We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Thursday, April 4, 2019

The Green New Deal

by Ron Horn

I became aware of this phrase sometime late last year, and when I became aware that it was a push by members of the Democratic Party, most especially the newly elected Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, I dismissed it as another ploy to distract ordinary people of the USA from the ongoing efforts of our capitalist ruling class to satisfy their addiction to wealth/power while pretending to confront climate destabilization about which a growing number of ordinary citizens are becoming alarmed. However, I became aware today after reading an article posted on System Change not Climate Change that it was having a distracting effect among people who are concerned about the issue much like the Russiagate phenomenon served to distract attention from all real issues.

 Thus, I have perused online posts and selected what I regard as accurate information about the Green New Deal. Let me be clear: I do not entirely agree with all the opinions expressed in these articles. I still insist that nothing short of a worldwide, thoroughly democratic revolution that puts people in charge of the world's economies would be the solution to the climate crisis. Time is fast running out and I can't imagine this happening in time to avoid the destabilization of our climate and our own extinction as a human species (along with many other species).

 In order to understand the terms used to describe Congressional actions, I've selected the following resources: Non-binding resolution and H.Res.109 - Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal.

The following are the online posts I've selected (some I've posted before):
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