Our nation’s present infrastructure is outdated and has been allowed to fall into a state of complete disrepair, near collapse.
The Organization of Civil Engineers, who maintain our infrastructure, give a yearly grade to our nation’s infrastructure made up of railroads, water/sewer lines, electric grid, highways, seaways and ports, bridges, parks, schools and overall energy systems. The grade has remained a D- for the past few years.
Just over a half century ago, the FDR administration created the New Deal, as a policy of progressive legislation that also put millions to work building our nation’s bridges, dams, electric system, schools, parks, water/sewer systems, housing. The people also won passage of Social Security and the Wagner Act, which legalized our labor movement, as well as many other progressive laws and programs.
Man made climate change is already upon us, causing huge violent storms, melting of the polar caps, rising sea levels, and will cause massive levels of human suffering, even threatening extinction, if not addressed in a major organized way, something the Trump regime is ignoring and refusing to act on.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has placed all of these issues front and center by introducing a federal resolution calling for a Green New Deal to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure using modern Green Energy technology, putting millions to work and putting our nation on 100% renewable energy within a decade.
She has been viciously attacked by corporate right-wing media sources, working overtime to mischaracterize the GND and confuse working people who, while needed to pass such a program, have been confused and skeptical on this important proposal , but have rallied to support the Blue-Green Alliance created by the United Steelworkers union and the Sierra Club.
The Communist Party should not only support the GND, but make it a priority in our work to organize meetings of working people to include unionists, environmentalists, progressives wherever possible to explain the GND and to help workers and unions develop proposals to protect workers’ income and pay for their families during implementation of this initiative This should be paid for by the bloated corporations and wealthy who have become obscenely rich in recent decades, avoiding taxes, breaking contracts, busting unions and stealing workers’ pensions, through tax abatements and wide use of right-wing anti-people legislation.
The Communist Party should work with wide allies to build support for the Green New Deal, in alliance with the union supported Blue-Green Alliance and the labor movement, helping pass resolutions wherever possible, speaking before city councils, churches, clubs, union locals and federations, student/academic groups and whenever possible to help build wide support for this important initiative.
The Communist Party should do all possible to help pass this legislation, especially in reaching working people, helping build support for the Green New Deal, a strong alliance with working people and our nation’s organized labor movement.