4) Enacting a 'cap and trade' plan
A good idea = 62% <= mindmeld vote, but use ALL proceeds to spur growth in alt energy industry
A bad idea = 38%
I think cap and trade, for something so big as CO2 production, is likely to be a huge target for rent seeking attempts.
Assuming "the proceeds" mean your going to auction them, rather then give them away than the rent seeking and political battles can get somewhat reduced, at least as long as the government is grabbing a real market price for them (not selling them cheap), but if your trying to commit to a large reduction than the real market price will be dear, and taking that much money and funneling towards any political goal is central planning, not just the normal types of subsidy and political favoritism that happens in our system.
If we are going to have a large new tax (either directly a carbon tax, or extra taxes on fossil fuels, or an auction of CO2 permits), that last thing I'd want done with the proceeds is more government spending. Cut the deficit, and cut other taxes. |
