Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) stumped for presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in Iowa this weekend and participated in a climate change town hall in Des Moines, where she suggested that the price tag of their multitrillion-dollar climate change proposals is irrelevant because we are “paying for it now” in the form of natural disasters.
The socialist lawmakers participated in a climate change summit in Des Moines over the weekend, firing up the crowd over what they say is a “major global crisis.”
“We have a major global crisis,” Sanders said. “We cannot turn our backs on future generations, we have a moral responsibility.”
Ocasio-Cortez also addressed the crowd, particularly about the cost of their climate change proposals. Sanders, for instance, unveiled a comprehensive climate change proposal, which clocks in at an estimated $16 trillion. He eventually admitted that the financial burden would “end up on some taxpayers’ shoulders.”
Ocasio-Cortez, however, does not view cost as an issue, arguing that we are already “paying” in the form of natural disasters.
“And when it comes to a Green New Deal, people say, always always always with this question of how are you going to pay for it, as though we’re not paying for it now,” she said, citing natural disasters that have occurred since the beginning of time.
The New York lawmaker continued:
As though the Midwest wasn’t underwater this year. As though 3,000 Americans didn’t die in Puerto Rico in Hurricane Maria. As though Hurricane Katrina didn’t happen. As though sea levels aren’t rising. As though California isn’t on fire. How do we pay for that?
she added, failing to explain how a “people-powered movement” will realistically provide the trillions of dollars required for Sanders’ climate change proposal:
The way we pay for this is with a people-powered movement. We’re going to come together to invest, invest in systems and decide that instead of paying for our destruction, we’re going to pay to come together and rebuild this nation.
It’s only when we talk about acting on climate do some ask,“how are you going to pay for it?”
As though climate inaction doesn’t have a price tag.
As though the Midwest didn’t flood.
As though California isn’t on fire.
As though 1000s didn’t die in María.pic.twitter.com/nr9mG1bl7o— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 9, 2019
The climate change town hall came just days before an Arctic blast, which is sweeping the United States this week:
Cold snap coming in is legit:
* NWS forecasts 380 cold records this week
* Temp in Dallas fell 19F in an hour this AM from 65 to 46.
* Chicago w/ snow, temps in low 20s, wind chills near 10.
* Much of E half of Lower 48 below 32 Wed AM even to Gulf Coasthttps://t.co/4y4y8ZfLgM— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) November 11, 2019
Climate change activists, in recent years, have swapped the words used to describe the impending “threat,” switching from “global warming” to “climate change” in order to reflect “extreme” weather of all kinds, despite the fact that “extreme weather” existed long before the fossil fuel era.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.