“All Aboard!” came the cry from the conductor. The train, carrying hundreds of well-heeled passengers, were on the first leg of their rail trip to Hawaii, and were starting from Chicago. This particular train was called the Maui Express, and was just put into service two months ago.
Every luxury was extended on this rail service, from sleeping cars to fine dining facilities to observation bubbles in the center. Porters and waiters were in abundance, as no expense had been spared in making the ten-day trip a treat for those going to the Aloha State.
Leaving Chicago’s Central station, Lex and his son Thor settled down in their plush seats. High speed trains, promised but yet to be completed, were still a few years in the future. Now it would take them two days to get to the Los Angeles terminal, and from there to Hawaii.
As the locomotive traveled along in Northern Illinois, Thor watched out the window, and was amazed at the small cars seemingly creeping along the highways as the train sped past.
“Dad, why are those small cars going so slowly?” Thor asked his father. “They seem so small.”
Lex, who by now had thoroughly bought into the Green New Deal, tried to explain what had happened in the last forty years.
“Those are wind powered cars, although most people now use horses and buggies to travel. No longer do we take fossil fuels to power our vehicles. This makes our nation so much more healthy to live in, and will allow your grandchildren to flourish without causing global warming. We owe so much to those farsighted politicians who began this many years ago.”
“Dad!” the excited Thor exclaimed. “Are those airplanes?” He was pointing to the sky and seeing the vapor trails left behind by a modern airliner.
“Yes, son. You probably read about them in your History book. And they are violating our airspace here in America. Probably they come from Canada or Mexico, and are polluting our precious air. Those workers you see over there,” pointing to a work crew a few hundred yards from the tracks, “are working on a supplemental rail line to bring transportation to the poor people who live outside a modern city like ours.”
Lex then told his son about the changes made since 2020. One reason they ate tofu burgers was because cattle were forbidden in the country, and reminded Thor they drank almond milk. Cows farted methane gas, which was bad for the atmosphere, and the government had federal agents searching the country for contraband cows, patrolling the borders to catch those few cattle which would inadvertently stray over into the United States. Those poor bovines caught would be summarily executed, keeping the methane gas they emit at a minimum. He continued by telling Thor that their new house had been built on the site of an older one in order to make it much more environmentally sound. Some of the iconic skyscrapers of the past had been torn down to make their city less of a producer of evil, lethal CO2 gas which would contribute to the warming of the planet. No longer would Chicago boast of the Sears Tower or the Tribune Building, but sometimes progress comes with pain.
Thor listened as his father continued to talk about the wonderful changes to life in the United States. When a horse and buggy was spotted along one of the highways, Lex told his son about how this was really helping the planet.
“Horses do not fart methane gas,” he explained. “And the waste they produce is now collected by entrepreneurs and sold to farmers to fertilize their fields. Our Amish friends were far ahead of many in this land when it came to environmentally sound practices.”
Lex rhapsodized about the green energy produced by wind farms, as the train lumbered past mile after mile of giant windmills. These, taking up many square miles of rich Illinois prairie lands, were giving millions clean energy, sustainable for the foreseeable future.
“Did all these changes affect the Cubs?” asked the baseball fan, Thor.
“Yes, son. The National League once consisted of teams on both the East and West Coast, but now a much better rivalry exists. This change meant that the Cubs only play those teams which are close enough to get to by rail in a day or so. That is why, in our league, we have St. Louis, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Detroit, Minneapolis and Cleveland to play. How great it is to play the Cardinals 22 times a year instead of only 16 or 17 times. And all of the games in our league are played in the daytime, not at night, conserving our clean energy, because all the electricity is need for homes and businesses. That is why movie theatres operate only in the day. With the sun not shining every day, and the wind not blowing continually, there is not enough power generated to afford those luxuries.”
“But, Dad, don’t we have players from outside our country playing for us?”
“Yes, Thor, but they had to come to the United States on rafts or small boats to get here. They have enriched our game due to their courage.”
