace health and safety, anti-discrimination, and wage and hour standards
  
  
• the clean-up of hazardous waste sites
  
  
• access to clean water and air, health and affordable food, and nature

I like the first half of this, but wonder about the second half. Nothing is guaranteed and who will pay for this, if you want all this then you would have to do what other countries do and raise income taxes accordingly which will never happen in this country. 55% income taxes would not fly. Free higher education, if you want to work hard and have a work ethic you can get a very good education at a state college. Retraining workers that have lost their jobs because of industries that are phasing out would be worth the investment. Some of this is a bit to socialistic in my opinion.

 

[mspohr]

I like the first half of this, but wonder about the second half. Nothing is guaranteed and who will pay for this, if you want all this then you would have to do what other countries do and raise income taxes accordingly which will never happen in this country. 55% income taxes would not fly. Free higher education, if you want to work hard and have a work ethic you can get a very good education at a state college. Retraining workers that have lost their jobs because of industries that are phasing out would be worth the investment. Some of this is a bit to socialistic in my opinion.

Trump offers socialism for the rich, capitalism for everyone else
Trump offers socialism for the rich, capitalism for everyone else | Robert Reich

We already have socialism. It's only for the rich. We need it for the rest of us. And the rich need to pay for it.

 

[mspohr]

The Green New Deal offers radical environmental and economic change
The Green New Deal offers radical environmental and economic change | Ann Pettifor

The realism of the Green New Deal demand is precisely because it harks back to an era in which the global economy was transformed (almost overnight) by the revolutionary Keynesian monetary policies of an American President. These enabled his administration to deploy fiscal policy to transform both the domestic economy, but also the “Dust Bowl”. This was done by creating millions of jobs via the Conservation Civilian Corps, whose workers planted more than three billion trees and constructed trails and shelters in more than 800 parks nationwide during nine years of existence.

The experience and success of the New Deal – deeply flawed in many respects – nevertheless assures us that transformation is possible. After all it has been done before, and within living memory.

 

[mspohr]

I like the first half of this, but wonder about the second half. Nothing is guaranteed and who will pay for this, if you want all this then you would have to do what other countries do and raise income taxes accordingly which will never happen in this country. 55% income taxes would not fly. Free higher education, if you want to work hard and have a work ethic you can get a very good education at a state college. Retraining workers that have lost their jobs because of industries that are phasing out would be worth the investment. Some of this is a bit to socialistic in my opinion.

Conservatives and progressives : WhitePeopleTwitter

Sad that it’s actually relevant : PoliticalHumor

 

[Merrill]

Ok, take all that money that we spend on wars we should not be involved in and put it toward the Green New Deal. Also take the billions that stupid wants to spend on the wall and put it toward the above.

 

[ggies07]

Ok, take all that money that we spend on wars we should not be involved in and put it toward the Green New Deal. Also take the billions that stupid wants to spend on the wall and put it toward the above.

 

[mspohr]

How to Grow the Green New Deal

The Green New Deal (GND) is a powerful idea that is reshaping the conversation in Washington about how to tackle the issue of climate change. How is it doing this? By tying it to a set of concepts and policies that are about alleviating economic insecurity, the most potent political force of our time.

The most recent polls show that public acceptance of climate change and willingness to take action has increased thanks, in some part, to the observable impacts that are becoming more regular and closer to home. And yet, climate change still ranks last on a list of the public’s top concerns while health care and the economy (two elements of economic insecurity) rank first and second.

 

[ohmman]

I really think the funding question can be answered pretty simply. Is it viewable as an expense or as an investment? If it's viewed as an expense, based on what data? Do we want to benefit ourselves and the current generation only, or do we want to see society improve as a whole moving forward? I am willing to invest in the future, even if I won't be here to benefit from it. It's antithetical to "Make America Great" by taking everything for ourselves and leaving nothing for future generations.

 

[Lloyd]

Socialism fails when the government runs out of other peoples money!. The real risk is that under a non-capitalist financial governance the USA could lose having the dollar as being the international currency!

 

[SageBrush]

I really think the funding question can be answered pretty simply. Is it viewable as an expense or as an investment? If it's viewed as an expense, based on what data? Do we want to benefit ourselves and the current generation only, or do we want to see society improve as a whole moving forward? I am willing to invest in the future, even if I won't be here to benefit from it. It's antithetical to "Make America Great" by taking everything for ourselves and leaving nothing for future generations.

Future generations are not in the future anymore. Young people with a clue realize that they are going to be paying for the decisions made today. Not only them of course, but they will reap consequences.

