On Dec 20, 2011, at 1:15 PM, Gar Lipow wrote:
> Hi Doug. I'm for a carbon tax as a reinforcement measure as long as we
> have public investment and rule base aka "command & control" measures
> as well. But as a stand alone policy - not effective. No amount of
> carbon tax will build trains.
I don't think the carbon tax is the magic bullet. I'm all for everything else too. But it's important to raise the price of the stuff. Current pricing is ridiculous. E.g., the trip we're about to take to Gloucester, Mass., for the hols. The three of us on Amtrak, about $300 roundtrip, not counting getting from Boston to Gloucester. By car, about $50. Gas costs less than bottled water. That's insane.
> If we can get public investment AND regulation AND price great. But in
> politics we seldom get everything we want.
Actually we can't get any of it right now. We couldn't even get that weak cap & trade thing through back in 2009. But in an ideal world, or even just a better one, we'd have all of it. So I don't see why you don't push for all to start with, instead of building in compromise from the outset.
Doug