We all love our Earth. Whether we enjoy hunting, fishing, sunbathing, or gardening; It is all courtesy of Mother Earth. You might not take part in these, in fact, some simply like the ~aesthetic~ of nature. Regardless, this is our planet and we are charged with doing as much for her as she does for us.
We have done her wrong. Oh, have we treated her badly. It is time to make up for all the abuse. On that, we can all agree. It seems, however, that we have skipped the "how" discussion. This is odd because the "how-to" is inarguably the most important part of the equation.
So why have we jumped to the conclusion of government action? The left has hijacked the issue of the environment and claimed it as their own. As the left is one to do, they've presented huge increases in spending and power as the all-encompassing solution. We see this with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's "Green New Deal," which prescribes unprecedented increases in government power over its people.
The truth is, this Earth is equally belonging to all of us. It is not an issue of the left or the right. Unfortunately, when true environmentalists become wise to the fact that the government bureaucracy is ineffective and bursting at the seams already, they are condemned and ostracized by the climate change movement.
Here is a rule for life as we go forward: government action should be the last resort.
It is a fact, backed by historical evidence, that the private sector is far more effective than the government bureaucracy. Not only does job creation in the private sector affect the economy positively — a stark contrast to job creation in the public sector I might add — but it is also able to produce real results while the public sector gets tied up in never-ending amounts of red tape.
I have no confidence in the government bureaucracy healing our environment. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency, the very agency charged with defending our dear Earth, has been responsible for terrible pollution of Colorado's Animas river. This agency, whose sole reason for existence is to fiercely protect our environment, has been guilty of the very act it exists to prevent.
There is no reason to believe that government bureaucracy is effective. There is no reason to trust the federal government with our money. The only purpose that legislation like the Green New Deal serves is expanding the power of the federal government over the people.
Those who read the proposal should be able to clearly see that half of this resolution has nothing to do with the environment.
This proposal is a facade. It is a socialistic government takeover masquerading as a virtuous environmental savior. It should be clear to everyone that Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez's resolution is dangerous and not the answer.
Free market environmentalism is our only hope. It focuses on private property rights that make the environment an asset rather than a liability. In this scenario, it is in one's own self-interest to protect and preserve.
The Clean Capitalist Coalition offers the most realistic and effective proposals. The proposals offered rely on human nature and historical economic behavior. When environmentally conscious options become also the most cost-effective options, even the greediest, evilest corporations will comply.
The options presented in the theory of free-market environmentalism are promising because they rely on human nature, just like capitalism does. These options also support our economy rather than damage it, as huge tax increases proposed in the Green New Deal would.
I am unable to describe all that free market environmentalism encompasses in one article (more are to come) but I urge you to do your own research and fully understand why this is the best option. Here are some useful links to research and understand both free-market environmentalism and the Clean Capitalist Coalition:
https://cleancapitalistcoalition.org
https://www.forbes.com/sites/waynewinegarden/2018/09/28/free-market-environmentalism/#54549aa1f1a1
https://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/FreeMarketEnvironmentalism.html
The minimum wage is not a living wage.
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