This conversation reminded Thor of his Uncle Lennie, who was also a major Cub fan.
“Dad, why again did Uncle Lennie, Aunt Linda and Mom stay home instead of coming with us?”
“Well, that is a long story. Since the Green New Deal guaranteed everyone a paycheck whether they are willing to work or not, they decided to quit their jobs, sit back and collect the money. A lot of people are doing that these days, and you can make such a choice when you get to be an adult. It is enough to live on, but not enough to pay for trips like this. Your Mom, after working in an office building, got tired of walking up those long stairs to her work space, so she too became unwilling to work. Now she has time to get together with her friends and discuss people and events at her leisure, and go to the casino frequently. Makes it easier to get along with her! Your Aunt Linda and Mom are great friends and they like to do these things together. Uncle Lennie likes to go to the race track and bet on the horses, and this government paycheck gives him time to do so.”
As the train sped over the Mississippi River, Lex pointed out to his son the work being done on a new dam, one that would provide hydroelectricity.
“That, son, is named for the first democratic socialist, Bernie Sanders, who had this vision of American many years before coming to pass. It was begun fifteen years ago, and will be finished in another five or so.”
Passing through northern Missouri, the locomotive went by a shimmering sea of glimmering brightness. Situated on over 400 acres of flat prairieland, Lex proudly claimed it was a solar field named for the first person to set out the official agenda of the Green New Deal, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Dipping down through southeastern Kansas and into Oklahoma, the train maintained a steady 45 miles per hour. Riding in such luxury was quite new to Thor and he was enjoying every mile of the trek. Eventually, the tracks led them into a section of Texas, skirting El Paso and into southern New Mexico. Passing Las Cruces, the line settled about 30 miles north of the Mexican border.
“Dad, who are those people camped out there?” as they spied a tent “city” of several hundred such structures.
“Those, Thor, are the pitiful creatures who do not want to live in our green paradise. They are trying to get into Mexico, but the Mexican government does not want such migrants and they are finishing a wall to keep them out. On our northern border, many have already emigrated to Canada. I don’t understand their mentality; they are condemning their children and grandchildren to living in an unhealthy environment.”
Passing through Arizona, the travelers finally got to southern California, past San Diego and to the port of Los Angeles. Along the way, they saw the iconic “Hollywood” sign left in disrepair. Lex explained to Thor that the motion picture industry had left for places to film in Mexico, Canada, Europe and East Asia.
West Coast’s destination was a specialized port on the Pacific, especially constructed for the train trip to Hawaii. Their luxury rail transport was one of ten which had arrived for the final leg to Honolulu. The giant ocean liner had two decks, with five trains on each one. It took hours for the loading of such a huge number of people and trains, but when done, the huge ship began the journey.
“Wow!” exclaimed an excited Thor. “This isn’t at all what the history books showed.”
What Thor saw was a series of huge sails furled, awaiting favorable winds. In addition, along each side and the top were vast sheets of solar panels, which powered the ship when the winds were inadequate. After several days at sea, during which clouds covered the sun, both sails and solar power were not able to keep up the pace for a couple of days, which pace was already at a sick snail’s rate, Hawaii loomed on the horizon. Instead of 7 to 10 days asea in the long ago era of sailing ships, they took 20 days before they got to the islands. Lex and Thor would go ashore on their own train, disembark and then enjoy a two week sojourn in our most western state. When finished, the return trip would retrace the route home to Chicago.
In the White House, in her second term as President, AOC would sit back in the Oval Office, now lit by hundreds of burning candles, and marvel at what she had accomplished in the last forty years. As thin crowds looked at the White House, one of the features of the grounds was the huge piles of firewood which warmed the executive mansion. It was a dream come true for the once young congresswoman from Queens. In her own mind, she mused, she would become one of the greatest statespersons in our long history.
Although you may think this is just a fairy tale, if the Green New Deal is implemented in its entirety, all these are possible. Already four of the declared Democratic candidates for President have signed on to the program. If any one of them is elected, watch out!