'Green New Deal' would bankrupt America

Believe it or not, there once was a time when politics did not dominate the daily discourse in this nation.

For sure, the political arena has always and will always be a part of our national discussion and well it should be.

But that all changed in 2008 with the election of Barack Obama as President.

Up to that point, no one had been such a polarizing and radical change merchant as the 44th President. And like it or not, that statement is fact, not opinion.

So instead of a somewhat passing interest in all things political, the American public began to take a keen interest because many of the Obama policies would indeed affect their daily lives in a dramatic fashion.

And they did.

Obama's reign implemented costly measures from health care to climate change, from policing to foreign debacles and the battle lines were drawn in a virtual tie of public opinion.

And then along came Donald Trump who, too, is highly polarizing and whose policies also divide the nation, once again in that virtual tie of public opinion.

But two key factors will combine this year to put politics on the very tip top of the national conversation.

First, the Democrats won control of the House of Representatives in the November election and their agenda is clearly to undo Trump policies or unseat the man himself.

And just as important, the 2020 race for president is off and running. Where it lands, nobody knows.

But this much is certain. The Democrats will double-down on their progressive agenda in the hopes the American people will buy into their radical change without considering the bankrupting price tag.

And given the amazingly shallow thinking of far too many, it might just work.

It's called the "Green New Deal" and if you haven't heard of it, you soon will.

The "Green New Deal" implies drastic changes in the controversial arena of climate change but that's just the beginning of the new progressive Democrat agenda.

In addition to implementing a 100 percent green energy agenda, the plan also would guarantee federal jobs for the millions currently working in fossil fuel jobs, guaranteed minimum income for all Americans and the always-popular universal health care.

Short on specifics, the leftist plan -- by any measure -- would assure national bankruptcy.

The national budget for all government expenditures this year is just under $4.5 trillion.

So how would this Utopian Democratic scheme impact government spending?

Well here are two estimates from respected number crunchers.

The Medicare for All government universal health care would set taxpayers back around $3.2 trillion annually. And the guaranteed universal basic income would cost another $3.8 trillion each and every year.

Take pencil and paper and add these proposed programs.

But whatever you do, don't ask a Democrat just how to fund these programs.

Michael Jensen is the publisher of the Standard Democrat in Sikeston, Missouri.