On the eve of Live Earth, which will be hailed as a wonderful success, basically giving reporters the day off, Al Gore is advocating a consumption tax on gasoline and home heating oil that would hit the poor the hardest, and at a time when gas is hovering around $3 a gallon. And people want him to run again?
In other news, Big Al had to cancel some Live Earth promotional appearances to bail his namesake son out of jail and get him checked into rehab. Didn't we all think the same thing when we heard the news? -- Wow, a Prius can go 100mph?! Great day for Toyota.Putting a crimp on global warming can't be done solely by promoting new energy technologies and voluntary conservation. Consumers of oil and coal need a direct tax shock.
But the last time Congress raised the gasoline tax was in 1993. In the Senate, Gore cast the deciding vote. At the next election in 1994, the GOP won big on Capitol Hill. Politicians took note.
It may take more than one Live Earth concert to warm up the public and politicians to a carbon tax.
I don't think I've heard Live Earth mentioned, ever, by any human being who was not on TV. Now it may be true that I run in more conservative circles (though the opposite is true at work), but it seems in my little world that there is absolutely no buzz whatsoever around this supposed mega-event. Another media-fueled event that real people could give a flip about. Yawn.
1 comment:
Positive spin from AlGore:
"My son is simply experimenting with alternative fuel sources. If everyone in the industialized world could learn to power themselves on prescription medication then no man, woman, or child would ever go hungry."
Not reported:
What is the carbon footprint of Live Earth and can we tax AlGore to help offset it?
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