This diary was originally posted February 16, 2009, more than a year ago. Given the BP Oil Disaster and the suspension of off shore drilling, I felt it appropriate to repost this diary.
There is so much that could be done to address our ecological shortcomings. Hopefully this diary sheds some light on our potential courses of action.
In short:
a) Raise the gasoline tax and heavily incentivize activities such as car pooling and purchasing fuel efficient vehicles (50mpg+) to alter driving behavior
b) Eliminate the payroll tax ceiling and cut the rate in half for all those making less than the current ceiling of $107,000.
c) Divert the raised revenue to cover our infrastructure shortfalls and invest heavily in the green economy nationally. Details below