- Thanks to Rep. Alexandria Ortega-Cortez.
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At the February 5th State of the Union address, President Trump threw down the gauntlet to Democrats by declaring, "America was founded on liberty and independence, and not government coercion, domination, and control. We are born free, and we will stay free. Tonight, we renew our resolve that America will never be a socialist country." Needless to say, this was not well received by Democrats who have been moving the party in that direction for quite some time. However, this needed to be said as it opened the doors for a long-overdue discussion on the differences between capitalism and socialism, something that schools simply do not teach anymore. Not surprising socialism is being embraced by millennials who do not understand the difference between the two and think it is cool and politically correct to embrace it. They do not grasp the fundamental difference between the concepts of "earning" something as opposed to "free stuff" (entitlements). Whereas one promotes industrious behavior and pride in workmanship, the other promotes a dependency on others, specifically government, thereby encouraging a master/slave mentality.
I have been discussing the differences between capitalism and socialism for some time now, but it wasn't until the president made his SOTU address that this came out. Shortly thereafter, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat-Socialist from New York, introduced her "Green New Deal" legislation. Although it is being peddled as a way to eliminate the carbon footprint from the atmosphere by 2030, it is written with grandiose statements and little specifics. It is a kluge of ideas that is really a manifesto to implement socialism in the United States.
In terms of pollution, she wants the elimination of all fossil fuels and replaced by "clean energy," presumably electricity. This would affect not just passenger automobiles, but farm equipment, trucking, public buses, ships (both cargo and passenger), and air transportation. This obviously will affect transportation, particularly the elimination of airplanes, the production of food, and the price and shipment of goods across the country. Domestically, she wants to see high-speed rail replace air service. Further, her bill calls for ALL buildings, including existing structures, to be retrofitted to adopt new energy guidelines. The cost for this would be astronomical and require a bloated government bureaucracy to implement it.
Not surprising, there is no mention in the legislation as to how these changes are to be funded, nor what effect it will ultimately have on the environment. Basically, it is a "pie in the sky" idea to implement a social utopia that is generating enthusiasm only among environmental activists. As a piece of legislation, it is written rather primitively. Even mainstream Democrats are leery of it.
That is only a portion of the bill though. There is wording in it which truly reveals its intent to implement socialism, to wit:
"Ensuring a commercial environment where every businessperson is free from unfair competition and domination by domestic or international monopolies;"
"Providing all people of the United States with - high-quality health care; affordable, safe, and adequate housing; economic security; access to clean water, clean air, healthy and affordable food, and nature."
"Ensuring that the Green New Deal mobilization creates high-quality union jobs that pay prevailing wages, hires local workers, offers training and advancement opportunities, and guarantees wage and benefit parity for workers affected by the transition."
"Guaranteeing a job with a family-sustaining wage, adequate family and medical leave, paid vacations, and retirement security to all people of the United States."
There is much more along these lines, but you get the picture. Quite frankly, what she is proposing is even larger in scope than LBJ's massive "Great Society" legislation from the 1960's, something we are still healing from.
Here is the point: Not only would her proposal bankrupt the nation, it would transform its very essence thereby running the country right into the ground, just as it has to other countries, most recently Venezuela. It may sound nice to naive millennials, but it would plain and simply be a disaster to the country.
Knowing this, Republicans are excited by her proposal as they see it as a key for political victory in 2020. For Democrats, it becomes a hot potato. On the one hand Democrats are cognizant Ms. Ocasio-Cortez is the darling of the main stream media and the un-official spokesperson of the party, but on the other hand, they know the Green New Deal is political poison.
All of this is going to cause people to become educated in the true nature of both capitalism and socialism which is long overdue. Whereas, the Far Left likes to characterize capitalism as evil, the reality is it very much akin to Darwin's "Natural selection" whereby products and services evolve in order to successfully compete. It provides the individual with the ability to assume risk, work hard to succeed, and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Socialism is the opposite. In other words, nobody loses, everyone goes home with a trophy, and the state owns your ideas, inventions and innovations. This is why I say capitalism is more "natural" to mankind.
The New Green Deal is a 10 year national mobilization initiative which would transform America more than just cleaning up pollution, but changing our perspectives on work, initiative and inventiveness. Her "New Green Deal" is a clever subterfuge to distract from her real objective, social re-engineering of the United States and, to be brutally frank, it is just plain scary. The more people understand this, the more they will turn their backs on the legislation. This is why I welcome a national debate between capitalism and socialism. Ignorance of the two is going to destroy this country.
No wonder Republicans refer to Rep. Alexandria Ortega-Cortez as "The gift that keeps on giving," as she has become the key to recapturing the House of Representatives in 2020.
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 40 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb1557@gmail.com
For Tim's columns, see: timbryce.com
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