I don't understand why you insist on pitting a carbon tax against a cap-and-trade system. They have different strengths and there's no reason they couldn't be implemented in parallel.

That said, even pro-carbon-tax economists like Shapiro admit that a cap-and-trade system by definition offers more emissions certainty than a carbon tax. I can't wait to see your counterargument.

Thomas Casten is exactly right when he says that we should be looking to build a new, more efficient energy network. Using his standards, most of the bills out there, including Lieberman-Warner, fail miserably. Lieberman-Warner in particular props up the coal industry, funneling massive taxpayer dollars into supporting inefficient, centralized energy production.

As I learn more about the policy possibilities, I keep realizing that Al Gore's recommendations weren't just a set of kitchen-sink proposals but a comprehensive approach to effectively solving global warming emissions and building a better standard of living and opportunity for everybody at the same time.

Hill Heat