14 February 2019 / Valentine’s Day
By Bill Asti
Economist /Architect
/Author
A “National
Conversation” has arisen over the past few weeks due to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (AOC) “Green New Deal”. It has once again brought to our minds this
realization:
We as humans have a
vital obligation to leave our progeny a world that will support them now and
long into the future.
Seeing that today
is Valentine’s Day . . . Rep. Ocasio-Cortez . . . Be my Valentine!
I learned in
Elementary School to ask that of everyone with whom I wanted to be friends, and
to whom I wanted to talk. Let’s see if I get a response.
Over 42 years ago I
created the first private foundation in the United States (maybe in the world)
to educate about our then-coming post-industrial economy, and how to assure and
sustain our transition to the “new economy”. A few years later, when Alvin and
Heidi Toffler brilliantly articulated the concept of the Third Wave (Post
Industrial Economy), I designed the first in history third-wave city of the
future. All this was codified by accolades both then and in my book nearly a
decade ago. My book’s title: The Chicken Came First: A Primer for Renewing and Sustaining Our Communities.
I discuss in my
book the global trends that help us understand our collective futures, and the
direction we should take to alter the trajectory of our civil society: A
trajectory to sustain ourselves and assure our species’ survival.
I emphasize at my
book’s very beginning why we should work together to solve problems. And
throughout the body of my book I give examples of how to work together.
My book is not a
simple dozen-page manifesto based on well-intentioned ambition, but a 300+ page
manuscript that helps to guide outcomes. It is a more robust democratic
capitalistic version of what Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has postulated and proposed. I
discuss the “New World Order” as it has emerged; much different than what AOC
hopes for and suggests. My book is a discussion based on education, experience
and reality.
One example in my
book -- relevant to the current dialogue about Ms. Ocasio-Cortez in the media
-- is the use of airplanes and the claims that the "Green New Deal" would
eliminate air travel. This claim epitomizes the media’s single-mindedness in
dealing with issues. I show how at times an airplane can use less fossil fuel transiting
the country than does a car. This type of example can act as a springboard for
additional, far-reaching, and substantive discussions … if we can get past the
polarization of all discussions in America today.
In my book I show
how this polarization process -- this “Crossfire Syndrome” -- stifles debate
and how politicians and the press (media) use this process to manipulate us. I
would hope that we, the populace, could temporarily take advantage of this
polarization process by injecting more of our reality and our ideas into this
National Conversation.
The Senate will be
bringing this “Green New Deal” to the Senate floor for a vote: a way to get lawmakers
to take sides, go to their respective corners, and polarize this very serious
debate. The good part of this impending Senate vote -- this political polarization
process -- will be to exacerbate the debate’s intensity in the public square
for the next month or two. After that, the debate will likely weaken in
intensity but will stay in the public arena through 2020 -- a way for the political
parties to further define their campaign issues. During this time period I hope
that we, the people, can bring a different, more robust perspective to the
sustainability debate; one that will prolong the discussion and hopefully bring
some sanity to the table.
The “Green New Deal” has sparked a huge
reaction; a reaction of conflicting views. If we keep these views in proper
perspective, the creative differences represented by AOC’s manifesto on the one
hand and my book on the other can offer a vital and powerful debate -- one which
can help educate the tens of millions of people who have joined the debate. I
would surmise that there has never been a time in recent history where these
ideas -- including my book -- could play a pivotal role in a life-sustaining
national dialogue.
Because this
discussion affects you, your family, friends, and community, I
hope that many of you take the time to read my book and express your opinion to
every media outlet and politician. I also hope each of you demand of your
elected officials to read AOC’s manifesto and contrast it to my book.
Our civilization’s future depends on
sustaining our economy along with our built and natural environment. The many voices demanding clarity and guidance within this
debate will determine the future of our nation, and the future of all nations.
Information on W.H.
Asti’s Book
