Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) on Thursday praised a man's "sci-fi" proposal for a "high concept" monorail system around Queens.
After a man showed Ocasio-Cortez a drawing he made of his concept for a new train system, she said it was an "inspiring" example of what the Green New Deal could accomplish. His idea was greeted with loud applause in addition to Ocasio-Cortez's praise.
"I find this very inspiring because this was the whole point of us creating the Green New Deal resolution, it was to elicit and challenge us and think about what we can do as a society with public funds and public infrastructure," Ocasio-Cortez said, adding that "projects like these are exactly what the Green New Deal is asking us to imagine."
The man said Queens needed a monorail because climate change would "flood the tunnels" of the current subway system. He also said his solution would be much "cheaper" than fixing the subway tunnels in New York.
After commending the man's idea, Ocasio-Cortez told her audience that progressive projects like these help stanch the flow of money to "corporations, the military, and the very rich."
"The idea of us having tuition-free public colleges feels impossible because we're not used to government working for us in these ways," she said. "But if the government worked for us half as much as it works for billionaires and corporations, our lives would be transformed in a very fundamental way."
Ocasio-Cortez released a proposal for the Green New Deal in February, alongside Sen. Edward Markey (D., Mass.). The original rollout included a wide-ranging series of ideas, including requirements to upgrade or replace any energy inefficient buildings and to provide "economic security" for those "unwilling to work."
After the man finished his questions, she went on to talk about how implementing the Green New Deal would lead to a better future, with innovations such as "zero-carbon airplanes." She argued it was misguided for people to focus on hamburgers being taken away when the Green New Deal is about establishing a better society.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi26MJwUdwA&feature=youtu.be