To begin with, she is not quite being honest. Does “the world as it is” have no other transportation options? Ocasio-Cortez lives in New York City, with a large, well-developed subway system—which is used daily by the rest of the riff-raff. Politicians have even been known to ride it, too. Ed Koch did, and maybe if AOC followed his lead she’d find out how she’s doin’.
Naturally, AOC also commutes a lot from New York to Washington, a route that has its own express passenger trains. It’s not quite what you would call high-speed rail, but when you factor in security and the trip to the airport and back—probably in one of her Ubers—it’s roughly equivalent to taking a plane. If rail is the more environmentally friendly option, it’s certainly available.
Those of us who remember a time when air-conditioning was not universal know that you won’t die if you just decide to open up the windows when it gets warm out. And don’t get me started on Ocasio-Cortez’s complaint that she is forced to put plastic bags in her trash because she gets too many extra ones at the grocery store—a problem every adult in the nation knows how to deal with, even those of us who don’t believe the world is going to be doomed in 12 years. (Hint to the young folks who can’t even: you shove all the leftover grocery bags into a drawer or cabinet and use them for other things.)
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