Not too long ago, radical environmentalists in Congress attempted to pass an extreme climate change agreement they dubbed the "Green New Deal." Though this legislation did not pass and is widely unpopular with the American populace, that has not stopped Democrats from trying to implement portions of the legislation at the state and local levels.

The hyper-fixation by Democrats, or as I like to call them, Spendorcrats, on alternative energy is a dangerous precedent by leadership in this country. Earlier this month, our country was on the brink of default because Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress neglected to negotiate a budget until the last minute, despite ongoing attempts by Republicans for nearly half a year.

Instead of focusing on these long-term ideas, leaders in Washington need to focus on the issues impacting Americans now; kitchen table issues. As a financial adviser, when clients ask whether investing in energy-efficient windows or appliances is a good idea, I first make sure they're prepared to meet their current obligations if something goes wrong. In other words, our team ensures they have enough savings to pay their bills if they lose their job.

I ask these questions because, like the federal government, we make sure our clients focus on long-term issues, not short-term desires. Before our government starts to regulate energy production and alternative energy resources, we must ensure our finances are in order to pay our bills. As we saw earlier this month, that is easier said than done.

REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS CAN AGREE ON ENERGY POLICY. WE'RE PROOF

Last month, I graduated from Harvard with my master’s. There, I spent much of my research on the impacts of alternative energy and progressive environmental policies. 

From banning livestock farming to gas stoves, progressive lawmakers are trying to implement the Green New Deal one step at a time because they cannot pass it all at once. It is sort of like what my wife and I did with our children to get them to eat vegetables. Each night at dinner, we would get them to eat the healthy foods they hated little by little, knowing they’d begin to eat them on their own without protesting over time.

Among Democrats’ proposals, the biggest losers are lower- and middle-class Americans who cannot afford the proposed alternatives. For example, a consumption tax on animal-based proteins will effectively force farmers and agricultural companies out of business, and lower- and middle-class Americans will not be able to purchase plant-based alternatives retailing for significantly higher prices.

Equally as important, even if prices do come down due to economies of scale, it doesn't negate the fact that study after study shows most consumers do not enjoy the product. Like many things in life, merely saying something is what it isn't doesn't change reality. Fake meat is, well... fake.

Aside from chasing a progressive fairy tale to outlaw animal-based farming in the name of climate justice, these policies will bankrupt one of our country’s most significant economic sectors. If there’s anything we must be self-sufficient in, it is meeting agricultural demands to fully feed our country.

BIDEN'S GREEN ENERGY POLICY STRENGTHENING CHINA, ENDANGERING NATIONAL SECURITY, REPORT FINDS

Through malicious agricultural policies, progressives are funneling resources and handing land to the Chinese Communist Party to build EV battery plants on American soil, using American labor.

Just an hour north of where my family and I live in western Michigan, the Chinese Communist Party is building an EV battery plant stretching over 523 acres, consuming some of Michigan's most precious resources: land and water. The issue with the Gotion plant is not necessarily that they are building EV batteries; it is that the federal government, and Michigan’s state government, are handing over tax breaks and billions of dollars in government subsidies to a Chinese company that requires their employees to pledge allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party; it is in their handbook!

The United States has always been regarded as a global innovator that values intellectual property. On the other hand, China has always been regarded as a replicator that steals from its adversaries and manipulates products for its own profit.

The Green New Deal and progressive environmental policies are detrimental to the fabric of our republic. Not only will they force everyday Americans to undergo unnecessary financial burdens, but they are also putting our national security at risk.

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We need leaders in Washington who will stand up and disrupt the status quo. We cannot let our leaders simply sell our trade secrets and land to the highest bidder, the bidder who happens to be our greatest geopolitical adversary.

Our country must focus on the issues driving historic inflation and worsening economic conditions before we can even consider addressing alternative energy and new environmental policies. The American people cannot afford these policies, and from what the federal government has shown us, neither can they.