Transition to Lower or Zero Emission Energy Sources

To obtain the requisite support among those most directly affected and in the interest of fairness, no worker whose job is lost in the urgently needed transition to lower or zero emission energy sources should be hurt financially. To give a rough example: coal miners whose plants are shut down should be subsidized to the extent necessary to train and place them, including moving expenses, if necessary, in more socially responsible lines of work. This will be costly, but it will be preserve the purchasing power of those affected, which will have the tendency of stimulating the economy and raising tax revenues, and the remaining shortfall can comfortably be made up by more progressive taxation, as to which reversing the 2017 tax cuts and tax breaks for the rich and especially the super rich would be just the beginning.

Alas, the above is an aspirational policy proposal, not something that is possible given the psychic state of Republicans in Congress.