Government green posturing

As written in the spring of 2022

There is no doubt that we are living in extraordinary and historical times and that all the events we observe unfolding in our reality will become considerable material for books and papers in the years to come. We ended up, certainly not by our choice, in an era of great societal transformation, changes, and even what Gov. Baker calls “the new normal.” However, there is one entity that is not willing to undergo any major modifications during this time at all—the government. Well, that is not exactly true; the government is going to change, but in size, attaining more and even new powers over the lives of the Massachusetts populace. Hence a logical question comes to mind—why is it that the government has so much to say, so many expectations and mandates, but hardly any that apply to (what by all accounts at this point resembles the Leviathan) itself? In the background of the proposed Climate Pact that Gov. Baker is spearheading in New England, and which is in concert with UN agendas, I would expect that the state with so many departments, an over-the-horizon stretching fleet of cars, and an army of employees matching formidable Roman legions of many years ago would take it upon itself and lead by example in this otherwise commendable effort. Several things could be and should have been implemented already. For example, many state employees could work from home permanently and avoid commuting altogether; the number of different vehicles utilized by the state employees, including police cars, school buses, utility vehicles, etc., could have been switched to electric vehicles or even LPG-run vehicles; and the commuter trains and train track lines could have been refurbished so they could operate on the principle of using electricity just like in any other developed country. Most importantly, the government itself could become much slimmer, rid of the many redundant departments, saving the taxpayers lots of money that could be used to fund some of the proposed projects. By contrast and unfortunately for the consumers and the taxpayers, all the burden of this Climate Pact agenda will fall once again on the Massachusetts residents, and it will be us paying more in taxes, higher prices at gas stations, and eventually for groceries and other services because any tax added has a domino effect in the economy. Especially low-income individuals and families will be hit the hardest. That will not stop the government from growing exponentially, adding new departments, and hiring another boatload of employees, taking much of the new collected revenue for themselves, a cycle that keeps on repeating over and over. And so there will never be enough in such a system to make positive headway without causing significant disruptions for the economy and people who participate in it. There is hardly anybody in the state of Massachusetts not concerned about pollution and preservation of the natural habitat, but we, and especially our elected representatives, tend to quickly dismiss other more effective ways and technological advancements on how to put novel ideas and agendas into motion. The politicians always reach for the old and unsustainable expansion of the role of the government at the expense of the people. If Gov. Baker was serious about climate change, ecology, and pollution, he would lead by example and start with restructuring the state departments to be the first in line with this agenda before reaching into people’s pockets like the fictional Sheriff of Nottingham.