As Democrats proclaim their Green New Deal as the solution to just about everything ailing the country and the world, one point bears emphasis: the irony of using “New Deal” in its title, as if Americans are supposed to get excited about the prospect of another federal government “deal” forced upon us. Those with economic wisdom do not view Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal in a favorable light. The use of the word “deal” is warning enough of what’s in store, and it’s not good.
A Green New Deal would bring about one of the greatest federal government power grabs in history. Yes, as great or even greater than Woodrow Wilson’s adoption of the income tax in 1913 and possibly even greater than FDR’s New Deal.Laissez-faire policies were abandoned long ago in favor of both Republican and Democrat government programs to supposedly boost the economy and provide for people’s personal needs — neither of which is a legitimate use of federal power. Such federal ventures always boomerang, with the loser being the very people such programs are cited to help.
Once government programs of such a magnitude are begun, they are almost never stopped. Instead, they often increase in breadth until the oppression becomes accepted as the norm for the society. Such is the case with the oppressive income tax which has plagued Americans ever since inception in 1913.
It has been the same with with FDR’s New Deal. Consider the bureaucratic behemoth of welfare and regulatory programs that either came with or followed the New Deal: food stamps, welfare, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Wealth Tax Act, minimum wage, public housing and so many other programs under which the American people have suffered. Everything from paying farmers for surplus food that is destroyed, to creating make-work jobs, to enacting tax-and-redistribute programs, to giving mortgage relief, to providing more affordable electricity came under the New Deal, to constructing public-works boondoggles.
It all took so many different areas away from free enterprise and voluntary action, in the name of helping the American people. It overwhelmingly increased national debt and dependency on government in areas a free people should be responsible for themselves. Be it farming, housing, communications, or any number of other areas it addressed with programs and agencies, the result was less freedom.
Like the original New Deal, the result of the Green New Deal would be higher taxes and wealth redistribution and significantly less free enterprise due to massive government regulation, all perpetrated on the American people for the pipe dream of lessening climate change and providing jobs and income to everyone.
Even if it did a fraction of what its proponents claim, it would still be a totally illegitimate use of federal power, yet another assault (if not the nail that seals the coffin) on the freedom and prosperity of Americans. Homeowners would suffer, families would suffer, the poor would suffer, and most businesses and industries would suffer. Few aspects of American life would be left unaffected negatively. Be it international (e.g., the Paris climate agreement) or domestic, the U.S. government has no business joining or adopting such freedom-destroying programs for supposedly environmental issues or social welfare.
Like FDR’s New Deal(s), the Green New Deal would dramatically increase federal power and the national debt, which would likely cause irreversible economic and social harm, costing trillions of dollars. The destructive results will be vast if this “deal” is implemented or even if reaching its goal is attempted. Far from being bold or ambitious, it is merely more big-government nonsense from radical liberals masquerading as saviors of the world. Every freedom-loving American should oppose it entirely. Compromise with any aspect of it will result in considerable harm to our nation.
The Green New Deal would be a very bad deal, possibly worse than the New Deal itself.