Soap Box

I remember back when Haight-Ashbury was the mecca of the peace and love movement and much of the philosophy, vernacular and rhetoric that was endlessly repeated around the country had their origins amongst the long-haired, beaded and bearded flower children who hung out there and other counter culture hot spots in hippie-friendly San Francisco.

Some of them were sincere, young people who were watching the only world they would ever have, come apart at the seams and set out to do something about it, demonstrating their disapproval by dropping out and turning on, writing protest songs and supporting political candidates who were most closely aligned with their vision.

As I said, some of them were sincere and held deep beliefs, but some were violent revolutionaries, some were hangers-on nut jobs like the Charles Manson cult and the majority were just along for the ride, the loose sexual mores and ready availability of drugs.

Most of this latter group neither understood nor believed in the causes the faithful held so dear, but to be a part of the crowd adopted the dress, lingo and politics of those they considered to be hip.

So, the hippie movement was probably something like 20 percent sincere idealism and 80 percent also-rans, and even amongst the totally committed the pipe dreams got a little far out. I remember hearing a member of a famous rock band make the statement “we can stop wars before they start”.

In other words, the hippie movement was long on idealistic aspirations and woefully short on realistic fulfillment.

I am a firm believer that all grandiose undertakings begin with a dream, but even dreams must submit to the law of possible and impossible and preventing a monster like Adolph Hitler or some fever minded radical from going to war with a song and a smile is about as likely as Bernie Sanders winning the Masters.

I said all that to say all this.

We have presidential candidates and members of Congress who - to use an analogy - want to go to war armed with an out-of-tune guitar and badly-written, unfinished song.

The very title, “Green New Deal” strikes a chord in the hearts of all impressionable young people who have swallowed the lie that the planet will end in twelve years if it isn’t implemented.

On the surface, it sounds like the answer to all our ecological problems, but let’s take a look below the water where all the Leviathans of reality lurk.

First of all, the theory of abolishing the internal combustion engine in ten to twelve years is tantamount to insanity, even to do it in 50 years would be a monumental undertaking and the idea that all our planes, civilian and military, would be grounded would be music to the ears of our enemies, they’d just wait ten years and destroy us.

We would be helpless, no cars, no trucks, no trains, not even missiles, which have enteral combustion engines, to shoot back with.

The cost as estimated by Forbes magazine:

Switching over to 100% renewables: $2 trillion over the next 10 years, around $200,000,000 per year.

Smart power grid $400 billion over ten years.

“Drawing down” greenhouse gases, $11 trillion over 10 years.

Upgrade every home to new energy efficiency $2.5 Trillion over 10 years.

Universal single payer healthcare system 1.4 trillion per year, although some estimates have gone as high $3.2 trillion over 10 years for a “Medicare for all” plan.

So, the minimum cost over ten years would be something like $2.5 trillion per year. The total 2018 budget was a little over $4 trillion, so it would at the very least double the already in debt budget every year.

Proponents claim that raising taxes would counter the deficit but even with an unacceptably large tax increase, it would not begin to cover the shortfall.

Another suggestion is that we print enough money to offset the lack of funds, but, as has been proven over and over, the kind of money that would have to be printed would bring on the kind of hyperinflation no nation can handle.

So here we are, with a gaggle of unrealistic politicians who will promise anything to get elected, a constituency of young people naive enough to believe their promises and an unpredictable electorate that could jump either way.

Can you say "conundrum"?

What do you think?

Pray for our troops, our police and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels

— Charlie Daniels

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Check out "Mexico Again" from Beau Weevils - 'Songs in the Key of E'