 

[jerry33]

Socialism fails when the government runs out of other peoples money!. The real risk is that under a non-capitalist financial governance the USA could lose having the dollar as being the international currency!

But that's not what the new green deal proposes. The socialism you're thinking about is where the government owns industry. The new green deal is about regulated capitalism. The idea is to have government regulations allow a decent lifestyle for every family that works, provides a safety net for those RIFed, and allows seniors to retire rather than having to work till they drop. It insures that the economy doesn't become a monopoly game the way pure capitalism always does. It also strengthens the economy because it encourages multiple companies rather than having merger after merger. Right now we're back to the bad old days of the railroad barons where people are struggling to survive (and can't survive if they have any kind of medical issues) and a few people hoard all the wealth. Eliminating poverty by killing off everyone who doesn't make $1M per year or more isn't democracy.

 

[ohmman]

Socialism fails when the government runs out of other peoples money!

Capitalism fails due to concentration of wealth (among other factors). Democracy fails due to concentration of wealth, and thereby influence. The OECD has shown how inequality reduces GDP due to depriving lower socioeconomic classes of the opportunity for education. Want a healthy capitalist society? Increase taxes on the rich, significantly decrease barriers to education ($) and invest in a clean economy. Rebuild a middle class with education.

 

[SageBrush]

Capitalism fails due to concentration of wealth (among other factors). Democracy fails due to concentration of wealth, and thereby influence. The OECD has shown how inequality reduces GDP due to depriving lower socioeconomic classes of the opportunity for education. Want a healthy capitalist society? Increase taxes on the rich, significantly decrease barriers to education ($) and invest in a clean economy. Rebuild a middle class with education.

I suggest replacing education with education opportunity, but otherwise spot on.

<curmudgeon>
When I was a boy the public library was a haven for people who wanted to read and learn. Nowadays it is a daycare center for toddlers and a community center for the inebriated. The librarians set the tone by gossiping at their usual conversational volumes. So sad.
</curmudgeon>

 

[jerry33]

I suggest replacing education with education opportunity, but otherwise spot on.

<curmudgeon>
When I was a boy the public library was a haven for people who wanted to read and learn. Nowadays it is a daycare center for toddlers and a community center for the inebriated. The librarians set the tone by gossiping at their usual conversational volumes. So sad.
</curmudgeon>

The change is that most of the things people want to research and learn they can now find online and, depending upon what they are researching, online libraries may have more material than the local library. Public libraries have always been about children--at least as long as I have been alive. To become a Librarian (e.g. enroll in a Masters in Library Science curriculum), you have to have been a teacher for a minimum of three years. The real difference is that the reference departments now have less staff because there is less demand for those services at libraries--some things are still only found at libraries. The readers still check out books.

 

[ohmman]

The change is that most of the things people want to research and learn they can now find online and, depending upon what they are researching, online libraries may have more material than the local library. Public libraries have always been about children--at least as long as I have been alive. To become a Librarian (e.g. enroll in a Masters in Library Science curriculum), you have to have been a teacher for a minimum of three years. The real difference is that the reference departments now have less staff because there is less demand for those services at libraries--some things are still only found at libraries. The readers still check out books.

I will say that our small town local library is very similar to the library I visited as a kid. Lots of kids, lots of books, and helpful staff. There are four computers and usually they're unoccupied or being used for research. The public rooms are often rented for English language tutoring for migrant workers and their children, or assistance with tax forms and the like. My kids always see someone they know there, and can sit and read for an hour if we have to kill time in town.

To your point, my kids both have Kindle Paperwhites and they get almost all of their reading material out of the library via Overdrive. They don't need to leave the house in order to "go to the library" and can get a book right before bedtime if they wish. My son's library card was just cancelled due to 5 years of inactivity, but I'm willing to bet he uses it more often than most. The library wasn't looking at online borrowing when they did the purge, so it was their error. They fixed it with an unnecessary apology, and we are back in business.

I love the library.

 

[S'toon]

Socialism fails when the government runs out of other peoples money!. The real risk is that under a non-capitalist financial governance the USA could lose having the dollar as being the international currency!

If that were true about socialism, European social-democracies would be hell on Earth to live, and Somalia would be the world's best place to live. Instead, it's the other way around.

Somalia, Libertarian paradise:

 

[mspohr]

 

[mspohr]

‘Radical socialism’ and ‘cow farts’: Green New Deal opponents lash out as resolution gains momentum

 

[Nuclear Fusion]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but in America donations can be made to specific politicians rather than the party as a whole?

 

[mspohr]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but in America donations can be made to specific politicians rather than the party as a whole?

Yes, you can buy individual politicians, a political party or a PAC (dark money). Lots of opportunities for corruption.