re: #38 winemaker

1. 10-year phase in of a $5 per gallon US gas tax. ( I could care less about GM any more).
2. Phase-in of a port safety tax on oil delivered to US by tankers.
3. Phase-in of coal-fired energy tax.
4. Critically, have a private but commission (and not the government, they’ll just spend it) directly use the tax revuenues to repurchase Treasuries (i.e., eat up the deficit.)

With that, in about the same amount of time since 9/11 happened, the US would be free of foreign oil; consumption of oil would decrease in a dramatic yet non-catastrophic manner; alternative energy would flourish, and the US companies would own the rights as the world adopts that tech; inflation caused by energy cost-push would be ameliorted by the T-bill purchases, and deficits reduced; AND the West will not be condemned to socialist hell.

How is that for constructive?

The lack of this type of proposal with the global warming advocates, belies the fairly obvious: Collectivism rebranded.

winemaker

You sound like your on the left to me. I agree with all that. Problem is nobody on the right will go along with it because of that “T” word that is the most eveilist thing in the world. And it’s not something a slim majority could pass because it’s tough politics to raise energy prices like that.