Make America Great Again: Right Concept, Wrong Details
A recent University of Washington alumni magazine article announced that Dan Evans, a Republican Governor and Senator for many years in Washington, had spoken at the 1968 Republic Convention and “…told the delegates that it was time to make America great again.” I was excited enough by this notion to track down the actual speech text, only to see the MAGA reference was conceptual rather than literal. Still, it did give a thrill, albeit short-lived. (Dan Evans is a huge hero of mine, and of many, here in the Evergreen State.)
It might seem weird for a guy like me to get excited about MAGA, but I have long felt that that movement’s core concept (the need to make America great again) is something most Americans (including me) actually agree with. Where many of us differ is on the sources of, evidence for, and remedies needed to fix the decline (to me, America’s unwillingness to take responsibility for and lead resolution of the global climate crisis is exhibit A for our loss of greatness). I think we should have agreed ten years ago on the need to make America great again, but drive an alternative narrative and agenda for how to do it. MAGA now operates from a place of core strength—owning the idea that America needs fixing—rather than defending their why, what, and how agenda for the fixing.
Well…this is a decade too late; what’s the point now? To be honest, I’m not totally sure. I’m pretty disoriented, like so many of us are. But one initial impulse I’m feeling is that it is time to stop trying to thread some notional middle path needle that will somehow get us to climate resolution. I mean, heck: if the idea of taking Greenland from the Danes is on the table, anything goes, right?
So, here’s an alternative Make America Great Again agenda, focused on climate responsibility, but with an expansive view of American restoration as well.
First off, as an umbrella, use the National Emergency Act to declare climate change a major threat to national security and elevate the standing of the crisis, along the lines of Bernie Sanders’ Climate Emergency Act of 2021. This is hardly a new idea, promoted by many during the Biden administration.
The program I envision would be based on the following core goals:
· Strengthening the American economy, especially hedging against fuel cost variability
· Strengthening the economic security of America’s working class
· Strengthening of American character
· Strengthening of American humility and leadership
· Strengthening of American innovation
· Prioritization of reduction in risks to American stability and human civilization
· And, finally, massive reduction in America’s contribution to climate change
Here are some juicy program details:
· Establish dual baseline targets for the US:
o By 2035, all energy will be made/created in America
o By 2035, all energy will be renewable
· The Climate Emergency Program spending will be 5% of GDP annually until the two baseline targets are met. Arbitrary? Sure—and maybe not enough—but bear in mind that in 1945 the United States spent 38 percent[MS1] of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on World War II, and US Cold War spending was 8-10 percent of GDP in the 50s and during the Vietnam War. By the way, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) green energy provisions amount to about 2 percent of GDP.
· 90 percent of Climate Emergency Program spending must be US labor, manufacturing, etc. This would include a ramp up similar to the current IRA requirements.
· Create a massive jobs program to make every home comfortable and draft-free, efficient, and heated with a heat pump. As admirable as some of the old Great Recession American Recovery and Reinvestment Act programs were, I’m talking massive: block by block, huge volume, low-cost-per-unit programs due to scale. Fun branding, festival atmosphere—The Big Green Machine is coming to your neighborhood!
· Create a massive carbon sequestration program centered around forest replanting and stewardship; prioritize getting imprisoned men and women outside to do the work. So many prison/nature programs are successful; why not go big and make a dent in our CO2?
· Establish a mandatory year of service after high school, with programs targeting climate solutions. This country desperately needs to focus on building personal character…a year enabling our kids to have a major hand in avoiding a really bad future—what could be better than that? They’d also gain skills.
· Establish an Office of Civilizational Risk, with a focus on the strongest areas of concern and uncertainty. Within the context of climate change, little is understood about runaway feedback loops related to ocean methane hydrates and tundra thaw CO2 release. Considering their potential impact, these topics should be studied and understood much more thoroughly.
· Elimination of any subsidies for fossil fuel and beef production, replaced by two times the equivalent in green energy innovation subsidies in the same localities.
This is just a start…share your ideas in the comments below!
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