The new Congress brought in many new members to Capitol Hill. Along with it came dozens of progressives, whose liberal ideas and leftist platforms would drive our country straight into
The new Congress brought in many new members to Capitol Hill. Along with it came dozens of progressives, whose liberal ideas and leftist platforms would drive our country straight into socialism. One such idea is the Green New Deal.
The Green New Deal aims to harvest 100 percent of U.S. electricity from renewable energy sources and make the U.S.’s carbon footprint neutral in the next 10 years. It would also create guaranteed federal jobs for unemployed individuals, since closing every nuclear, coal, and natural gas plant across the country would eliminate thousands of jobs. Most notably, the price tag for this Green New Deal rings in at an estimated whopping $7 trillion—a cost American taxpayers would undoubtedly foot the bill for.
Aside from the exorbitant cost estimate, Washington liberals left out a key point in their plan to reverse our carbon footprint. The United States only contributes about 15 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions and decreased its emissions by 14 percent from 2005 -2017. By comparison, China increased its emissions by 70 percent during the same period. The proposal neglects to take into consideration that the U.S. is not the lone—nor the greatest—emissions contributor around the globe.
The American workforce has already learned an important lesson about job creation: government doesn’t create jobs. It creates an atmosphere for job creators to create jobs. This capitalistic mentality is what our country was founded on: the vision of the American Dream that we, as a country, still stand behind today.
When it comes to energy resources, I’m an all the above guy. I firmly believe in keeping the lights on in Oklahoma for an affordable cost. But last year, the U.S. only drew 17 percent of its total electricity from renewable sources. Forget 2029 in ten years, experts in the field don’t even think it’s possible for the U.S. to reach 100 percent renewable by 2050.
Americans deserve better than to foot the bill for the Green New Deal’s reckless, expensive, and unattainable goals. The Green New Deal, just like proposals for free college or Medicaid for All, is nothing but an empty promise that leaves American taxpayers on the hook.
