Economist Ben Stein says Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's, D-N.Y., Green New Deal would cost the U.S. government so much money that it would go bankrupt.
"The cost of this project would in a decade triple the national debt," Stein said in an opinion piece for The Spectator. "This would make it completely unpayable EVER.
"Inflation would explode as federal money chased a limited pool of workers and resources. The country would be in a crisis that would make the Great Depression look like a picnic," he added.
The deal is being pitched by Ocasio-Cortez and Democrats as a way to combat climate change and create thousands of jobs in renewable energy.
The proposal, which was also crafted by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., says it will pay attention to groups like the poor, disabled, and minority communities that could be disproportionately affected by massive economic transitions. The deal sets goals for some drastic measures to cut carbon emissions across the economy and aims to create jobs.
Stein said AOC's legislation is unrealistic and said enacting it would result in "national economic suicide."
More troubling, though, Stein said, is the 70 members of Congress who have signed on as co-sponsors.
"Would anyone have ever dreamed even five years ago that such madness was possible?" Stein wrote. "God help us. The planting of ignorance is bearing poisoned fruit. This is terrifying stuff."
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