The Senate just held a vote on OAC's "Green New Deal."
Not a single senator voted for it. Not a single D---not a single R.
Yes with out a single hearing on the bill, something that is quite unusual for the senate for legislation this transforming.
How transforming you ask?
Renewable energy "meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources"
doable, other countries are getting there, and the goal is 2050. PS: lots of new jobs here.....
Smart grid
"building or upgrading to energy-efficient, distributed, and 'smart' power grids, and working to ensure affordable access to electricity"
Given the antiquated and dilapidated state of our current electric grid, probably not a bad idea. PS: lots of new jobs here.....
Energy efficiency
"upgrading all existing buildings in the United States and building new buildings to achieve maximal energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety, affordability, comfort, and durability, including through electrification"
A no brainer .... makes the system more stable if people use less at the same time we upgrade it. It also extends the limited resources, which seems to be a good idea. plus: Lots of new jobs here.
Transportation
"overhauling transportation systems in the United States to eliminate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector as much as is technologically feasible, including through investment in (i) zero-emission vehicle infrastructure and manufacturing; (ii) clean, affordable, and accessible public transportation; and (iii) high-speed rail"
Just extending what the trend is, getting away from ICE engines, which Europe and China are way ahead of the US (like much else) in doing. Gets a lots of new infrastructure, that lowers the energy threshold while lowering the green house gas emissions. Seems to be an intelligent idea, also: Lots of new jobs here.
Low-tech solutions
"removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and reducing pollution, including by restoring natural ecosystems through proven low-tech solutions that increase soil carbon storage, such as preservation and afforestation"
Nice way to help lower the atmosphere carbon content in ways the planet would do. also bonus some added employment here.
Guaranteed job, leave, vacation and retirement
"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"
Something EVERY country that has a longer life expectancy and higher living index already has .... might be one thing we could LEARN from other countries instead of always trying to tell them what to do.
Labor laws
"strengthening and enforcing labor, workplace health and safety, anti-discrimination, and wage and hour standards across all employers, industries, and sectors"
Might help the decline in, living standards and life expectancy in the US if people could find better paying jobs than Walmart greeter and Micky D's burger flipper. Also might go a long way to help with the opioid and meth drug crisis.
Providing higher education
"providing resources, training, and high-quality education, including higher education, to all people of the United States, with a focus on frontline and vulnerable communities, so those communities may be full and equal participants in the Green New Deal mobilization"
Funny from WW2 to 1980, the US did this and lead the world in innovation, after the idiocy of Reagan ET AL in gutting everything but for rich people, first Japan, then South Korea/Mexico , but now China constantly outpaces the US ...... till more than half of retail sale is from foreign made goods, and every year we LOSE a little more. Might be time (after 40 years of failure using the Reagan ET AL method) to try something that can turn this simple fact around.
Trade unions
"strengthening and protecting the right of all workers to organize, unionize, and collectively bargain free of coercion, intimidation, and harassment"
Trade unions
"strengthening and protecting the right of all workers to organize, unionize, and collectively bargain free of coercion, intimidation, and harassment"
Interesting, the time trade unions were strongest, the US did the best on the worlds stage economically, but after Reagan ET AL began gutting them, middle class lost ground economically, and quite a few very large problems began to surface, like the enlarging rust belt, loss of manufacturing capacity, growing of the trade deficit, massive drug problems lowering life expectancy in former middle class strongholds etc. Like above the 40 year old Reagan ET Al experiment seems to be a failure for the middle class, so it might be time to try something different.
Indigenous people
"obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of indigenous people for all decisions that affect indigenous people and their traditional territories, honoring all treaties and agreements with indigenous people, and protecting and enforcing the sovereignty and landrights of indigenous people"
That is a no-brainer ........ QED
Health care, housing, security, clean air and water, healthy food and nature
"providing all people of the United States with — (i) high-quality health care; (ii) affordable, safe, and adequate housing; (iii) economic security; and (iv) access to clean water, clean air, healthy and affordable food, and nature"
An brainer, the US is the ONLY modernised country to use a dilapidated broken and very wasteful health care system. Works quite well for Wall Street profits, but not for the patients and people it is supposed to serve, It should be a NATIONAL SHAME that Cuba has a better health care system for all of its citizens than the US does ........ PS there is a reason US auto makers keep going belly up, and Japanese and German auto-makers do not.
Trade deals
"enacting and enforcing trade rules, procurement standards, and border adjustments with strong labor and environmental protections"
Yep, making trade deals that work better for average Americans OVER the limited desires of wall street probably is a VERY GOOD THING, for the long run health of the nation as a whole. It like doing the best for the most instead of giving the richest another government sponsored freebie......
This vote was a political ploy by yertle the turtle to create talking points for the 2020 election cycle. He didn't want any discussion about it, just record votes and then make campaign commercials about how people voted with NO actual understanding of what was being discussed.
This screwing of normal senate procedures has been done rather frequently by yertle the turtle , IE refusing to hold hearings or a vote for a constitutional nomination to the nations highest court.
Ending the 60 vote threshold for lifetime appointments so very partisan nominations could be approved by party line votes.
The members of the democratic party saw through yertle's typical hypocrisy and all but 4 voted present ......
The final vote was 57 against and no one for the plan, with 43 Democrats voting present.
a totally legal way to vote in congress, thus yertle gets his day but not his campaign commercial sewage for repubs to run on.
Nice to see how you spin it, but leave out so much of the info that is relevant.
How cathartic it is to give voice to your fury, to wallow in self-righteousness, in helplessness, in self-serving self-pity.