Clean energy, free college, free healthcare, guaranteed employment, and a higher minimum wage — the Green New Deal wants the government to institute these programs, but at what cost to the economy?
Imposing Higher Wages
Construction and manufacturing are booming these days. Workers can easily find jobs and because of the steep demand for workers, wages have risen to all-time highs. Market forces caused this rise in wages and not some artificial government decree. Forcing companies to provide higher wages for all workers will have severe ramifications on the economy.
Corporations will downsize or even choose to take their operations away from the U.S. American jobs will be outsourced overseas to alarming degrees. Market forces should drive wages. The idea that free enterprise is obligated to accept now policies is a pipe dream. Profit drives the open market. When a business becomes unprofitable, it merely changes location or completely shuts down.
Cutting Down on Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuel is essential in our modern society. Technology hasn’t come up with a viable solution to get rid of its use any time soon. Going green is an admirable goal, but the driving force for change must always be the free market. You will not willingly give up your car unless there’s a better option, and some people might not even do so even with a better deal.
The Green New Deal will do away with air travel in favor of trains. When Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was spotted in an airport and asked why she didn’t take the train, she answered that she was saving her constituents’ time. This is exactly why cutting fossil fuels at this time is impractical: efficiency. Whether it’s travel, cooking, or heating a home, fossil fuel is still the most efficient solution.
The technology, for one, isn’t there yet. The change will come naturally once technology can offer viable alternatives. Forcing change through legislation will cause a massive backlash. You can’t force a businessperson to use the train, and you can’t force restaurants to switch to wood stoves.
Free Healthcare and College
Let’s take a closer look at California. California is the 5th biggest economy in the world. It also imposes harsh taxes on citizens and businesses, but it is mired in debt. All the money the state makes is not enough to meet the expense of its costly social programs.
Free healthcare and free college will cost massive amounts of money that the U.S. economy — and your tax dollars — cannot sustain. Full government funding for these institutions will also remove the need for fair competition. Hospitals and colleges will no longer aim to provide the best service as their business is no longer beholden to you and your money.
In the end, the Green New Deal is a cyanide pill wrapped in candy. Businesses will suffer, and U.S. citizens will suffer as well. The government gets control of your healthcare, your car, and even the food you eat. We can’t have farting cows messing up the environment, can we?
